DxM, co-instigated by Phelps and Marc Kate, is an ongoing shared studio practice of artists in both experimental music and experimental dance co-inspire each other through open improvisation sessions. 

The aim of the project is to engage improvisation– no score, no objective–to open up a channel or feedback loop between musicians and dancers. We take inspiration from the social dance that emerges on a dancefloor, but disrupt and move past a framework in which dancer responds to music and music needs to provide the beat. Dancers and musicians are both responsive and generative in turn. 

DxM grew out of Phelps’ deep interest in how our bodies and our music are archives of human history, with rhythm and melody stored deep in the most ancient parts of our brain. She finds that improvising at this intersection opens up a deeper connection to the body/nature and the past/future. A cypher for our coded connectedness.