Rehearsing Project 2

22nd February
Sita:
I have my first rehearsal with the dancers tomorrow, and we will try and get some initial movement up on the site.  We'll use the discussion so far, Kareen's image and Steven's whale song as starting points for movement.  We'll use any other inspirations that arrive from anyone too.  The dancers and I have rehearsals booked every Wednesday and Friday during the project.

23rd February
Sita:
We had a good rehearsal today - the dancers are very interested in the themes and associated discussion.  We worked to make six short duets.
Click here to get links to the duets and to see more details of how we worked with the theme to make this movement.
Please give us feedback on the material created in rehearsals, and suggestions on how we can make more material or put together the material that we have.  As with any creative process, some material will need to be developed, some will need to be discarded and some more will need to be made.

Steven:
I like the girls duets very much...I think the outside eye helps to give coherence to the phrasing. Now what to bring these duets together?  Instead of a spatial strategy or timing strategy, why not think about an external setpiece element...Mirror, door, threshold(can even just be imagined) through which duets change into other duets...Each individual duet could also play through and around such an external prop. If you are going to use projections, that lends another duplication. But all this mirroring should have a central element.

Fear of change and/or desire for change as represented by an abstract setpiece....something simple like a frame that can be moved easy through and around...just one idea...

25th February
Sita:
We had a mixed rehearsal today.  We worked with the idea of external setpieces as suggested by Steven.  Three of the girls worked with a real mirror, which was quite successful.  The other four worked with a gateway made from two chairs.  This was more problematic.  On Monday there will be a page up about this rehearsal with more details - once we get the ftp server working again!!  It will have two videos of the mirror work, and a short clip of improvised work with the gateway.

26th February
Colleen:
yes- transformation seems like a good idea
I've looked at the discussion and responses on teh website although ihaven't seen the movement.  I don't know exactly how you are making all of this work together or how your are structuring the dance or the rehearsals so I'll just share with you what might be helpful/inspiring etc.

I just showed a work in progress - it was a solo and i'm trying to get you a copy of teh tape of a run through- it is very simple, clear and meditative . We
generated the movement using structured improvisation and writing.  Here are some of teh things we did- you may want to try them/combine them with what you are planning.

We did a simpel mirroring exercise in which one person lead and the othe rfollowed- starting simple standing and doing movement- mainly arm gestures but not only and developing as they felt comfortable- from there they switched roles- each having a chance to lead and taking more risks making it harder . Then we repeated the exercise except with no designated leader- they had developed a way to sense and anticipate the other moving and a great sensitivity to each other.....From there - they could take more risks and move more freely through space. It is a process - built up slowly.

Another improv was a warping exercise in which one person was the initiater and the other reflected back movement warped- transforming it into another body part/dynamic/shape/etc. We used teh idea of a fun house mirror as a stimulus. This can also develop in many directions and can be traveled or done in different relationships.

On another day, we did an exercise in which one person improvised and the other one/two reflected back whatever they remembered as accurately as possible- we started simple and gradually make it more difficult-so it was virtually impossible to remember the entire sequence but the person still had to reflect back whatever they remembered/retained to the best of their ability.  You can do this in pairs or a group or go around a cirlce etc.  It is a challenge but reveals alot about people's tendencies and about how to retain the essence of a sequence.

I got some basic physics books about light, reflection, mirrors and colors and we worked with the text and the ideas/principles behind the way we see. That was interesting- how a mirror works- light rays reflecting off a polished surface angle of incidence/reflection, we see colors b/c light is reflected and absorbed off of objects, white light contains all the colors our eyes see a virtual image in the mirror- real images are ones that are produced by light rays and can be projected onto a screen for example but a mirror image
is virtual - the brain thinks light is coming from that source but it isnt- it is reflected off the surface...
refraction- the wavelength changes speed and thus directionwhen mving though different materials
Concave- refect and bring rays into a focus the image is larger than the object magnified
Convext- reflect rays outward and appear to come froma single point behind the mirror- capture rays frome awide area and see an image of a large area..

The dancers really enjoyed the improvisations and I used it as a way to generate movement material.  They said it was really powerful and helpful to work this way because in the process they learned alot about the other person and more importantly about themself- how they move, what they prefer etc. It also enhanced their work together - immensely in a way that we would never have been able to achieve had i come in an set work on them.  Important to this process was preparing them to do this sort of work- grounding things, doing and exercise with one person laying relaxed ont he floor and the otehr person grabbing hold of the ball of the foot and gentle pushing and pulling- creating a rocking the the other person - and observing how that tiny movement was reflected throughout the body- into the fingertips and even the hair - you could see immediately if energy was blocked anywhere.

