Sarah Dearstyne

Dance Composition 4

[sarahdee623]

A challenging semester for sure, but finishing strong.

[sarahdee623]

Such a fun dance project to work on with these great girls and this amazingly talented drummer. So excited to see the final product!

[sarahdee623]

Having fun with such a great song

[sarahdee623]

the energy, the attitude, the everything.

[sarahdee623]

I think I’ve watching this 50 times (MINIMUM) this semester. My favorite part is 1.47 -2.10 but the whole thing is amazing.

[sarahdee623]

... no words for this

[sarahdee623]

“Better When I’m Dancin”

Inspiration for Final Showcase Piece

[sarahdee623]

Final Showcase Preparation

“Years”

Process

Talk about frustrating. This was TOUGH. When I initially created this work I was so excited about it. I was so intentional with every single movement. The original study was in silence so my task in transforming it into a piece for the showcase was to expand it and add music. I knew what song I wanted to use right away because I remember wishing I could use it back when the assignment was to create a study in silence. However as I was brainstorming and spending time in the studio I felt so choreographically STUCK. I could not come up with anything. I would dance and dance and dance and then get so frustrated I would just lay on the floor for a while. Then I would go back the next day only to leave with the same results of minimal progress.

The change for me came when I went back to the text. I realized I was letting my frustration with choreographers block cloud my view of what the piece was originally about and what it initially meant to me. This REALLY helped the process. That’s not to say it was no longer frustrating, it was, but I found more inspiration for movement simply from returning to the text and really trying to embody the suffering woman.

I decided to incorporate a small "stationary" section representing what would be the either the literal inability to move or the abstract idea of "stuck within suffering." I also added a small section of very distorted walks that start out looking almost rather normal but transition to the distorted bent over shape that happens at the beginning.

I kept the movement from the section in my initial study that I did very fast, but decided not to do it AS fast for this version with music. I experimented with different speeds and found that the very increased tempo made me really dizzy which was not enjoyable, and I still felt the energy of desperation with the tempo slightly decreased.

The last diagonal pass is exactly the same as the text study because I felt that was the most powerful section. The slowness of the movement and the floor work there are really representative of the woman's last and final attempt for healing. She's willing to do anything and she's desperate for Jesus. Crawling through what in the bible is a crowd of people just to touch his clothes. I want to live my life that desperate for Jesus.

I'm excited to perform this piece for an audience as a real opportunity to share my faith. This story has effected and inspired me on a real personal level and I'm excited to share it. Brittany and I had a deep talk about program notes and we decided for this piece that adding a program note would really enhance the work and the audience's understanding of the story line. I want to use the passage "because she thought, 'if I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Mark 5:28. I think it's short, sweet, and to the point and will give a great direction for the audience as they watch.

[sarahdee623]

Final Showcase Preparation

“[rib]cage”

Process The process of setting this piece on other dancers has been really difficult but so rewarding at the same time. Before the first rehearsal I spent SO much time watching my original video, trying to imagine the piece with two other dancers. Trying to imagine where I would want them to stand, how I want them to move, when I want them to move together or break off from one another. When I want one person on the floor vs. two people dancing together vs. moments of total stillness from all. It was a really difficult process and I was astounded at how much preparation it took on my part as the choreographer.

For the first rehearsal with Sarah, Andi, and Camden (wow they're great) I came with a notebook full of every step I wanted them to do, on every count I wanted it done, with drawings and pictures and explanations, everything. I found that because I was so organized ahead of time I was able to communicate my ideas more clearly and effectively. I had more time to spend talking about the essence and the feeling of the movement rather than trying to figure out counts and steps along the way. As we progressed I experimented with trying to come up with a movement phrase on the spot, but it did NOT work. But hey, I tried. I learned I am way too much of a perfectionist when it comes to choreography to do that. Maybe in the future I will take myself out of my comfort zone and force myself to choreograph on the spot and see what happens, but that day was not today. As we spent multiple rehearsals working together I came prepared each time with my notebook. One of my favorite parts of the process was hearing the dancer's questions because 100% of the time they were questions I never would've thought of in advance. For example, Sarah asked me one time about the position of the left arm during a turn and I literally had to do it to figure it out. It was something I never would've thought to clarify. They asked questions about where the movement initiated from which caused me to take a more in depth look at it. I LOVE working with these dancers.

Another thing I've learned from this particular process is that I am an individual and no other human being will move exactly like me, ever. But I am learning that  is OKAY. In the past I've found myself frustrated when I teach my choreography to other dancers and it doesn't look the way it looks on me. But this time I have loved watching my movement on these girls and trying to discover ways to make the movement work for their bodies! By the time I finished teaching them the piece I felt an overwhelming sense of pride. They really worked hard as we rehearsed to understand the movement and make it their own. I think they really enjoyed the process as well, which made it all rewarding.

[sarahdee623]

Final Showcase Preparation

“Better When I’m Dancin’“

Process Today in class MaKayla and I worked on turning our Intro Studies (which later turned into a duet) into a dance! We chose the song "Better When I'm Dancin'" by Meghan Trainor because we think it has such a cute story, great energy, and we thought it would be so different from everything else in the concert this year. We got our inspiration from our original studies and the energy of the music video for the song. It is just so fun, and the energy in the dancers bodies reflects the energy in the music. We watched the video we have of our study from the beginning of the semester and incorporated a lot of that movement into this project. We both enjoy moving very similarly which made the process a lot of fun.

