Witch Dance, 1965

Witch Dance, (a.k.a Ritual Dance), 1965, spring steel wire, bells, motor, wooden base 160 x 109 x 109 cm.  In this small work, six figures gyrate about a central figure that leads the dance.  Small ‘Christmas’ bells atop each of the wands bobble and jingle with increased frenzy as the dance builds to a climax.  Witch Dance anticipates larger group works that Lye never completed, such as Wand Dance and Dancing Bells where action and sound are presented as a form of ritual and dance (see also Bell Wand) 

Lye said of the work:  “It looked effective when the six other upright rods all came from the same centre of motion but all have a kind of slightly different action, so you could watch them for quite a while comparing their motion”