Soundpainting

The magic of spontaneous, collaborative creation

PHOTO: Guillaume LeBaube

Since 1997, Strike Anywhere has been creating nuanced and polished improvisations with its collective of world-class jazz musicians, dancers and actors. SA's prime compositional tool is Soundpainting - the universal, multidisciplinary sign language for composing in real-time.

PHOTO: Guillaume LeBaube

Our History

SA is the preeminent theatre company in the U.S. practicing Soundpainting, offering the only Soundpainting Certification class in the nation. Strike Anywhere's Artistic Director, Leese Walker, was the first actress to be soundpainted and was instrumental in assisting Soundpainting’s inventor, Walter Thompson, in adapting the sign language for theater. SA's performers are among the most experienced in the world, having worked as core members of the Walter Thompson Orchestra, some since the late 1980s.

Introduction to Soundpainting

Watch this Soundpainting explainer in The Bowie Project, a collaboration between Strike Anywhere, Andrea Ariel Dance Theatre, and Bowie cover band The Supercreeps, produced by AADT.

Soundpainting in Performance

On June 17, 2022, Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble was featured at the Live Composition Festival at the Irondale Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The 3-day festival brings together performers from around the globe to explore the language of real-time composition. The piece is improvised and guided by the Soundpainting sign language.

Soundpainter: Leese Walker Performers: Rolf Sturm (guitar), Chihiro Shibayama (Marimba), Michel Gentile (flute), Bryce Payne (dancer) & Vimal Pradeep (dancer).

Videography: Decades Out Editor: Colin Lowry Sound: Frank Fagnano

Strike Anywhere's Artistic Director, Leese Walker, was invited to attend the 2022 International Soundpainting Thinktank to direct the final processional, site-specific set of Soundpaintings as well as to Soundpaint the opening piece at an indoor set of Soundpaintings in Aielo de Malferit, Spain. Here she is Soundpainting a select group of international Soundpainting performers from 8 different countries.

Soundpainter: Leese Walker. Performers: Òscar Vidal (Toys, Percussion & Matches), Sam Harmet (Mandolin), Ricardo Gassent (Oboe), Anne Pernas (Actor), Arnau Milla (Flute), Audrey Vallarino (Dancer), Christian Pincock (Trombone), Claude Whipple (Actor), Nicole Poole (Actor), Pau Monfort (Clarinet), Pedro Larraya (Actor), Tilmann Dehnhard (Flute), Xacobe Martinez Antelo (Drums), Hada Benedito (Moog Synth), Hatice Miray Eslek (Clarinet)

Soundpainting in Schools

Over 100 top tier band, theater and choir students at Timber Creek HS in Fort Worth, TX came together for a weeklong intensive of Soundpainting workshops led by Strike Anywhere’s Artistic Director, Leese Walker. The workshops resulted in an hour-long concert with all the students and Soundpainting a mashup of music by Phillip Glass, Ravi Shankar, text from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and choreography and song from the choir’s repertoire.

In April of 2019, Founding Artistic Directors Leese Walker (Strike Anywhere) and Angelique Cormier (Tours Soundpainting Orchestra) performed a week-long intensive Soundpainting residency at the Lycée Français de New York. The residency culminated in a performance with students being soundpainted alongside professional performers from Strike Anywhere's ensemble.

Selected Works

Dive deeper

WTF is Soundpainting?! Web Series

PART 1: Strap in for a crash course in the universal sign language for live composition with improvisers. In this new series, Leese Walker will break down how Soundpainting can elevate your artistry—whether you’re new to improv or a pro looking for fresh techniques.

Soundpainter: Leese Walker
Video editing & Script: November Christine
Featuring: THE BOWIE PROJECT + Supercreeps & Strike Anywhere; produced by Andrea Ariel.

Soundpainting was invented by Walter Thompson in 1974 in Woodstock, New York.