Aesthetics - Environment Final Paper
S. Asher Gelman
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
Aesthetics - Environment
Maida Withers
I don’t know if I can really “define” my aesthetic yet. But this course has helped me to realize that that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I feel that I explored a lot about myself during the past few months. What was fascinating to me was just how much I could do with sometimes very little (sometimes no) preparation. People want to see dance, even if they don’t know it yet. Every time I performed, I found myself surprised by how often people stopped to watch, and even participated! I was both intimidated and inspired by this course. I felt that a lot of the assignments really put me outside of my comfort zone.
The Invisible Dances assignment was a wonderful tool. I felt that it allowed me to really figure out what performance is, even if no one else knows it is performance. It was a very interesting way to begin this course, because it set the tone for the rest of the semester. It forced me to ask myself several questions which I continued to ask throughout the semester:
What makes a performance?
What identifies oneself as a performer?
Is it a performance if no one else knows about it?
Is the simple act of deigning something a performance enough to make it so?
These questions (and more) ended up shaping the rest of the work I did this semester. Another factor that I had not considered was the use of a video camera. I soon realized that although this was a distance-learning course and the only way to share my experience was through video, the very act of video-taping effectively altered the performance. Consequently, I often chose to not video my performances, for fear that the videoing of it would alert others to the performance. Many of my performances (especially at the beginning of the semester) were subversive, under-the-radar, performances. One of the first performances I videoed was a piece I called “Streetwalker,” in which I used mostly pedestrian movement with some more stylized movements spliced in between while walking back to our hotel room in New York. What I noticed was that people seemed less interested in was doing once the camera came out. Perhaps that was because the simple act of being documented somehow erases what I like to refer to as the “crazy factor.” The crazy factor exists when one is simply performing solo, but as soon as one has an accomplice of sorts - either another performer or a documenter - suddenly the crazy factor is lost, because you were able to at least sane enough to convince one other person to partake in said activity. Truth be told, I kind of love the crazy factor. I loved just going out and doing something spontaneous without anyone else being the wiser.
There were certain scripts that I felt would have been ruined by the use of documentation. One script in particular - my “Just Say No” script entitled “Parasite” (although technically done for the Choreography course) - would have been destroyed by the use of documentation. The entire point of that performance was that the audience (a friend of mine) was unaware that it was a performance. The presence of a video camera would have immediately alerted her to the fact that my constant eating from her plate was a performance, and she would not have reacted the way I wanted her to.
I felt that certain artists we explored also really spoke to me. I was fascinated by Jill Sigman. I thought her work was so bizarre and wonderful, and furthermore I appreciated her stance on interpretation, how she felt that it was okay for the audience to glean different meanings from her work and that it wasn’t important to “get it right.” To me, that very much speaks to my own personal aesthetic. It is less important to me that you understand my work; frankly it is less important to me that even I understand my work. What is important to me is that it stirs something inside - inside me, inside you, inside my performers. I did not decide to become an artist so that I could make nice pretty dances that pleased the eye and didn’t require you to think too hard about them. I did not decide to become an artist so that my work could be forgotten moments after being viewed. I want to make a splash. I want to be noticed. I want to be remembered.
My personal aesthetic - how I achieve those goals - is less clear. To me dance is about people, not just the bodies. When I dance (or choreograph), I am looking for relationships between ourselves and the people, places, and things around us. That is where this course in Environment comes in for me. While I have dome a lot of exploring regarding the people aspect, I have, until now, done very little exploring regarding the places and things aspects of performance. What is the difference between performing a piece in a dance studio or theater and performing that same piece on the street or in a lobby? What does the place do to the performance?
By far, my favorite assignment from this course was the yellow box project. I found a great deal of difficulty securing a business that would let me perform in front of them, due to the fact that it was the middle of the holidays here in Israel. I ended up reverting to my Plan B, which ended up being a blessing in disguise. I took the assignment to the middle of the highway on Yom Kippur - the only day of the year when no one drives in Israel. I set up my one meter yellow tape box in the middle of the highway and had my fiancé film me from the overpass. What transpired was nothing short of performative magic. People around me who were walking and biking on the highway stopped to film and photograph me. Several people started “planking” (see an excerpt from “The Office” for an explanation) behind me. Then those same people started actually dancing! I was really impressed by the outcome and felt that the project said a lot about many issues, but my favorite aspect was using a very tiny space in this huge expansive area to create my performance. I believe that I was able to really accentuate the dichotomy I created regarding scale. I felt that my most effective use of environment was with this piece.
