Life After College: Working full-time and being a Dancer.

Graduating college is an automatic acceptance into adulthood and now you can officially say you have "grown up". This newly acquired title and place in life is the ultimate dream; getting that first full-time job, being able to pay all your bills yourself, happy hours after work, and experiencing complete independence. Until, one day you realize you were having a lot more fun in college and your life evolved around yourself.

Central Park, November 2015

During college your only job is to be yourself! Those years are for you to experiment, create, work, and generally be completely selfish with anything you do, so it later on benefits you. College is where you begin to create yourself as an adult and where you decide what interests you, what you hate, what your strengths and weaknesses are. As a dancer who received her BFA in Dance, my four college years were very much structured selfishly as to build myself as an artist. My job was to see a variety of dance concerts, experience multiple dance techniques, utilize the free studio space to create whatever my hearts content, and be completely enveloped within the dance community. The culmination of these events was to grow myself as a dancer and begin to pave the way for what I was going to pursue during "life after college"; and it truly did! I have discovered my love for historical modern dance and the desire to con-temporize out-dated works and techniques. I can even give you my long-term goals, which includes what I want my thesis to be in grad school (re-create a version of Loie Fuller's La Mer) and my dream job of being a college dance professor. Unfortunately, things are not as simple as they were in college.

Nowadays, I work 9am-6pm at a private investment firm being an administrative assistant/personal assistant/office manager, I am taking a dance education course, and continuing to pursue the Duncan technique under two master teachers, but the biggest difference is now I am no longer dancing all day every day. It truly is heartbreaking because sometimes I get scared that maybe I am letting my dance career slip away, but then I remember that I now have to pay rent, amongst various other bills, and to pay those things I must work. I can no longer take dance classes for free or see dance concerts at a discounted price, all these things take extra money that I must dedicate more of my time to earning. The harsh reality of the dance world is that you cannot make money from dancing as an independent artist, you have to pay to perform. On top of performance application fees, you also need to pay for rehearsal space, not to mention production fees when you do get accepted into a festival. All of the things that you received for free in college you now have to pay for, and though we all consider ourselves artists first and foremost, we still have the responsibility to take care of ourselves.

Shannon McMullan at Gray's Papaya, November 2015

On the positive side, I am not throwing away my dance career; I am currently dancing with a Duncan company that I moved to New York to work with, a long with studying the technique under the previously mentioned teachers. I have performed three times since moving to New York and begun working on my own projects. I try to write and blog as much as I can, though it does get put on the back burner more frequently. I have a small list of festivals I want to apply to and I plan on beginning my yoga teacher certification in March. The reality of "life after college" is that you are no longer in college and are no longer a college student, which means your situation and environment changes. I am beyond grateful to be experience New York City and being able to gain this experience of living here, even though the sacrifices being made are not ideal.

The way you picture your life once you graduate is that you'll dance all the time and create so many new works without the constraints of school and the list goes on of what you imagine things to be. Life is none of those things. Yes, you now get to create without the rules your teachers give you, but you may have to go a month without rehearsing because you had to buy clothes for your new job instead. Dancing all the time is a luxury now, there will be weeks you are too exhausted and opt to go to yoga instead. You aren't going to get accepted to every festival either, or you have to bypass applying because you have to buy Christmas presents now. What I'm learning is that you just have to accept things and have to be o.k. with certain sacrifices, because everyone is on the same boat. You just have to keep reminding yourself what you're here for and to keep pushing yourself to accomplish your goals, and that is all you can do.

Does an ARTIST always come with being PRETENTIOUS?

     As a new resident of New York City, 8 days to be exact, I have trudged through every emotion possible. See picture to the right---- That is my response to applying to 40+ jobs in a 5 day period. I am beyond annoyed with my own resume and letter of interest that I have forced upon people.

With the amount of time I have spent judging myself, before letting multiple other people judge me, has really made me question myself. I have 5 different resumes so I have 5 different detailed career descriptions of myself. My most important resume by far is my professional dance CV. It includes the utmost important "ARTIST STATEMENT". Because being a dance artist means I need to include a tiny biography that consists of three sentences that are so full of ridiculous adjectives, you have to read it out loud at the speed of a sloth to even begin to process what the hell I am even saying. What I have learned by reading every one else's artist statements is that the more stupid you feel after reading one than the better the artist. 

     I was recently told that the way I write is like the way I talk, and apparently that is unacceptable, because when you're an artist you shouldn't sound like yourself. I often give my resumes or writings to a peer to edit my grammar because I tend to be a comma nazi. When in doubt, comma it out is my motto. 99% of the time my trusted peer will then edit everything including changing my sentences and the way the sentences are laid out. Which is totally fine when I have a run on sentence, but literally changing my voice in my writing is what I am worried about. My recent thoughts have been regarding what makes an artist an artist and when do you stop taking other peoples advice. 

     I am typically a very simple person. I like to get to the point instead of beating around the bush, which is what I find a lot in artist statements. I think it is ridiculous to write a whole paragraph on something you can say in one sentence. Why waste all that time and space when you could be filling it with more words that are saying different things. I also like to write the way that I talk, it makes me feel personable like I am a real human being talking. Unfortunately, I have been told a few times that I need to write more eloquently, i.e. not like a human being. 

