Lee Su Min - Wrapped Around

Wrapped Around is written for Ms Leia Ang’s choreography, Essentials, in dACADEMY Singapore’s annual dance production, BREATH 2024. It primarily explores rhythm and suggests a sense of brewing using a motif that emerges from beneath the surface.

I challenged myself to explore greater timbral variety by recording sounds from everyday objects, such as crinkling plastic, hitting a metallic water bottle, and opening and closing the plastic cover of a chilli flakes container to further enhance sound textures. Breath was also used extensively to create thick, sweeping, windy sounds, alluding directly to “BREATH” as the name of the production. I also explored intricate harp sounds mostly created in ways other than plucking the strings, leading to an expanded palette of sounds.

It was wonderful to write music inspired by contemporary dancers’ practice of being Wrapped Around by long-sleeved jackets and dancing in different coloured socks, being a dancer myself.

Thank you Ms Leia for the opportunity to work with you again, and thank you to the dancers for bringing the music to life! I have loved writing for you all and I hope you enjoyed the music and your time on stage :)

Writing music for BREATH while being miles away from home for the third year has reaffirmed the power of remote collaboration. I have loved this experience so much. Working with dancers has always been the dream and it is surreal to embark on another step in this journey of sound and movement. Here’s to many more music & dance adventures 💃🏻🎶❤️