Thursday, March 31, 2011
First Rehearsal (Pre-ACDFA)
My first rehearsal was exciting to say the least. While it was not my first time acting as a leader in the studio, it was the first time that the entire time in the studio was subject to my decisions. To begin I decided to get to know the underclassmen in my piece. Allie comes from a drill/ hip hop background, Lorone comes from a Color/Winterguard background, and Amanda comes from a drill team background. I have known Lauren for a while and I already knew she would be a great influence on the underclassmen as well as a flawless example from which they could learn. It is important to me that this experience be as enriching for them as it is for me.
After I learned a little about them I decided that we should all start moving together so I could see their bodies and get an idea of what their strengths and weaknesses. What I noticed was very exciting. The combination was very swingy and loose in the lower body and very airy and light in the upper body. Amanda and Lauren really connected to these two qualities in a very similar way. It could have been a duet very easily. I then noticed that Lorone and Allie are very similar but in a vastly different way than Lauren and Amanda. Lorone and Allie are very strong in their lower bodies and very bound in their upper body. The possibilities of the two duets are all really exciting but I know that I will not be able to have a lot of unison movement as the two duets have many differences between them.
I enjoyed the combination that I taught them that day. It was not premeditated and so the freshness of the movement was really nice. The transitions were organic and simple and the movement was emotional even though the dancers did not know it was. I feel that this kind of spontaneity in rehearsal will be essential for me. I am so much more comfortable with this than with coming up with movement outside of rehearsal. I feel that this idea relates to the repeated idea of Fraleigh’s phenomenological existentialism in that my past experiences from years ago and just earlier that day are being portrayed in the spontaneously created movement in the studio. I really like this idea because it instantly makes everything I do relative to my identity. On the opposite side I feel that premeditated choreography often looks contrived and forced. I feel that if I were to choreograph this way the movement would become a little too idealistic and non-organic.
In Dance and the Lived Body, Fraleigh writes about her time at the Wigman School with Frau Mary. “She taught me that both my individuality (which is unique) and my human condition (which is universal) are inescapable present in my dance – because I am there.”(page xxiv). I really enjoyed this idea because it directly relates to the way I view choreography at this moment. The movement that I create is a portrayal of who I am and in turn when someone else performs that movement, their individuality shines through. This is beautiful to me that two identities can coexist within the same solo performance.
In terms of my own identity, I see movement similar to the way it is shown in William Forsythe’s Synchronous objects in collaboration with ART-TEC. The body acts as a generator and transporter of energy lines that are sent into other parts of the body, other dancers on the stage, or out into space to extend on into infinity. In thinking of this as it relates to my potential choreography, I decided that a concept image would be more effective that a concept statement or narrative. Air and water are perfect images for energy tossing. More specifically, gusts of wind hit each other and create a tornado and when you run a paddle through water little whirlpools are created. Two energies come together in such a way that sends both forces into a spiral. These images are very much in keeping with the way I view my own dancing and so in this way I am making myself present in the dance.
In chapter two “Dance and the Self”, Fraleigh writes about Gabriel Marcel and his theory of being present in the dance. “To say ‘I exist,’ Marcel states, is to ‘put myself forward,’ to actively exclaim myself to ‘produce myself.’” (Page 31). When I read this I got a little bit giddy inside like I was avidly listening to a testimony in church. It’s such a beautifully simple concept. I put myself in this dance and so this dance is a portrayal of my self. It’s like an instant starting point; no wordy intellectual process, just begin.
Today I am going to try to get a solid beginning done using the images of the water and the air. My initial ideas are to ave Lorone and Allie performing a morphed and slow motion version of the movement I taught in the beginning rehearsal. I feel that this will play to their strengths of being bound. I am thinking that Lauren and Amanda will act as the paddles and/or the opposing gusts of wind that will create the whirlpools and tornadoes. I also want to play with different ways of counter-pulling to create really fast spirals. I want them to take as much risk as possible so that in the movement's simplicity there will also be excitement.
Today I am going to try to get a solid beginning done using the images of the water and the air. My initial ideas are to ave Lorone and Allie performing a morphed and slow motion version of the movement I taught in the beginning rehearsal. I feel that this will play to their strengths of being bound. I am thinking that Lauren and Amanda will act as the paddles and/or the opposing gusts of wind that will create the whirlpools and tornadoes. I also want to play with different ways of counter-pulling to create really fast spirals. I want them to take as much risk as possible so that in the movement's simplicity there will also be excitement.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Tar Bagelled Hammer
The Tar Bagelled Hammer is a sectional chance dance with no deep concept. There is no symbology or significant motif, and there is not a political statement to be observed. This dance was composed on the idea that if you give (experienced) dancers rules to follow, something will happen. I released all choreographic control that I have had in previous pieces and approached this composition in a relaxed manner. Page 139 of Dance Composition charts the Phases of Composition the first of which being the "Impulse to Create." Whereas Annable's phase 1 came a year before the product (pg 141), my impulse for my first step came from a spontaneously found image in my head of paper being thrown into the air. This image was appealing to me in that literally everything was up to chance.