Although I felt it had less to do with environment, I also really appreciated the Choreography in Performance assignment. I really enjoyed exploring the concept of the act of choreography being its own performance. It was interesting being the creator and the subject in the same instance, and led to some ideas that I may end up using in the future.
My only disappointment in this course was my final project, which I felt did not reflect the work I had done previously. As I stated on my blog, I was not thrilled by the final result. I felt that I was capable of doing something amazing, and instead ended up with a mediocre product. I believe I was both simultaneously too inflexible and too flexible. I was inflexible regarding the fact that although it should have been obvious to me that I needed to change my idea, I was too stubborn to change it, since I had already committed to the idea months ago. I was flexible regarding the fact that despite the fact that literally nothing panned out the way I wanted it to, I still found a way to create a performance. Given the opportunity to do this assignment again, I would have taken more time to get to know the space I was using. I would have really taken advantage of the space and the wonderful possibilities that lie within it. I felt that my ideas about making our first cooked meal together in our new home into a performance was an interesting idea. I thought there were a lot of places I could have gone with this idea, yet unfortunately I was not able to explore them. I believe that, due in large part to the unlucky circumstances I faced, the performance was alright. I, however, am not content with alright. I ultimately felt that this project did not reach my expectations, and I felt it was not worthy of being called my “final project” for this course. I felt that I did some pretty incredible work this semester, and that the final project was sub-par. I would like to work on a similar project once the apartment is complete, because I believe there is a fantastic dance to be made, and unfortunately, it did not happen with that performance.
In summation, I felt that I grew a lot this semester. I felt that I was not only able to identify my successes, but also my failures. I believe that being honest with oneself is crucial. I probably could have defended my final project in a way that would have made everyone buy into it, but the truth is that I didn’t feel it was worth defending. I am very interested in how my work relates to its environment, and sincerely look forward to the plethora of dance opportunities that I can create for myself in interesting and fantastic locales.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
FINAL AESTHETICS PROJECT: "First Egg"
VIDEO:
First Egg
TITLE:
First Egg
INTENTION:
To celebrate moving into the new apartment with my fiancé by creating a site-specific dance piece in our salon and simultaneously cooking our first meal together in the new space.
INSPIRATION:
The idea behind this piece came from my desire to “christen” our new home with a dance piece. Originally, I had expected that our renovation would have been finished long before we performed this piece.
SCRIPT:
The script was very simple. Both performers start in the kitchen cooking an egg. After a minute or so, one of them begins to relate to the space as a dancer, not as a “normal person.” The person cooking the egg continues until the other takes over. The two performers switch back and forth until the egg is finished, then continue to relate to each other and the space as dancers until the music finishes.
DETAILS:
On Thursday, December 8th, 2011, at 21:30, "First Egg” was performed at 5 Yosef Hanasi St. Apartment 1, to an audience of a few friends and several passers by who could see into the apartment from the street. I chose to perform the piece at night so that the light from the apartment would draw attention from passers-by on the street. There is a huge floor-to-ceiling window in front of the performance area that spans the entire six-meter wall and faces the street.
CAST:
Mati Bardosh
S. Asher Gelman
Because of the nature of this piece, there were only two of us who could have danced it. Originally I had intended to create a solo, but it occurred to me that because it was our home, both of us should partake in this piece.
PREPARATION:
Due to the fact that Mati studies in Haifa during the week, I was forced to work on this piece during the weekends. Originally, I had intended to create a choreographed piece, but due to the ongoing construction, I was only able to work on the piece the day of the performance, since the kitchen itself and the couches only arrived the previous day. Furthermore, the entire space was filled with garbage and cardboard boxes up until 24 hours before the performance.I decided that rather than scrap the production entirely, we could turn it into a site-specific improvisation.
