Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Week #2: Supper Rehearsals "like a machine"


The dedication of the dancers (pictured above) is astounding to me. Even after one of the dancers got into a bike accident and spent the day in the emergency room, he still showed up to rehearsal. The best part is that he didn't have one complaint during the rehearsal. It appeared as though he was effortlessly lifting other dancers, getting lifted, and executing physically demanding choreography. However, I bet it took a lot of determination to get through the rehearsal. Watching these dancers has really impacted how I view a professional dancer's job. They are like machines.  Silvana mentioned that the entire piece must be run "like a machine", meaning that the choreography is being done like it is supposed to be done during the final show.



I never thought that I would enjoy being behind the scenes as much as I do. It's difficult for me to picture myself as someone who isn't performing. By learning all of the music cues and making sure each track is played at the right time, I  feel like I am a valuable part of the artistic process. I'm not saying that I want to leave from my goals of becoming a performer, though I see the value of an assistant's role during the rehearsal processes. My respect is constantly growing for people who work behind the scenes to make performances truly come to life.

When I return to Uarts in the fall I will have an easier time experimenting with choreography. Being by Silvana's side and watching her during each rehearsal is teaching me how to run rehearsals and how to communicate with other artists. Being a choreographer can be difficult because you have to rely on other artists to display your work for you. I have been reluctant in the past to set choreography on dancers because I simply was uncomfortable being in the choreographer's chair. Now I feel like I have a much better understanding of how to effectively communicate my artistic ideas to other artists. Silvana's choreographic language is something I have been admiring and learning from constantly.

I am also gaining more confidence during this process. Being a part of such a creative and thought-provoking project is helping me to understand how to take ideas and turn them into a performance or an art piece in general. I am fairly new to choreography, so now I feel like I have a much clearer mindset.



I posted this video on the Cardell Dance Theater twitter page earlier. Click here to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi1TjE13S3s:



No comments:

Post a Comment