Ordinary Dancer

Dance Composition 1

[aahudson2]

Week of 12/4

Summary of this semester:

When this class began, I was a nervous wreck. I was insanely nervous when it even came to the idea of choreographing and presenting pieces to NO MUSIC to people that I barely knew.

Honestly, I was even questioning if I should even take this class at all, but I'm definitely glad that I did. Throughout this class I learned about ways to choreograph that I would've never understood prior to the class. The semester helped me choreographically in ways I never thought imaginable, and I never would have thought that I would grow so much in such a short amount of time.

After everyone got more comfortable with eachother, performing was not such a panic for me anymore. Of course I was still insanely nervous, but I was much more comfortable and did not feel as judged as previously.

The main thing I learned about this class is how I am personally when it comes to creating movement and pieces. All of my pieces this semester had a darker theme than everyone else's and most of them were very personal. I am very glad I got to open up to my comp 1 class this semester, and I cant wait to grow even more.

[aahudson2]

Week of 11/27:

This week I focused of the creation of my final study. This study had to incorporate shape, space, time, and energy, as well as using one of my previous pieces as inspiration. To start, my inspiration for my final study came from my previous peace about paranoia and my suffering with PTSD and anxiety. Being so, I made my piece based on the tragedies of those who had been kidnapped and kept in a single room for years and years and years. This goes along with my previous piece because being trapped in a single room would definitely create extreme anxiety and of course, PTSD once they escaped(if they ever did).

Examining shape, space, time, and energy was definitely fun being that I had much more freedom with this study, but that also made it slightly more difficult due to their not being a guideline for each one. First off, shape and energy came more naturally than the other two when choreographing this piece. These two were the easiest to explore and try different things, such as adding repetition with different timing. Secondly, time and space were the two that I struggled with the most when creating my movement. I tried to draw a pathway for me to follow for space, but it did not end up working out the way I wanted it to. So, I ended up going with the flow and let my movement go where it wanted to for the most part. Time was a major struggle mainly because the piece had to be 2:45-3:15. Every single time I timed myself, it felt like I was dancing forever, but it was actually barely even two minutes(which obviously added to the frustration).

One decision that was hard to make would be my facing and direction. While going through my piece, it felt as if I was on one side way too often, but I decided to keep it and make a dramatic pathway change on the diagonal all the way to the other side.

Another source of inspiration that I used would be the movie "Room". This movie is based on the true story of a girl who was kidnapped and kept in a room and impregnated by her kidnapper while being stuck there for several years until her and her son escaped.

Overall, I am definitely excited to show my peers this piece because of the work that was put into it, as well as my inspiration itself.

[aahudson2]

NOV 20 CLASS

(Absent, recorded on November 27th (no crp was done))

This assignment was to create a piece based on my human observation study, mine of which was my neighbor using a leaf blower and raking leaves in their yard. This study was somewhat difficult for me solely due to having to use one movement but with a different limb and so on. Overall, it was definitely a different experience trying to create movement based on an everyday person's. This type of movement is not something I think I would typically come up with on my own, so this assignment was a great experience for me and showed me how you can basically create movement from anything. Inspiration for something could have been sitting in front of you the entire time.

[aahudson2]

NOV 13 CLASS

During this class we discussed ENERGY, which is something I'm definitely not familiar with. Learning the difference between percussive and sustained energy was something that was completely new for me. Working with energy may be one of the most difficult concepts for me to grasp, possibly because it is somewhat hard for me to understand. It is amazing how energy can greatly effect the quality of movement as a whole. I can certainly say it is going to be fun to play with this concept although it is a challenge.

[aahudson2]

NOV 8 CLASS

For this assignment, I had to observe someone doing something and in my case I watched my neighbor across the street from me that was using a leaf blower as well as taking leaves.

Leaf Blower:

Legs stiff

Arms stiff while holding leaf blower

Spine swaying back and forth

Raking Leaves

Legs in firm, separated stance

Back slightly hunching while reaching with rake

Arms stay angular throughout entire process of reaching and pulling back

[aahudson2]

NOV 1 CLASS

1. One piece of music that I find inspirational in terms of movement would be Lili's Death by Alexandre Desplat. I have always been drawn to more classical music with piano and especially violin. This piece has a great intensity to it, yet it is somewhat mellow at the same time. I appreciate the intense buildup toward the end of the song and the way it finishes so abruptly. The way the violin and piano play together so beautifully is definitely what inspires me the most.