ADVERTISEMENT:
My primary means of advertising this performance was Facebook. I also called a few friends and asked them to come.
MUSIC:
Originally I wanted to use music about the home, but I couldn’t find any that fit. I decided to use music from The Magnetic Fields instead The tracks are all from their album “69 Love Songs”:
Two Kinds of People - The Magnetic Fields
Long-Forgotten Fairytale - The Magnetic Fields
You’re My Only Home - The Magnetic Fields
COSTUMES:
I chose to have us both dressed in street clothes. I wanted to create a sense that the performance aspect was almost an accident. I wanted passers-by to stop and watch because of the movement, not because of the costumes, indicating a performance.
DOCUMENTATION:
I set up my video camera in the back of the room to record the performance. The video does not include the giant window behind it. Since our apartment is on the ground floor, passers-by were able to see the performance from the street.
RESULTS:
Several of my friends attended the performance of “First Egg,” as well as several people who stopped to watch from the street. The feedback I received was positive.
PERSONAL ASSESSMENT:
I was not thrilled by the final result. Mati was feeling very sick the night we performed. I did not have the option to postpone the performance, due to the fact that Mati had surgery the following day and would not be able to partake in any physical activity for the next few weeks to keep the stitches from ripping. Furthermore, had I known that by this point we would still not be living in a finished apartment, I would have planned another performance entirely. I decided to do this performance shortly after returning to Israel in September, at that time, I had no way of knowing that the apartment would still be unfinished. That said, I felt that it is important to be flexible - when God gives you lemons, make lemonade.
I believe that Mati and I did a fine job dancing this script, especially in light of how sick he felt. I felt that my ideas about making our first cooked meal together in our new home into a performance was an interesting idea. The egg took a bit longer to cook than I had anticipated, mostly due to the fact that neither of us were very familiar with using the stove. I would have rehearsed with the egg, but I wanted the performance to be the event itself. I felt that using an egg in rehearsal would cheapen the performance itself.
There are a lot of changes I would make to this performance given the opportunity to do it again. I would create something rehearsed and set. I would make sure the apartment was finished before committing to the performance. I would have given myself ample time to rehearse the performance. Unfortunately, this time around, that was simply not possible due to extenuating circumstances regarding the renovation. I believe I was a little too set on doing this specific piece, and would have been better served changing my project.
I believe that, due in large part to the unlucky circumstances I faced, the performance was alright. I, however, am not content with alright. I ultimately felt that this project did not reach my expectations, and I feel it is not worthy of being called my “final project” for this course. I feel that I did some pretty incredible work this semester, and that this is sub-par. I would like to work on a similar project once the apartment is complete, because I believe there is a fantastic dance to be made, and unfortunately, it did not happen with this performance.
First Egg
TITLE:
First Egg
INTENTION:
To celebrate moving into the new apartment with my fiancé by creating a site-specific dance piece in our salon and simultaneously cooking our first meal together in the new space.
INSPIRATION:
The idea behind this piece came from my desire to “christen” our new home with a dance piece. Originally, I had expected that our renovation would have been finished long before we performed this piece.
SCRIPT:
The script was very simple. Both performers start in the kitchen cooking an egg. After a minute or so, one of them begins to relate to the space as a dancer, not as a “normal person.” The person cooking the egg continues until the other takes over. The two performers switch back and forth until the egg is finished, then continue to relate to each other and the space as dancers until the music finishes.
DETAILS:
On Thursday, December 8th, 2011, at 21:30, "First Egg” was performed at 5 Yosef Hanasi St. Apartment 1, to an audience of a few friends and several passers by who could see into the apartment from the street. I chose to perform the piece at night so that the light from the apartment would draw attention from passers-by on the street. There is a huge floor-to-ceiling window in front of the performance area that spans the entire six-meter wall and faces the street.
CAST:
Mati Bardosh
S. Asher Gelman
Because of the nature of this piece, there were only two of us who could have danced it. Originally I had intended to create a solo, but it occurred to me that because it was our home, both of us should partake in this piece.
