tion, ing, ed, or,
the work of Manipulation
As I reflect on my practice as research this semester, I
dive into the valuable knowledge this documentation has provided for my work as
a choreographer. To have a record of the
rehearsal process through picture, video, journal, and written exercises, gives
me time to dissect how this process can convey my explanation and meanings to
the dancers I work with, so they can internalize the movement and then convey
that out to an audience.
As I analyze this process, I see how I could incorporate
more journal entries, thoughts I might have during the week, about the
choreography or meanings, as an internalization process for me. In Meaning
and Being, it states “the meaning we find in what we see is always both a
necessity and an obstacle. Meaning
guides our seeing. Meaning allows us to
categorize objects.”(MacDougall, 1).
So
how could I take my meaning of manipulation and project that to the dancers, so
they could internalize that meaning and project that back. Taking this into my practice as research, I
wanted the dancers to find an internal perspective on manipulation, that they
could relate with, individually, and then convey back to the audience. In The
Place of Dance, it states, “Because dance is both a visual and a
kinesthetic art form, dancers learn to see-feel movement.” (Olsen, 8). In the same article it had different example
of writing exercises for directors and/or dancers during rehearsal, and I
decided to incorporate this into my practice.
“Movement coaching can be important, especially for younger
dancers. At his point each performer
needs to have internalized his or her unique relationship to the work. Write an inner storyline; or articulate the
changing qualities throughout the dance (Olsen, 145).
One rehearsal, after warming up on pointe, I told the
dancers I would like to do a writing exercise.
I wasn’t sure how this would be accepted, and was a bit skeptical
myself. I handed out the paper, and told
the dancers I would be reading their responses, but they didn’t have to put
their names on the papers. I also told
them they may be used in my project. So
I asked, “What is the definition of manipulation to you, or what does it mean
in your life right now?” After some
writing time, I asked the second question, “What manipulative situation are you
in now, or what is something you feel manipulated by?” I then told them my present experience of
being manipulated by money and how it is an outside force that seems to be
controlling my life. I couldn’t say much
more without getting too emotional, which is stated nicely;” As director, you
make choices about how much trauma and drama you generate or tolerate in
yourself and others.(Olsen, 98)” I
decided I didn’t want a therapy session that night, just a light addressing for
the internalization of the meaning of this piece.
The third question, “What body part could you manipulate
that isn’t an obvious one?” When the
writing came to a close, I asked if anyone would like to share anything. I
decided not to push it on anyone, but leave it open to what they felt safe to
share. Some spoke up, mostly definition and what body parts could be
manipulated, others were silent, and that was o.k.
The rehearsal that night was incredibly productive. We ran the piece twice, and the immediate
change was apparent in the movement. I
could see struggle, frustration, and the want to keep or get out of the
manipulation. The resistance bands
became an extension of the body and movement instead of a prop. They transformed into an idea, that spilled
over into the meaning, and it all mixed together to create a uniformity,
meaning that manipulation is personal and different for everyone, but when
addressed and brought to the surface, everyone knew what it felt like in their
life, and thus it could come together and be portrayed as a whole. “Sometimes the most stunning dancing happens
in rehearsals. Without the pressure or
distraction of a performance, the dancing finds its own pace and edge (Olsen,
95)
This was a gem I had discovered that could be used in any
genre of rehearsal. And now to have the
valuable recorded research and process.
There’s always a copy of the final work, but to have a copy of the
rehearsal stages, process, moments of internalization, and see the final
product with the context behind it, deepened the whole experience for me. This is a practice I will incorporate into
every piece I work on, whether there is a specified subject, meaning, context,
or a general subject of dance for dancing sake.
Looking over and reading the website Making Delinquent, by Keith Hennessy, I was fascinated by his short
entries about his feelings, the entries about budget, finding performers, scenery,
and the whole process. I immediately saw
the value of what he did, and how he had a finite record of his practice as
research. My mind immediately started reflecting on
things I had kept track of in the past, budgets, scenery, choreography notes,
but journal entries would be so valuable now.
So immediately, when the final project was presented, I decided to do a practice
as research for my choreography, and decided to create a blog about Manipulation, was the venue I would
use. It was something I thought would be
easy, but turned out to be its own experience as well.
The blog took me around 20 hours. Figuring out how to download video from a
cell phone, camcorder, laptop, and iPad to YouTube, and eventually to the blog
itself was a process worth noting.
Creating the blog was exciting, as I incorporated my journals, pictures,
video, and bios of the dancers. This
whole process internalized this experience within me even more.
Lynette Hunter asks the question, “What happens before
articulation, the attempts at saying what hasn’t been “said” before?” (Hunter, 230). Research through performance and practice
brought articulation to my choreographic process and performance message. It incorporated valuable insights to
internalization of movement, meaning, and conveyance to the audience. Beyond the idea of props being used, it
united the use of prop as an extension of the body and idea. The audience may have their likes or dislike
of what they see, but maybe through dislike, they felt something, uncomfortable
perhaps, possibly manipulated, or underlying meaning in their own life, and
perhaps through that discomfort, they may think about the why and internalize
some aspect of Manipulation
themselves.
Hunter, Lynette: Practice
as Research: Explorations, Questions, and Suggestions.
MacDougall, David: Meaning and Being: Filming and the Senses.
The Corporeal Image.
2005.
Olsen, Andrea, with
Caryn McHose. The Place of Dance. A Somatic Guide to Dancing and
Dance
Making. Middletown, Connecticut; 2014. Wesleyan University Press.
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