Here is a copy of the text I used with my "Through the looking Glass" solo-
It was composed using text we all wrote over the weeks we worked together and fromthe discussions that followed our sessions.
    Mirrors are really funny. They reflect the outside surface of things and can reveal whats happening inside.
    They can distort shape, proximity, and size.
    They can make a space look bigger.
    A mirror shows exactly what IS- it reflects the truth. It is clear, simple, direct, revealing.
    I feel I have a balanced relationship with them.
    Sometimes I love looking at my image, and sometimes I hate doing it.
    Sometimes I ignore them, and sometimes they ignore me.
    It is very different seeing myself and seeing others in a mirror.
    Sometimes I feel awkward seeing my reflection.
    Sometimes its intimate and sometimes its strange.
    I like to think I take care of my image for MYSELF and not because of what other people think.
    I see myself in opposites- the difference between in and out, calmness and eagerness, sadness and joy, simplicity and complexity.
    In the end, I think my image is a reflection of my soul- a reflection of what state I'm in.

So sita- thats alot i know. I think inherent in it all is the idea of transformation- and in working wiht them, we were all transformed- our ideas about ourself, our own image, etc. it was reflected in the piece.  I can share more with you - but i don't want to overload you- let me know.

27th February
Sita:
We are not sure how we are going to structure the work yet, or even if we are aiming for a finished product.  We are wanting to create a workshop-feel to this project, and we will have some sort of sharing/performance at the end.  As I have mentioned above, iVisit might be the way to do this - please let me know what you think and whether you think we should be working towards a product for the end of the project or a work in progress.

At present we are making short phrases of movement, partly because this is what we can put up on the Web site (when the wretched thing will let us!!).  More than about 30 seconds of material becomes prohibitive to people on modem connections.  However we hope to structure that movement over the course of the project, and we would welcome suggestions about how to do it.  Of course, when you can SEE the movement that will become easier...

Steven:
Visions of the girls' duets and studies with reflections/image are now on my mind...So...when I have a new thought...(something to do with entrances and exits and sudden interactions center stage with the mirror prop and/or each other)...I will email pronto.

I just read over the discussion page and liked very much Colleen's mirror improvs to which I would add one that it is personal favorite that I use at the very beginning of workshops to help people get to know each other a bit. It is called "gifts" and I got it as a gift from my work as a student of Daniel Nagrin. Instead of the mirror concept, the pairs of dancers decides who starts and the leader must do whatever they think the OTHER person wants and needs for their mind, body and heart at that moment, that time---There can be vocalizing but the idea is to give the gift non-verbally, through paying attention to the other and deciding what kind of moving is what they are looking for... Switch roles after an appropriate time.

28th February
Sita:
The server appears to be OK again now - click here to see the rehearsal pages and movies!!  Please email me if you experience any further problems with movies, images, etc.

Steven:
The mirror trio is beautiful!  [Click here to see mirror trio via links from Rehearsal 2 page] Works very well as an internet dance piece because of the intimacy--(big movements always suffer even on larger screen work)....I highly encourage further work on this as a short work that could be presented on the net at the end  of the project....Very successful!

The improvs with the chairs also had some good moments---I would suggest (1) a different separator---a screen of fabric that could be passed through for example; (2) facing the whole group either downstage left or right as opposed to head on and stretching it out; (3) most importantly, developing each side's phrases so they are longer before shifting across...and work on some clarity of the unison versus free take-offs...There was a very nice moment when the there girls on the right side were doing the same thing with curving arms over the head and were also spatially well related---it was good counterpoint to what was happening solo and more athletically on the left.

I believe a  choreography is emerging and it is always a good plan(though more demanding) to try to put things together rather than just have disparate studies. I think that there is almost enough basic material between the humorous and dancey duets, the quiet and intimate trio, and the group work with the split stage, to develop a ten minute or so piece. I think the theme is well established thoughout and the work is now to create depth in each section and a flow between(Easy for me to say!)  I would also suggest some face to face interactions between the girls---I think that Colleen's improvs will provide the impetus for that.

I am still having some problems with the QT files but I was able to see everything! Most enjoyable...thanks for your efforts and sharing.

29th February
Sita:
I like the mirror trio too - I'm thinking of making a 'duet for one dancer with mirror' section from it as well, perhaps using Clare's image as a theme for it. [Click here to see the Inspirations page with Clare's image]
I think the movement material is now getting there.  We will use Colleen's and Steven's suggestions to start to structure the dance this week.  We will use the inspirations that have been sent in to develop the quality and depth of the movement, but if anyone else has suggestions, possibly for specific qualities or feelings to bring out in the dancers' movements then that would be helpful.

I'm sorry that people are still having problems with the movies - I will look into it today.  It's never easy, is it?!

1st March
Clare:
I loved the mirror trio! It was very difficult to make out which were the dancers and which the reflections.... quite fascinating!

Colleen:
Looking at the movement material created, I have some thoughts/observations.
The first is a structural thing that you may want to decide with your dancers-  what is it that you are reflecting/transforming.... perhaps explore different things- types of relationships with own image/image of others

The first rehearsal is about perception I think ...

The second one I see as playing with the mirror and works well given a small frame- but it might not work live but you may want to try the same thing but having the dancers face each other and be the reflection- I was particularly struck by tthe image of the middle dancer leaning away /back from the mirror and then coming up close-  interesting.

Also with improvisation, there is a danger that if not pushed/structured, a person will tend to move the way they like to move and come up with the same or similar things- just something youare probably already aware of .

I think that in this situation however, its important with so many ideas/collaborators/dancers to have a throughline and when generating the material that it fits together as a cohesive whole.