PREPARATION:
Due to the fact that Mati studies in Haifa during the week, I was forced to work on this piece during the weekends. Originally, I had intended to create a choreographed piece, but due to the ongoing construction, I was only able to work on the piece the day of the performance, since the kitchen itself and the couches only arrived the previous day. Furthermore, the entire space was filled with garbage and cardboard boxes up until 24 hours before the performance.I decided that rather than scrap the production entirely, we could turn it into a site-specific improvisation.
ADVERTISEMENT:
My primary means of advertising this performance was Facebook. I also called a few friends and asked them to come.
MUSIC:
Originally I wanted to use music about the home, but I couldn’t find any that fit. I decided to use music from The Magnetic Fields instead The tracks are all from their album “69 Love Songs”:
Two Kinds of People - The Magnetic Fields
Long-Forgotten Fairytale - The Magnetic Fields
You’re My Only Home - The Magnetic Fields
COSTUMES:
I chose to have us both dressed in street clothes. I wanted to create a sense that the performance aspect was almost an accident. I wanted passers-by to stop and watch because of the movement, not because of the costumes, indicating a performance.
DOCUMENTATION:
I set up my video camera in the back of the room to record the performance. The video does not include the giant window behind it. Since our apartment is on the ground floor, passers-by were able to see the performance from the street.
RESULTS:
Several of my friends attended the performance of “First Egg,” as well as several people who stopped to watch from the street. The feedback I received was positive.
PERSONAL ASSESSMENT:
I was not thrilled by the final result. Mati was feeling very sick the night we performed. I did not have the option to postpone the performance, due to the fact that Mati had surgery the following day and would not be able to partake in any physical activity for the next few weeks to keep the stitches from ripping. Furthermore, had I known that by this point we would still not be living in a finished apartment, I would have planned another performance entirely. I decided to do this performance shortly after returning to Israel in September, at that time, I had no way of knowing that the apartment would still be unfinished. That said, I felt that it is important to be flexible - when God gives you lemons, make lemonade.
I believe that Mati and I did a fine job dancing this script, especially in light of how sick he felt. I felt that my ideas about making our first cooked meal together in our new home into a performance was an interesting idea. The egg took a bit longer to cook than I had anticipated, mostly due to the fact that neither of us were very familiar with using the stove. I would have rehearsed with the egg, but I wanted the performance to be the event itself. I felt that using an egg in rehearsal would cheapen the performance itself.
There are a lot of changes I would make to this performance given the opportunity to do it again. I would create something rehearsed and set. I would make sure the apartment was finished before committing to the performance. I would have given myself ample time to rehearse the performance. Unfortunately, this time around, that was simply not possible due to extenuating circumstances regarding the renovation. I believe I was a little too set on doing this specific piece, and would have been better served changing my project.
I believe that, due in large part to the unlucky circumstances I faced, the performance was alright. I, however, am not content with alright. I ultimately felt that this project did not reach my expectations, and I feel it is not worthy of being called my “final project” for this course. I feel that I did some pretty incredible work this semester, and that this is sub-par. I would like to work on a similar project once the apartment is complete, because I believe there is a fantastic dance to be made, and unfortunately, it did not happen with this performance.
FINAL CHOREOGRAPHY PROJECT: "Silent Counting"
Silent Counting - Large Format
Silent Counting - Medium Format
Silent Counting Panel Discussion
TITLE:
Silent Counting
INTENTION:
To create a dance piece with dancers and non-dancers together in which neither population feels neglected or sidelined. Through a very intense collaborative process involving many assignments and exercises, performers will create a cohesive production together in which all participants feel like they have contributed equally.
INSPIRATION:
The idea behind this piece generated from my fiancé, Mati, who has been bugging me for the past three years to put him in a piece. As someone who has long fought for dance to become more universal, I decided to create a piece with dancers and non-dancers in an attempt to open up the world of dance to those who might not otherwise be able to access it.
PROCESS:
To lead a cast of two dancers (Allison and myself) and two non-dancers (Alexandra and Mati) in a series of rehearsals (twice a week, three hours each) for a month and a half in which we use our personal relationships to movement and various other exercises to compose phrases. At the beginning of the process, I relied heavily on personal stories and memories to serve as inspiration for phrases. Towards the end of the process, as the non-dancers became more accustomed to generating phrases, I relied less and less on these exercises until I was able to simply ask them to create movement phrases regardless of any point of inspiration. On December 4th, we had our first showing of “Silent Counting,” a piece I am continuing to work on for my final thesis project.
