Words Begin as Sound is a new evening of performance by choreographer and writer Abigail Levine. Words Begin results from a two year assignment Levine gave to herself to pay attention to the world around her through sound—sound as the way to exceed our bodies; sound as communication unmediated by language; sound as our first and last perception of the world. The performance itself—playful and structurally precise—includes a chorus with coffee grinders, a Spanish-language remake of a 1950s game show, and a song (nominally but not really) about Andy Warhol.

This new work is a companion piece to Redactions (Chocolate Factory Theater, 2022) and continues Levine’s engagement with the cultural legacy of minimal and conceptual art, including artists who became collaborators and mentors, composer Alvin Lucier, performance artist Marina Abramovic, and choreographer Yvonne Rainer.

Levine is joined in performance by four dancers—Martita Abril, Anna Azrieli, Julian Barnett, and Kristopher KQ Pourzal—with sound design by Paula Matthusen and visual design by Magdalena Jarkowiec. The performance will be accompanied by a zine, which will include texts written during the work’s development.