You asked about feedback for the improv  you did spliting the space and having the chair as the imaginary line which separates the type of movement to do....
one thing might be to have a signal between the dancers or a moment of eye contact that would initiate the change
another idea is to set the line on a diagonal instead of straight down the middle--  you might even draw it on the floor with chalk- you could also play with that idea- carving up the space and designating areas for each type of movement- the chalk on the floor could work there too... hope it helps!!

2nd March
Sita:
Colleen, you are right about the dangers of unstructured improvisation, and we are running into that problem with the one from Rehearsal 2 - it doesn't really have a clear enough intention.

I too love the image of the dancer leaning back from the mirror and coming close - we've tried to work a little with this in the mirror duet from Rehearsal 3.  We do need to start structuring the work and we need to keep a real clarity of intention here, so EVERYBODY please say if we appear to be deviating from the path!!

Interestingly some of Colleen's comments agree with Steven's, and some of them we began exploring yesterday and I put on the Web very late last night!!  Steven and Colleen both suggested doing the improv on the diagonal, and we are planning to do that.  However, yesterday we concentrated on the mirror trio.

Steven:
The new March 1 mirror pieces are great! I would definitely try some zooms to close-ups if you can. The dissolve was good in "Three Ages." The girls are all revealing their acting skills as well as being good dancers!

Sita:
I'll give zooms to close-ups a go - I'm not the world's best camera-person!!

Clare:
Thank you for the Three Ages dance. I thought it caught the changes of the three ages well. The first two seemed spot on but I was not quite so happy with the third. Perhaps Beccy's fears of old age coloured it a little strongly for me and I would have wanted a feeling of greater dignity and more acceptance. However, for a young lass like Beccy portraying old age is a tall order and she left us in no doubt that this was an old woman. Your dancers certainly do have acting skills!

I liked the mirror duet very much but found the mirror group rather frustrating as I wanted to see what the dancers at the back were doing. I felt I was missing half of what was going on. Not being in any way dance trained I can't figure out how one would resolve that problem, other than seating the dancers with the front pairs further apart but I've a suspicion that might destroy the feeling of the mirror. Has anyone in the group any suggestions?

3rd March
Sita:
The records for Rehearsal 4 are now up!  Please take a look - I'm putting up images so that even if you don't download the movies you can still get an idea of what we are doing.

Steven:
You have some really strong material here! Depending on what kind of thing you want to do with it now there are a number of considerations. Do you want to make a "finished" piece based on the theme and using the studies. If you do, you have to find a very ingenius way of moving from the intimate sections that almost seem best for video to the more dynamic material. Music could provide such a glue, and/or a rough storyline...I personally feel that type of approach will yield more powerful results than just stringing the material together based on a spatial strategy(which might be all that emerges from our input on structure since this type of feedback loop is very time consuming and misses the spontaneous moment with the dancers and yourself). However, you of course can do both.

4th March
Sita:
It would be wonderful if we could construct a story for the material - an urban myth of our own perhaps - I will make up a Web page for that to happen...

6th March
Sita:
Colleen has sent in some thoughts for the story behind the dance.  You can see them on the urban myth-making page.  Please let me know what you think about this as an idea for constructing the dance - we are open to ideas and can always run a couple of different approaches at the same time.

8th March
Sita:
Click here to see how we started to construct the dance in our fifth rehearsal, using the story ideas sent in so far.  I'm sorry that there are no images - we got so involved in the rehearsal that I completely forgot to take any film!

12th March
Colleen:
i just had a look at whats been happening

initial response  but have to reflect more on it before i come to any conclusions..

but- three ages idea brilliant- it could also be taken into more abstract movement- and if the dancers exchange movement-  fit with transformation theme- even
without it, transformation of age through time

perhaps even a magic mirror which reverses aging .. that fits with the dorian grey theme as well...

the mirror group beautiful- it reminded me of teh phenomonon that occurs when two mirrors are placed face to face and infinitely reflect back the image creating
the illusion of a long tunnel.... WORK with that...

ideas for overall strucure... the crossover point could work and some of the close up work is fabulous it might be interesting to switch off between whole body
and close up-sections the head rolling or ageing as a way of telling the story-  bringing attention to details...

one more random thing- this weekend i caught a glimpse of a tv programme in which the characters used a mirror as a portal for travel.....

Sita:
I'm really glad you liked the stuff on the site - I like the idea of the magic mirror that reverses ageing!!  We'll have a go at developing the three ages material this
week.

The infinitely reflecting images is also echoed in Kareen's image at the bottom of the inspirations page - we will play with picking that up more too...in fact that
gives me an idea right now for putting the dancers in the places of the repeated reflections, going back into the mirror...perhaps the end of the piece...

I'm hoping to be able to work with whole bodies/body parts using the camera - but unfortunately I'm limited by my little webcam.  It doesn't have a zoom facility,
and is on a short wire, so we can't do too much - but I will experiment with bringing the dancers closer to the camera instead.

The mirror as a portal for travel - Alice Through the Looking Glass - we'll play with that too...

15th March
Sita:
Click here to see how we got on in our sixth rehearsal!

Click here to return to the Discussion Page