DETAILS:
On Sunday, December 4th, 2011, at 21:00, "Silent Counting" was performed at the Pride Center Theater in Tel Aviv, Israel. The piece was approximately 23 minutes long and was followed by a panel discussion about the work. Tickets were 20 NIS.
CAST:
Mati Bardosh
Alexandra Fred
S. Asher Gelman
Allison Shir
I did not hold auditions for this project. I was more interested in creating a group of people who could work well with each other. Mati and my friend Alexandra became involved with the project at my request. I also posted the project information on Facebook, and through a mutual friend, I got in touch with Allison, who I also invited to join the project after meeting with her over lunch. It was very important to me to get a feel for who she was before I invited her into what I thought could have become a very awkward situation, since Mati, Alexandra, and I are all extremely close. In the end, the fit was perfect, and it did not take long before the four of us were getting together outside rehearsal time.
REHEARSALS:
Due to the fact that Mati studies in Haifa during the week, I was forced to hold rehearsals exclusively on the weekends. Rehearsals were on Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00-15:00 in the Pride Center Studio. Because of the six days between rehearsals, I relied heavily on the posting of videos on Vimeo in order so that the dancers would not forget the movement they had generated nearly a week prior. As the project moved forward, the non-dancers became better at remembering movement from week to week and no longer relied on the videos during the long time between rehearsals. Due to my trip to the United States, the dancers held a rehearsal in my absence a week before the performance. I had video-taped the previous rehearsal and gave detailed notes that corresponded to the timecode on the video.
ADVERTISEMENT:
My primary means of advertising this performance was Facebook. I also created a poster which I hung up in the Pride Center, included below.
MUSIC:
I used many different pieces of music throughout the rehearsal process to bring out different aspects of my performers. The final performance comprised of these pieces of music:
King of the Mountain - Kate Bush
Xtal - Aphex Twin
You Belong To Me - Vonda Shepard
Blooms Eventually - Pulse Programming
I Wish You Love - Natalie Cole
COSTUMES:
I chose to keep all of us in simple black, since I did not want to use costumes as a distraction. For this piece in particular, I felt that it was important that the performers themselves create their characters, without any help from costuming. I asked everyone to go home and find black clothing they felt comfortable dancing in to bring to rehearsal. I then selected which items each person wore, because I did not want us dressing too similarly.
DOCUMENTATION:
I set up my video camera in the back of the theater to record the performance. I originally wanted an additional videographer to film close-up shots, but this proved too difficult to arrange, since I was in the US until two days before the performance. I also had a friend of mine, Morten Berthelsen, photograph the performance. Some of his photographs are included at the end of this post. I also created programs, included below.
RESULTS:
33 tickets were sold for the premiere of “Silent Counting," almost completely filling the small theater. Of the 33 audience members, only one of them came from a dance background. All of the audience members stayed for the panel discussion. I got a lot of very positive responses to the work we did.
Several comments I received (translated for your convenience):
- “I don’t like Modern Dance. I don’t understand it. About halfway through the piece, I found myself sitting up in my chair, really focused on the piece and the characters. Really, I couldn’t believe how invested I was in the dance.”
- “I cannot believe you did all of this in less than two months! This was really, really professional! And Mati! Mati was AMAZING!”
- “I am so glad I came to see this. It was totally worth the drive from Jerusalem (about an hour away from Tel Aviv).”
- “Mati needs to switch careers. He needs to become a dancer. I can’t believe he has never danced before.”
- “Not one of you looked like a non-dancer. Everyone looked incredibly professional.”
- “Do you teach classes? I would love to take class with you. I can’t believe you were able to do that with non-dancers!”
- “It was really, really good. I really felt the different stages of a relationship. It was very sensual and very passionate and you guys did a great job. I didn’t understand the story exactly but the emotions came through and that’s what art and dance is about and it was really amazing.”