Phase 2: Working With the Medium
Dance Composition describes this process as a creators response to stimuli and impulses that yields some kind of raw product like a motif, an appropriate sequence, music, colors, etc. My impulse came from the above mentioned image of the flying paper. The paper became the medium in which I began to work. I wrote down all of the phrases very clearly with all of the pathways drawn out and the rules stated. I left these pieces of paper unfolded so that they would float more freely and indirectly through the air. I then wrote the names of all ten props on equal sized pieces of paper and crumbled them into equal sized balls. I took the unfolded phrase sheets in my hands and stood in the middle of the Mac Lab studio. I threw the papers into the air with much force and watched them float down in side to side and sporadic spastic ways as they fought with the air flow around them. When all four had landed I took note of their sequence letting them keep the order in which they had fallen from right to left. I then took the ten prop paper-balls in my hands and threw them in the air over the four phrases. Without unfolding the paper-balls, I arranged them on top of the phrase sheets that they had landed closest to. I was very careful to not pay attention to how many props each phrase had gotten as to maintain the release of control. I then unfolded the props and took note on which props went with which phrase. Dance Composition makes Phase Two seem like a process of gathering and organizing materials in order to start creating. This means I have to find music for my piece or at least get an idea of what I would like to use. To be frank, I did not like anything I heard by anyone on the list. I searched for music for at least two and a half hours before finally realizing that the only song that would work for my piece is John Cage's 4'33. The silence was perfect because I did not enjoy anything else by Cage, and the concept of the music was perfect because Cage was making the sounds of my dance become the music. I then decided to save materials by asking Jake Bone to perform this song live on the symbol.
Phase 3: Realizing the Final Form
"Although far from the final form, processes of structuring occurred from this point." (page 146).
I knew that I had more work to do before the final form was physically seen, however I was ready to start moving away from the gathering of materials, and towards the execution of the structure that was to hold the dance together. To go on further, I took all of the information gathered from the paper-throwing and began to start making some sense out of it. I had to figure out how to work the props into the phrases without changing the rules of the phrases, and then I had to choreograph transitions between them.
The Results listed in the order in which they fell.
Phrase 1: Bound
Every dancer learns the bound choreography. Beginning at the upstage left corner all members play Rock Paper Scissors to figure out who will do the choreography across the stage to the downstage right corner with the orange scarf wrapped around them. As the soloist travels, the rest of the dancers play the Once Upon a Time game where the first person says "Once Upon a Time" and then the rest of the dancers each say one word to make a completely random "chance" story.
TRANSITION: As soon as Soloist makes it to the downstage right corner, one member of the dancer chorus says "The End." The soloist then throws off the scarf and Airplanes around the space. Everyone else follows and as soon as everyone makes one complete revolution they all run to different corners. The odd man out take the glasses, cat hat, and pink thera band and does a ribbon dance as the other dancers laugh at her.
Phrase 2: Indirect
The dancers in corners cover their eyes with one hand and search for the other dancers with their other hand. As soon as they reach another dancer they do a counter-pull spin to the floor.
TRANSITION: The Ribbon dancer runs around the stage left edge of the stage. The other dancers follow her pathway exactly as they run to the back and grab the gray scarf, the green thera band, and the white glove.
Phrase 3: Direct
The two people with the gray scarf place it over them and slowly reach in similar directions through it. The two people with the thera band reach in opposing directions. The person with the glove puts it on and holds it in front of them and stares at it as they begin the OM sound. The other dancers OM. When all dancers feel resolved, the OM collectively stops and the dancers sit in still silence for five seconds.
TRANSITION: After the silence the dancers seductively take off their props and throw them off stage. The person with the glove runs to get the purple thera band and wears it as a headband. The dancers advance to downstage center seductively as they clear their throat obnoxiously.
Phrase 4: Free
The dancers split abruptly as they sing the National Anthem. As the dancers run they are not allowed to use their arms. I gave the dancers a specific spacial pattern to stick to and when the two groups met at upstage center, they give each other limp armed high fives. The dancers twirl vigorously around the edges of the stage and run to the center. The first person to the center names the category for the Category Game. This game comes from the drinking game Waterfall. When the players run out of names the game is over and they retrograde the twirling pattern. They run down center and collapse.
Phases 4 and 5: Performance and Presentation, Evaluation and Reflection
"The way is it presented and performed can effectively determine how the composition is read..."(page 148) This quote was especially true for my piece as it relied on the performance qualities as well as the ability of the dancers to make clear decisions that keep the piece flowing and unified. The piece was different every time but I feel that it was a success.