We decided to add another layer and create characters as well! MaKayla is playing a girl who is essentially just having a bad day, and I’m the one trying to cheer her up with dance! Or in other words convince her that she'll feel "better when she's dancin'"! It was a really fun process, we came up with some fun movement that is percussive, we also incorporated some fun leaps and turns, and we did some work with the chairs we're using as props! I am really hoping the audience will enjoy it.

[sarahdee623]

Reduction Study: Feedback Reflection

The feedback I got from this reduction study was pretty positive! We talked about the changes I had made since the first run like the insertion of the traveling phrase, and the "not dropping" the hand at the very end. MiKayla felt that the traveling phrase pulled her too far stage left in her focus as an audience member. I think this issue may be alleviated if the piece included other dancers and wasn't a solo, but I can for sure understand her reasoning. Additionally, Haley was very happy with the ending change:)

The biggest thing we discussed with this piece was the process of moving forward from here. We talked about the meaning of reducing the study to it's "purest essence" and we discovered that I was sort of playing with two different ideas at once. Because while I was really focusing on the movement play between two different energetic qualities, I still had the idea of being "caged" in the back of my mind while I was creating. Brittany and I talked about the possibility of somehow merging these two ideas together, if possible. Or the possibility of totally honing in on one idea and letting that idea become the full essence of the piece. All really good thought provoking comments and discussion!

[sarahdee623]

Reduction Study Feedback

• Moment of stillness facing the audience was effective • Knee cap moment was a change from the breathiness • Treading on back energy through the heels= goopy • Texture play read well to the audience, quality of movement was clear • Second draft revised version with clearer more full message • Wonky traveling phrase pulled focus too far stage right • In moving forward, determine intention and focus of choreographic idea between movement quality play and caged idea. ○ Could you play with the movement quality play and the caged idea?  • Which idea is going to feed the choreographic focus • The lighting might not be necessary The square special lighting choice might make the movement feel more confined

[sarahdee623]

Reduction Study: [rib]cage

*filmed at a later date due to failure to push the record button during class

[sarahdee623]

Reduction Study: Process

As I worked through this project I really felt like the majority of the study was already true to the "pure essence." Especially when looking at the first minute that I spend on the floor. I was really happy with this section (which is almost an entire minute) so I decided not to change it. I felt it really encapsulates the feathery weighted opposition I was going for. As I worked through the rest of the piece I was glad I got the change to change some things I wasn't necessarily enthused about the first time. For example, I revamped the pirouette that Mikayla mentioned felt out of place, I inserted a traveling phrase into a section I felt was rather dead in terms of energy, and I changed the last moment off of Haley's suggestion and I love the effect that "not dropping" gives the end. However, I still found the process to be difficult. There were times when I felt like I wasn’t changing enough and I wasn't really sure if I had understood the assignment correctly, but I tried to keep my focus on the science experiment and the true movement qualities and go from there.

[sarahdee623]

Reduction Study Brainstorming

This weeks assignment is to reduce our flash study to it's purest essence. "Reduce the study to it's most important aspects." My particular direction was to create a traveling phrase and to use more stage space than in my initial study. Initially I performed the whole study within a small square. For me, I take this direction to mean choosing a direct focus for the intention and the movement. With [rib]cage I think the pure essence of the study really lies in the contrast between the feathery lightness and the experimentation with gravity. The essence lies in the science experiment that inspired me, so as I work I will be keeping that intention behind the movement in mind.

[sarahdee623]

[rib]cage Feedback Reflection

We had a great class discussion after I performed my flash study. The class was taken by the interesting shapes I was making. I was pleased with this feedback because this is something I was really focused on while I was creating. I was intentionally working to create new shapes. We also discussed the interesting quality of the movement throughout the whole piece. MiKayla mentioned that because the movement was so interesting when I did a double pirouette she was instantly "pulled out of it." I really appreciated this comment and I can understand why she felt that way. Going forward if I were to continue I would revisit this moment and perhaps something as simple as changing the position of the foot and arms while turning would fix that issue. Lastly, we had a discussion about the very last moment in the piece when I slowly "picked up a feather" and then heavily dropped it. Brittany mentioned that this action suddenly gave me a very humanistic quality that wasn't present through the rest of the piece. Haley mentioned that she was craving this moment of suspense where I would not drop my hand. Again going forward I would definitely take her advice on that moment.

[sarahdee623]

[rib]cage Feedback

[rib]cage • Interesting shapes being created • Creativity with using the "ribcage" theme, hand placement • New interesting movement was refreshing to watch • Think about the ending, possibly not dropping. Haley was craving that moment of suspense and dropping the hand became predictable • Oh she's a person when dropping ○ Humanistic quality • Pirouette moment pulled her out of it. The rest of the study was innovative and interesting and then the pirouette became a standardized movement right in the middle. Consider changing arms, orientation, turn in general