- “The piece was really intimate, I got a real sense of relationship between the performers and the audience.”
PERSONAL ASSESSMENT:
I am extremely proud of the work we did on “Silent Counting.” The piece really reflected the collaborative work we did together - I definitely felt like more of an arranger than a choreographer, which was my goal. It was really important to me from the very beginning that the piece really belong to everyone, that everyone felt that they had ownership of it, that it was something that couldn’t have been made without them.
I believe the final result exceeded my initial goals. I believe that our performance looked really professional - it did not look like a project of dancers and non-dancers. I was particularly impressed by Alexandra (who last danced 12 years ago) and Mati, who has never danced before. I have known for a while that Mati is a great mover - he has studied yoga with his mother (a yoga teacher) for most of his life and recently began studying gymnastics. That said, I was floored by the work he did in a VERY short period of time. I have never seen anyone transform so fast into, well, anything.
I was also impressed by the turnout for the premiere. Of the 33 audience members, only one of them was a dancer. I also really appreciated that everyone wanted to stay for the panel discussion. I felt that giving the audience the chance to talk about the work furthered my quest to open up the world of dance, because we got some fantastic questions and responses.
I was also really impressed by the small community we created. Although Allison came into the project as a stranger to the rest of us, I feel that everyone involved was very open to each other and it was reflected in the final product.
I am excited to continue working with my cast on the continuation of this project. The work they did was phenomenal, and I am very much looking forward to beginning work on my final thesis project next fall.
Here are a few of the photographs taken by Morten Berthelsen:
Dance Review
Strange Angels - Heather Pultz
I saw this piece on November 22nd at the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University in Washington DC. I thought the piece was very pretty, but I felt that it lacked depth. It was pretty girls in pretty dresses doing pretty movements; nothing more. I would challenge Ms. Pultz to focus less on lines and technique and focus more on character and intention. I didn't feel like any of the dancers knew why they were there or what they were doing, besides (obviously) dancing. The title I also didn't understand, because there was nothing strange about the piece. I would have welcomed strange, but unfortunately it felt a bit too safe. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it, but I would have welcomed a strong reaction either way.
I saw this piece on November 22nd at the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University in Washington DC. I thought the piece was very pretty, but I felt that it lacked depth. It was pretty girls in pretty dresses doing pretty movements; nothing more. I would challenge Ms. Pultz to focus less on lines and technique and focus more on character and intention. I didn't feel like any of the dancers knew why they were there or what they were doing, besides (obviously) dancing. The title I also didn't understand, because there was nothing strange about the piece. I would have welcomed strange, but unfortunately it felt a bit too safe. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it, but I would have welcomed a strong reaction either way.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Dance Review
Performance by Les Ballets Truckadero de Monte Carlo - Tel Aviv Opera House
I had high expectations of this company. Expectations which were, sadly, unmet. Les Ballets Truckadero de Monte Carlo is a ballet company made up exclusively men, the catch is that they all dance and dress up as women - in full costumes and make up (but with chest and armpit hair). I expected mostly dance and a little humor; what I saw was mostly humor and a little dance. The majority of the performance seemed to be about making fun of ballet. Most of the time, I felt like the dancers were trying too hard to be funny. Even as someone who doesn’t particularly like ballet, I found myself craving technique and cringing at all the slapstick. I felt that the entire performance was way too long (two and a half hours) and was, frankly, not very funny and not very well danced. They simply tried too hard. I believe what I saw in this performance can be applied to teaching - driving home your point can be counter-productive, because rather than gravitating towards it, your students will resist it. I didn’t like being told throughout the piece, “this is funny - you should be laughing.” It wasn’t funny and I wasn’t laughing. Don’t get me wrong, some moments were hysterical - at one point, four dancers ran out onstage and took their starting positions. After a minute, one of them started very slowly moving his feet, and it was at that moment that I realized he was facing the wrong way and was trying to correct it. That was hilarious for me, because I could relate to that moment of panic when one is onstage and in the middle of a mistake that he or she is painfully aware of. That said, I felt that the piece was not a success. I felt that it tried too hard and I have no interest in seeing this company again.
