For the Ice II, also sounding as For the Eyes Too alludes to the visual aspect of the work, composed as a dance piece for two female dancers. The structure of the work, is based on the Japanese nõ dance Chu No Mai (literally meaning ‘moderate dance’).
As the original dance, the For the Ice II, is built upon the repetition of four fixed thematic sequences and four unique sequences (distant variants of the four repetitive ones). The discreet coexistence of development and non-development as well as the contrast in the instrumental function, not only refer to the polarisation of the Western and Eastern concepts of fixity and fluidity but also underpin the differences between the two stage characters impersonated by the two female dancers.
First performance: 26 March 2006, Sounds New Festival, Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury, UK, Sarah Field, saxophone, Simon Lepper, piano.