This was one of the first practice runs of the piece.
This is the final performance.
Phase 2: Working With the Medium
Dance Composition describes this process as a creators response to stimuli and impulses that yields some kind of raw product like a motif, an appropriate sequence, music, colors, etc. My impulse came from the above mentioned image of the flying paper. The paper became the medium in which I began to work. I wrote down all of the phrases very clearly with all of the pathways drawn out and the rules stated. I left these pieces of paper unfolded so that they would float more freely and indirectly through the air. I then wrote the names of all ten props on equal sized pieces of paper and crumbled them into equal sized balls. I took the unfolded phrase sheets in my hands and stood in the middle of the Mac Lab studio. I threw the papers into the air with much force and watched them float down in side to side and sporadic spastic ways as they fought with the air flow around them. When all four had landed I took note of their sequence letting them keep the order in which they had fallen from right to left. I then took the ten prop paper-balls in my hands and threw them in the air over the four phrases. Without unfolding the paper-balls, I arranged them on top of the phrase sheets that they had landed closest to. I was very careful to not pay attention to how many props each phrase had gotten as to maintain the release of control. I then unfolded the props and took note on which props went with which phrase. Dance Composition makes Phase Two seem like a process of gathering and organizing materials in order to start creating. This means I have to find music for my piece or at least get an idea of what I would like to use. To be frank, I did not like anything I heard by anyone on the list. I searched for music for at least two and a half hours before finally realizing that the only song that would work for my piece is John Cage's 4'33. The silence was perfect because I did not enjoy anything else by Cage, and the concept of the music was perfect because Cage was making the sounds of my dance become the music. I then decided to save materials by asking Jake Bone to perform this song live on the symbol.
Phase 3: Realizing the Final Form
"Although far from the final form, processes of structuring occurred from this point." (page 146).
I knew that I had more work to do before the final form was physically seen, however I was ready to start moving away from the gathering of materials, and towards the execution of the structure that was to hold the dance together. To go on further, I took all of the information gathered from the paper-throwing and began to start making some sense out of it. I had to figure out how to work the props into the phrases without changing the rules of the phrases, and then I had to choreograph transitions between them.
The Results listed in the order in which they fell.
Phrase 1: Bound
Every dancer learns the bound choreography. Beginning at the upstage left corner all members play Rock Paper Scissors to figure out who will do the choreography across the stage to the downstage right corner with the orange scarf wrapped around them. As the soloist travels, the rest of the dancers play the Once Upon a Time game where the first person says "Once Upon a Time" and then the rest of the dancers each say one word to make a completely random "chance" story.
TRANSITION: As soon as Soloist makes it to the downstage right corner, one member of the dancer chorus says "The End." The soloist then throws off the scarf and Airplanes around the space. Everyone else follows and as soon as everyone makes one complete revolution they all run to different corners. The odd man out take the glasses, cat hat, and pink thera band and does a ribbon dance as the other dancers laugh at her.
Phrase 2: Indirect
The dancers in corners cover their eyes with one hand and search for the other dancers with their other hand. As soon as they reach another dancer they do a counter-pull spin to the floor.
TRANSITION: The Ribbon dancer runs around the stage left edge of the stage. The other dancers follow her pathway exactly as they run to the back and grab the gray scarf, the green thera band, and the white glove.
Phrase 3: Direct
The two people with the gray scarf place it over them and slowly reach in similar directions through it. The two people with the thera band reach in opposing directions. The person with the glove puts it on and holds it in front of them and stares at it as they begin the OM sound. The other dancers OM. When all dancers feel resolved, the OM collectively stops and the dancers sit in still silence for five seconds.
TRANSITION: After the silence the dancers seductively take off their props and throw them off stage. The person with the glove runs to get the purple thera band and wears it as a headband. The dancers advance to downstage center seductively as they clear their throat obnoxiously.
Phrase 4: Free
The dancers split abruptly as they sing the National Anthem. As the dancers run they are not allowed to use their arms. I gave the dancers a specific spacial pattern to stick to and when the two groups met at upstage center, they give each other limp armed high fives. The dancers twirl vigorously around the edges of the stage and run to the center. The first person to the center names the category for the Category Game. This game comes from the drinking game Waterfall. When the players run out of names the game is over and they retrograde the twirling pattern. They run down center and collapse.
Phases 4 and 5: Performance and Presentation, Evaluation and Reflection
"The way is it presented and performed can effectively determine how the composition is read..."(page 148) This quote was especially true for my piece as it relied on the performance qualities as well as the ability of the dancers to make clear decisions that keep the piece flowing and unified. The piece was different every time but I feel that it was a success.
This was one of the first practice runs of the piece.
This is the final performance.
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