The path of a creative process does not always take the same direction, nor does it generate the same shades. Creating is an adventure that can start in an image, a sound, a conversation, a dream, a gesture, or even a texture, to continue to transform in movement and reach unknown destinations.

It is never a solo trip, that is why this section aims to share part of those processes, which have been generated in collaboration with other dance artists and professionals in other disciplines.

Here you will see photos of expeditions, photos and videos of rehearsals, recordings of conversations and more evidence of the creative paths traveled since 2016.
As a starting point for the Cenit y Nadir project, an expedition was made to the Sarigua National Park, located in the province of Herrera in Panama, and considered the driest place in the country. Along with Ingmar Herrera, musician and sound engineer, and Alegre Saporta, architect and photographer, Marlyn made an exploration trip to experience by first hand this little-known place, full of mystery and contrasts.

Sarigua's dichotomies and the force of nature experienced there contributed to the conceptualization of the project. For example, a rock split in two, a product of the extreme variation in temperature, helped to land the selection of 2 dancers who would work together as if they were part of the same body. The texture of an earth formation, which instead of being an archaeological discovery, turned out to be fossilized cow excrement (Oops!), and it also made it clear to us that there were many, many things to learn.

In summary, in this tour sensations, images and sounds were captured that opened the artists' imagery, to later translate them into movement.
The first visit to Sarigua confirmed us that the landscape led to being documented in a video dance piece. Once the choreography was created with the interpreters Emily Orillac and Adrián Morales, two more trips were made together with Jonathan Harker and Raphael Salazar, the audiovisual directors of the piece, to determine the optimal locations and conditions, which included sunrises and sunsets for the best illumination. During those meteorological transitions, it rained heavily! The earth was soaked; neither the dancers nor the cameramen could move over this flooded land, and it was evident that the conditions endangered the piece. However, with patience and perseverance, we waited for the last sunset of the tour and we bet on doing all the filming with the light that that sunset would throw.

With precise meteorological records (and others not so precise), we received better lighting than the one we could possibly imagine, giving a stage with even more character to the interpreters. The temperature, the times and the long kilometers on the road were elements that presented challenges, but not impediments for this piece to see the light. The unexpected is also part of the way.
Making of de CRUSH
Crush was an experiment in translating emotion into movement. Ingmar had already created musical models that acquired shape from the creation of movement and, viceversa, the movement was inspired by music. Six creator performers shaped the first version of Crush in 2018.
Sensory tour between Santana and Cerro Ancón
'De a coco' is a Panamanian expression that is used when something happens by chance. This was the name chosen for the piece since the captured audio was collected on a walk between the Plaza de Santa Ana and the Cerro Ancón, in which the sounds were neither intervened nor artificially created. Actual street sounds were recorded, on any given day, when Marlyn and Ingmar went out exploring. They kept silent so as not to interfere with the sounds of the environment and to be able to focus also on the impact of the sound, on the attitudes of the people and animals that inhabit those areas.

From the Plaza de Santa Ana to the top of Cerro Ancón; a path full of history and memories, but above all full of life. As part of the process of creating De a Coco, Marlyn and Ingmar took this tour several times. On one of them, they invited the interpreters and other people from the cultural scene so that each one, in silence, could collect their experience of this well-known and effervescent journey. It is paradoxical to call this route a silent walk, especially because the noise of the urban and popular chaos is one of its most unique characteristics; it was silent because the participants did not speak to each other until the end to share their impressions. Alegre Saporta's lens managed to document this 45-minute journey; her photographs are almost sound pieces in themselves that portray the urban atmosphere that is impossible to silence, in the same way as the sounds of the forest that protect Cerro Ancón.
The 45 minute walk made for the investigation of De a Coco. From Santa Ana Park to the top of Cerro Ancón.
Alegre Saporta recorded the filming that took place in the room of the GECU (Experimental Group of University Cinema) in Panama City. Frank Zamora, Francisco Barsallo, Ingmar Herrera, David Caparó, José Leonardo Amaya and Emily Orillac contributed to the creation of a powerful video.
Creation dialogues
Recorded conversations are shared in this section between Juan Rivera, Ingmar Herrera and Marlyn, in which they sought to document the creation process.

The audios were recorded in Ingmar's studio in Bella Vista. There are so many exchanges of ideas in these creative encounters that it was necessary to record them so that no ideas remained behind.
Marlyn Attie · Forja - Diálogos
Discover how a poem by the Guatemalan poet Ismael Serna inspired this piece, the risky change of music the day before its premiere, the voices of the credits and the powerful redemption that comes from failure.
Marlyn Attie · El Umbral - Diálogos
A sublime moment in a hospital emergency room. Listen to Marlyn, Ingmar and Juan talking about death as an active transition, also how each of the five musical themes composed by Ingmar influence the development of the piece.
Marlyn Attie · De a coco - Diálogos
Marlyn, Ingmar and Juan talk about the impact of sound on movement and vice versa. Sound as a rhythmic base, how it permeates and affects the body. Sound signals like scene changes, silence like one more note. The impact of the transition from urban noise to the privileged calm of a forest.