2. The poem Falling Snow by Evelyn Macdonald inspires me to create movement.

Falling snow is beautiful 

pristine, soft and white 

a gentle flowing mantle 

reflecting nature's light 

Icy teardrops congregate 

cling to bough and vine 

multi-faceted diamonds 

glitter, sway and shine 

Snowflakes on a frosted lake 

become an artists dream 

blanketing the silent dell 

with perfect winter scene 

Skies of heavy laden snow 

will surely fall but soon 

draping ghostly branches 

silhouetted by the moon 

The precious jewels of winter 

are treasures rich and rare 

the glories of the season 

are there for all to share 

Beauty all around to see 

tiny seeds have sown 

snowdrops soon will lift their heads 

and flowers will be grown 

Falling snow is beautiful 

both peaceful and serene 

holds promises of spring time 

from white to budding green.

When I read this poem, I can imagine moving organically and softly, just like the snowfall. I picture a pathway in the shape of a circle with spinning and turning. I also picture several fluid movements such as a developé kick coming out of a turn.

3. A piece of art that inspires me to create a narrative/story would be this piece of art that I painted myself.

4. One dance that inspires me that I'm absolutely obsessed with would be this competition group piece performed to the song Fall Into Me.

This group number amazes me every single time I see it. The formations, lifts, and emotion of the lead soloist and others are so captivating and I cannot keep my eyes off of them. The lead dancer's emotion pulls me in along with how flexible and talented she truly is.

[aahudson2]

Time Study: 10/30

For this particular study, our assignment was to use a lyric, quote, book, et cetera as a source of inspiration for our time study. For my piece I used the lyrics from the song Autre Temps by Alcest:

(French-English)

A distant prayer, carried by the evening wind

Enlivens leaves in their languid dance.

Hear the song of the old trees, singing for you

For the dark, resting woods.

So many seasons have passed; they did not wait.

The golden leaves dying on the ground

Will be reborn under bright skies

As this weatherworn world remains the same,

And tomorrow, you and I will be gone.

The lyrics of this song helped me piece my time study together based on the requirements. Being that we had to take a single 16-count phrase and repeat it three times total, but all with different timing each time. The lyrics helped me because I comprehended it as realizing that you cannot stop a certain thing from happening such as the seasons changing.

After performing my study, we did the CRP in smaller groups. One said that they loved the repeated section of my lying on the ground and sliding back so much that she was going to put it in one of her pieces in the future. This comment made me feel very warm and excited because it was a last minute decision for me to slide back as I switched my legs. Another section that a comment was made about was when I popped my pelvis in the air when I was on my hands and toes. Those who were in my group stated that they loved my choice of timing and the cohesiveness of the three 16-counts.

When putting this piece together I was mainly worried about the 16-counts blending together and not looking awkward or obvious. Overall, this study seemed to be successful.

[aahudson2]

October 23rd, Tuesday: TIME

I have been a dancer since I was 4 years old, and one thing I've noticed about myself is that timing seems to be one of my strong suits. I can definitely say that this topic is one that I do not necessarily struggle with. Although I am comfortable with timing in dance, I never quite understood the technical terms and different ways to play with timing were. For example, the difference between tempo, momentum, and duration, as well as what exactly goes along with each of the three that I mentioned.

I am excited about the upcoming time study because I can try to go out of my comfort zone since I am already naturally comfortable with timing.

[aahudson2]

October 16th & 18th:

After watching both of my drafts, I can definitely say there are several obvious choreographical changes and/or things that I do and do not like.

In my first draft, I do not like how my first few movement and shapes are not as clear as I wanted them to be when I was up and started traveling.

In my first draft, I liked how my right arm was slowly going down as my left was slowly going up, unlike my second draft.

In my second draft, I loved how smooth each transition into each shape was.

In both drafts, I do not necessarily like my transitions because they all seem to be mostly walking locomotors, which seems repetitive to me in the two.

After watching the two drafts over and over, I can easily say I like my second draft way more than my first one. My first draft seems somewhat sloppy and not as smooth as I wanted. Being so, in draft two I can definitely see more cohesion in the choreography which definitely gave me the smoothness that I craved. Also, there were shapes that were not clear to me in draft one that were actually made clear in the second one.

