Metaphysical Playthings holds that dance is a mode of inquiry through which we may reevaluate our assumptions about space, time, attention, sensation, and social relation. Here, the “metaphysical” is the generative process by which possible worlds are made through choreographic organization of bodies, movement, and rhythm. These worlds, co-produced by performer and audience, invite curiosity, experimentation, reinterpretation, and most crucially, play.

All iterations, or “volumes,” of Metaphysical Playthings are organized through a common set of conditions that artists must navigate collaboratively. Each volume centers on a shared thematic inquiry as well as a choreographic score.

MPT is rooted in the experimental traditions of postmodern and contemporary concert dance, particularly those that understand choreography as a mode of inquiry rather than representation. This commitment to experimentation and collaboration makes MPT open to artists working across movement practices and aesthetic traditions.

Every dance proposes a possible world, through which we may reevaluate our assumptions about space, time, attention, sensation, and social relation. Metaphysical Playthings asks: What is your next move?