Friday, March 20, 2009

The Community Project--Photos

The Collective's Community Project is an annual opportunity for adults with all levels of movement experience to learn a piece and perform it on stage at the Baltimore Museum of Art. This year the piece was called "Paper or Plastic" and was choreographed by Jessica Fultz.

Zach Handler took some pretty swell pics backstage which show how much we came together as a cast. It was a really great experience and I look forward to doing more dancing with these great folks.

See the pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zzhandler/sets/72157615251664721/

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Thoughts on Creativity (not mine); should keep you busy for a while...

Twyla Tharp (her book, The Creative Habit, is worth reading if you like making stuff...dances or whatever):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLzl6D8kYuY

Amy Tan (I've never read her books...she's funny and smart though):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D0pwe4vaQo

Bill T. Jones (won the genius award, because, well...he kicks ass, skip to 5:47)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-LVmfTbJYs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYKYOsuOFR8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2YVsUFi31Y

And the best Bill T. vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOSsDHLooi0

Dance specific, William Forsythe improvisation technology:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsRnVW96KN8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-32m8LE5Xg
(this goes on and on, very complex, see it in action in the next vid):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wym1-b48NbY

On collaboration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THuyhgEhkdU

Another fun one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjwUn-aA0VY

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Bob Dylan Suite Part One...except performed to Fleet Foxes...

Stuck Inside on a Beautiful Day

Well, I'm stuck inside at work, so might as well update my little log of the creative experience that is life...

I'm in the process of creating two new (and slightly ambitious) works. Wish me luck.

The first piece (which I hope to perform at Open Marley Night on May 30th) is based on Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher and inspired originally by the Usher Waltz by Koshkin (a very cool piece of guitar music, inspired by the same piece of literature mentioned previously). I have realized that I really like working from literature (it's probably my most natural source of inspiration), and I am always excited when I find a piece of music that comes from literature (The Magic Theater---based on Hesse's Steppenwolf---comes to mind...I must choreograph this piece!).

Anyhow, there have been a total of zero rehearsals so far, but I've done some thinking and writing, which always comes first with me anyways. I've also listened to a recording of the music while soaking in the tub...very helpful. I haven't really danced yet, so I'm not sure what the movement will look like, but I already have formed a structure in my mind.

If you are unfamiliar with the story click: http://www.enotes.com/fall-house-text/the-fall-house-usher?start=1.

And the music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHpaKD95XMs

Ideas I have so far: There are three characters (Usher, Narrator, Sister). Usher is the guitarist\music, so the musician must be somehow integrated into the performance. The music is a waltz and the era of the piece makes it sensible to play on the classic idiom of a waltz partner dance. I might have books all over the stage...

Problems I'm working on: I don't want to re-tell the story; what is the point of creating the dance if it doesn't go beyond what already exists. In the story the narrator is an observer; he relates with Usher, but not with the sister, however in my dance Usher is not a dancer and the sister and narrator are, so most of the interactions have to happen between the narrator and the sister.

Structural Ideas: The piece begins and ends with a solo by the narrator. The piece begins with music, but ends in silence. The pas de deaux between the Narrator and the Sister, represent the horror that the narrator feels in the presence of the sister. The music represents the character of Usher and the dancers interface with the musician. The dance follows the structure of the music (which means I have to figure out how the music follows the structure of the narrative...).

That's where I'm at. I hope to start rehearsing (with Sara! Yay!) within the next couple of weeks.

Coming soon...lots of rambling about Pablo Neruda.