#finalshowcaseprep

[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.