Although I prefer my second draft, there are definitely things that still need developing. One of which would mainly be my choice in locomotors. In this draft, as well as the other one, my main locomotors to my other shapes seem to mainly be a form of walking.

Lastly, if I were to continue with this piece I would definitely change my walking locomotors a bit. Along with that, I would possibly even add a moment of stillness somewhere in the piece, because after watching I feel one of those moments would definitely add to the intensity. Lastly, I may even use my beginning position on the ground and make it last even longer to kind my audience wondering what is going to happen next.

[aahudson2]

I guess I'll be Wednesday Addams for Halloween.

[aahudson2]

Ongoing Battle

Week #7, Dance Compostion Pathway Study

Week 7: Pathway Study (Ongoing Battle)

For this assignment I was given a specific pathway, which in my case was a spiraling sun shape, and had to choreograph based on an important event that happened in my life.

For this study I decided to focus on the time in my life where I constantly self-harmed and tried to commit suicide.

After presenting my piece today in class I recieved several comments that were both helpful and encouraging. One comment I received was about how I successfully made something that was predictable unpredictable. Another thing I noticed that stuck out to me was how my classmates seem to really appreciate my facial expressions and my emotions. All throughout my dancing career, I've felt that facials were something that I've really struggled with. It's very encouraging to hear that this isn't the case.

Lastly, one comment I received that has really had me thinking is that my timing, and several other choreographical components are very strong, but I tend to use my hands as a main focal point in practically all of my pieces. This has main me want to go out of my comfort zone as a choreographer and try to experiment with other parts of my body in my studies.

[aahudson2]

Week 7: Pathway Study(in class)

On Tuesday this week we talked about pathways and did a little assignment in class to go along with it before our main pathway assignment that was due on Thurday.

Of course my pathway that I created on paper before the assignment was given was much different than anyone else's and much more difficult for me to work with.

I never would have ever choreographed using this pathway without being given this assignment. This was such a cool experience for me because I never really experiment with specific pathways, I honestly just go with the flow and let whatever happens happen.

[aahudson2]

Week #6

Space Continued:

10/4/18

Today we continued talking about space. I personally never realized how much something as simple as a facing or a direction that one is traveling could be perceived in so many different way by the audience.

I know I will definitely make sure I utilized the dancefloor for my next study by mapping out my movements on a sheet of paper.

I seriously still that that it is crazy how changing the direction or angle you travel can completely change the way the audience perceives it.

[aahudson2]

Level Study: Krueger part 2

(The original showing was a minute long, but it was too big to post on Tumblr so I just posted this new half since I already posted my original piece)

This piece was extremely fun for me to dabble into, solely because I tend to go more towards contemporary when it comes to style, and I feel my piece was definitely different from anyone else's study for this assignment. I loved exposing my more creepy side and according to my classmates, they enjoyed it as well. One piece of feedback that will definitely remember for upcoming studies is that if I am down low for the majority of the piece, anything at a higher level(such as the jump in my piece above), that moment will be very important to the audience. I personally felt my jump in this piece was mediocre and could have fit my theme better if I really thought about it, but now I will remember this for future studies.

#LevelsStudy #FreddyKrueger #DanceCompositionClass

[aahudson2]

Week #5, part deux

This week in my dance composition class I feel I learned a bit more about myself as a whole, and as a choreographer. I learned especially that my body loves to move more organically while I love to move both symmetrically and symmetrically. My classmates and I also learned about our midterm project that is due and I'm pretty nervous, yet also excited to think about myself solely as a choreographer.

[aahudson2]

Week #5

This piece that I created is called Kruger. Growing up I always had nightmares and was obsessed with horror movies, so I guess you could say that was my main inspiration for this piece.

One thing I found interesting was a comment I got from one of my classmates after my performance in which she said that my movements came off as sexy. This comment helped me realize how I move without even intending to do so. That comment alone has helped me look a little closer when I choreograph to see if I am truly portraying what I want my piece to say.

[aahudson2]

Week #4

I am extremely excited to start on my next study after learning more about space in dance. The next study has to include one low, mid, and high level shape, a low, mid, high transition step, and a shape that is repeated twice in the piece but with different facings.

I get more and more excited as my dance composition class goes on because I used to struggle with choreography more than anything. At this point, I already feel much better when it comes to choreography.