I had high expectations of this company. Expectations which were, sadly, unmet. Les Ballets Truckadero de Monte Carlo is a ballet company made up exclusively men, the catch is that they all dance and dress up as women - in full costumes and make up (but with chest and armpit hair). I expected mostly dance and a little humor; what I saw was mostly humor and a little dance. The majority of the performance seemed to be about making fun of ballet. Most of the time, I felt like the dancers were trying too hard to be funny. Even as someone who doesn’t particularly like ballet, I found myself craving technique and cringing at all the slapstick. I felt that the entire performance was way too long (two and a half hours) and was, frankly, not very funny and not very well danced. They simply tried too hard. I believe what I saw in this performance can be applied to teaching - driving home your point can be counter-productive, because rather than gravitating towards it, your students will resist it. I didn’t like being told throughout the piece, “this is funny - you should be laughing.” It wasn’t funny and I wasn’t laughing. Don’t get me wrong, some moments were hysterical - at one point, four dancers ran out onstage and took their starting positions. After a minute, one of them started very slowly moving his feet, and it was at that moment that I realized he was facing the wrong way and was trying to correct it. That was hilarious for me, because I could relate to that moment of panic when one is onstage and in the middle of a mistake that he or she is painfully aware of. That said, I felt that the piece was not a success. I felt that it tried too hard and I have no interest in seeing this company again.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Rehearsal - 11/12/11
Huge progress today! Finished the structure of the piece, which is now over 20 minutes long. I am very happy with it. The piece is entitled "Silent Counting" after an inside joke that the dancers and I have after Mati requested to count in his head. The video below is to dummy, random music, although I do love where "You Belong to Me" comes in at Mati and Allison's duet.
Silent Counting - First Run
I am really looking forward to seeing the piece this upcoming weekend and working out all of the transitions (which in my opinion is the weakest part of the piece). I also need to figure out the music.
Very exciting times!
Silent Counting - First Run
I am really looking forward to seeing the piece this upcoming weekend and working out all of the transitions (which in my opinion is the weakest part of the piece). I also need to figure out the music.
Very exciting times!
Monday, November 7, 2011
New Me
New Me
Title: Birth on Red Couch
Statement of Intention: To explore the opposite of my choreographic self.
Objects: 1 performer, 1 red couch, 1 purple blanket
Direction: The performer begins completely covered by the blanket and slowly emerges from it.
Conclusion: The performance concludes when the he has emerged from the blanket.
Reflection: For this assignment, we were asked to find "the opposite of our dancing self." This proved more challenging than our other assignments, as I have made a conscientious effort to explore throughout my choreographic journey; if my last piece was a high-energy group piece, my next one would be a contemplative solo, the one after that would be an abstract trio, etc. In the end, I gleaned inspiration from one of my peers, Kelly Southall, whose solo this summer was very much the opposite of what I think of as dance. It was interesting, intense, and hard to watch. It made me squirm in my seat and I felt that if art can illicit that kind of reaction, then it is successful, whether or not it is one's own personal taste. I decided to use stillness and suspension and nudity and color. It is very low energy, which to me is new. I guess this dance is a new me that I can use to push myself as a performer.
Title: Birth on Red Couch
Statement of Intention: To explore the opposite of my choreographic self.
Objects: 1 performer, 1 red couch, 1 purple blanket
Direction: The performer begins completely covered by the blanket and slowly emerges from it.
Conclusion: The performance concludes when the he has emerged from the blanket.
Reflection: For this assignment, we were asked to find "the opposite of our dancing self." This proved more challenging than our other assignments, as I have made a conscientious effort to explore throughout my choreographic journey; if my last piece was a high-energy group piece, my next one would be a contemplative solo, the one after that would be an abstract trio, etc. In the end, I gleaned inspiration from one of my peers, Kelly Southall, whose solo this summer was very much the opposite of what I think of as dance. It was interesting, intense, and hard to watch. It made me squirm in my seat and I felt that if art can illicit that kind of reaction, then it is successful, whether or not it is one's own personal taste. I decided to use stillness and suspension and nudity and color. It is very low energy, which to me is new. I guess this dance is a new me that I can use to push myself as a performer.
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