"Groove" is the working title to one of my dance pieces for the Dance 32 showcase coming up on June 8th.
“Groove has 4 dancers: Nate, Izzy, Finn, Sylvan. “Sound: The main inspiration for this dance is the song "I Love You More Than You Think" by Rizzle Kicks. I've learned to try and stay away from songs that are so lyric based. I've thought about using this song as inspiration and finding a song that leaves my movement story up to more interpretation. I made a playlist with other songs that could inspire the piece as well. Even though the song is very literal and specific in concept, I really connect with the song and want to use it to make my dance. With my other dance being so interpretive and more odd, I think I [I have the] status to choose this song to choreograph to. “Movement: I have yet to make movement for this yet. I have some ideas and I intend to also take movement from the world around me (videos, people, drawings) as well as new ways of finding movement. “Creation and Teaching Progress: I have not yet had a rehearsal yet. My first rehearsal is this coming Friday the 13th,” (BLOG 4/6).
I’ve had a really good time with the creation of this dance. It is a fun song, fun to make movement for, fun to teach, fun to see the dancers doing, and fun for the dancers! So all around fun. I started having rehearsals before the whole piece had been set. This came with the freedom to make the new choreography, movement that would work for the dancers I have. It also came with a little stress with timing because one 45 minute rehearsal makes progress happen more slowly. I felt like I needed to finish choreographing the piece so I could feel like I have it. I could then better estimate where we were at in rehearsal in terms of getting to the end of the piece. Finishing a piece feeling like a fib. Dance is a medium that is constantly changing. No performance is the same. No dancer will do the exact same thing they did the day before. The piece cannot be completely finished. The most finished I can make it is help the dancers become comfortable. I’ve taught it all, now it’s up to the dancers to really make it theirs. I am not worried about this. I know that I have been being careful in rehearsals to manage time well. I also have been reminding myself to REPEAT. That’s how people REMEMBER. Sometimes I feel it appropriate to ask the dancers what they want, “Move on or do it again?” I think checking in with dancers is good, but sometimes I could be more decisive about what I want to happen. A lot of the time the dancers are not sure. I often feel an urge to go on and work on what is next. I can choose that rather than solidify the movement we were just doing. I am still learning how to judge what needs to happen in each rehearsal. I can never know exactly how long teaching and running will take, and I never will know. The best I can do is come in with a plan and work on my judgement of timing and dancers’ needs.
Scheduling is such a big part of choreographing. You wouldn’t think it is, because that’s not about movement. But if I don’t figure out when everyone is going to be together, how can the movement be taught and performed? Everyone has other commitments like sports practice, music lessons, appointments, and meetings. But, the people I have been working with have made an effort to be at my rehearsals. I have been encouraging communication through Facebook messenger. It’s working, but still difficult when things come up. I’ve learned to expect that things will come up and plan will go awry.
What is unique about this dance is that -- at least I thought -- that I had not done anything like it. The last piece I choreographed on my own accord for other people was last year, a sort of mix in feel to “Groove” and “Move”. However, I’ve noticed that my choreography is very musical theater inspired. I have consciously incorporated facial movement into the choreography. The dance is also very presentational. The whole concept of the dance is about showing appreciation for people you love. It is a reflection of how people process their feelings and the excitement that can bubble up when you love someone. It about making sure they know that you love them more than they think they know. It is about being there for people. I chose to officially title the piece “To Be There”. The words are an excerpt from the song, and also reflect how everyone can relate to “being there” in a place where we feel alone or confused. People can relate to the feeling of loving someone “without any terms of conditions”. I wanted to make a piece that was positive. A piece that made me happy. A piece that invited people in to enjoy dance -- more literal and fun things are much more accessible to broader audiences. I don’t want that to influence all the dance I create, but I do think it is important to consider who I will and who I want to be watching. Right now, I want to to try to spread the message of being kind. It feels everlasting in relevance and importance. I want to continue to make dance that spreads important messages. I want to continue to gleefully dance. I want to invite others to dance, too.
“I get a lot of inspiration from Twyla Tharp and her book The Creative Habit. She speaks a lot about how to make creation happen with exercises and routine. She talks about what she has learned and how she approaches obstacles. She discusses what has stood in the way of artists and how artists have succeeded through using a certain philosophy or practice. “I am making my way through this book slowly, but surely. I take notes on the chapters. Twyla has recommended that readers get their own copy and markup the pages. I’d have to get my own copy to do that, and maybe I will. I always thought that having a marked up book seemed cool, both very literary and rebellious” (N.Q.3.). I just read a section that Twyla wrote about an exercise called “Do A Verb”. It seems like a perfect exercise to invite people into making their own movement. The premise: “pick a verb… act it out physically” (Tharp 203). What I love about the exercise is what Twyla says perfectly: “The best thing about it, is that everyone can do it -- and discover something new about themselves” (Tharp 204). I’ve decided that a form of this exercise will be the exercise that I do at my exhibition.