     As a person and as an artist, I want to be myself and I do not want to mesh myself into the same casing as every other artist. I believe artists are special people and we all have special abilities, that's what makes an artist an artist! Being an artist you have to often fight for yourself and defend your intentions, so does this include fighting for my writing intentions. Do I need to submit myself to changing my voice or do I fight to defend it? I am choosing to defend it.

     Now, I am completely aware that I need a decent amount of grammar skills, which is why I always have someone edit my stuff. Except this blog post. I am purposely not getting this post edited because I want it to be completely authentic and in its original state. And this is my intention as an artist for this post. 

     

Visually Experiencing the Audible

Zoe Keating graced Austin, Texas with her presence on Sunday May 17, 2015 at the Parish on 6^th street. A community atmosphere was created when she invited the nearly packed venue to sit down; witnessing a musician perform this action was a comforting change and reassurance that Zoe Keating is an artist. The concert that Keating put on was a brand new experience for me as a concert-goer and as an artist; this experience allowed me to challenge and widen my perspective on music as art.

As a recent dance graduate I have had an extensive amount of experience with watching various dance concerts, and often discussing these concerts on a professional level. I instinctively began to prepare myself as if I was watching a dance concert, but it quickly became clear that I would not be able to watch this in the same way. Unlike music, dance is more easily relate-able because the audience is having a visual experience; being able to have this visual field allows a person to see a relationship or story develop. With music being solely audible the visual field is not being accessed and therefore relating to this type of art has to be done in a significantly different manner. I found it highly difficult to find any metaphors or 2^nd functions within any of Keating’s pieces because I could not rely on being visual. Before Keating would play a piece she would inform the audience the story behind the music or what it was about, this helped me more thoroughly understand the music.

One piece, Seven League Boots, was about having magical shoes that would allow you to travel seven leagues in one step; this came from Keating’s desire to easily pass the mountains that blocked her from the ocean. During this piece I made the decision to look at the ground instead of watching her. I employed the technique of soft-focus that improvisers use when improvising; this allowed me to focus on what I was hearing and what images it was creating for me. I was able to imagine myself wearing these magical shoes walking over valleys and mountains. Using soft-focus forced me to internalize which proved to be successful in fully experiencing this musical art.

Although I was successful during one piece I did not prove the same in the rest of the concert. During this experience I discovered that every medium of art cannot be approached in the same way, but prior knowledge of different art forms can help with understanding others.

BFA Thesis Review

    On April 9^th, 2015 at 7:30pm I attended Venture at Evans Auditorium at Texas State University. Venture was the thesis concert highlighting five graduating seniors’ works from the Division of Dance. The concert was political, multi-cultural, and diverse in many ways; there were themes including gender equality, issues with immigration, and an exploration of relationships. My experiences differed drastically throughout the concert; at times I was grief-stricken, and occasionally I was disappointed with the lack of emotions I observed within myself. With this concert being the culmination of these students’ undergraduate education there were high expectations, although most works lived up to these expectations, some fell short.

   The issues that are concerned with gender equality are very present in our modern day society; one topic that is specifically associated with this issue is the gender stereotypes society places on women and men. See.Hear.Speak. was choreographed by Rachael Hodge with music by Jerry Martin, Balmorhea, and text by Emma Watson. Hodge’s work was a direct representation of gender stereotypes. The work had a beginning section that included four dancers, two male and two females. These dancers signified specific gender roles in a 1950’s era, with dresses past the knees for the women and dress suit attire for the men. The female dancers created a suchness of the ideal housewife that stays at home cooking and cleaning for the men; all the while the male dancers played the part of the dominate and controlled man of the household. As the work progressed, there was a shift within the characters when a single female became saddened and possibly angry, appearing to attempt to break free of her stereotype. This concept of a character transitioning from a housewife to a modern day woman was a strong choreographic choice for the choreographer; however, the concept was not thoroughly successful due to a lack of character portrayal from the dancer. As a result of this transition, a new section began that included an addition of a third female dancer. This section’s music had powerful speech about gender equality from Emma Watson; the theme was centered on the idea of men and women being individuals but equal at the same time. The storyline within this piece was powerful but it lacked depth. The movement language was absent of any metaphorical meanings that tied back into the theme; technique class combinations are not always successful within a performance setting. In regards to the title, See.Hear.Speak., it did not have any initial effect on my perspective until days after; upon further reflection of this title I understood that it could mean being presently aware of a negative issue and speaking out about it. At the conclusion of the work, I did not feel empowered as I assumed I would had, due to me being a woman and the nature of the work. I do feel this concept being translated into a dance is necessary, but the exploration needs to be furthered within this piece to make it whole.

   Eileene Vicencio is deserving of an immense amount of gratitude for her solo, La Bestia, el Coyote, y el American Dream; with music by Max Richter and film/editing in collaboration with Olivia Barto. Vicencio’s creation was a response to the struggle of immigrants trying to cross the American border, and more often than not, dying along the way. While watching this solo there were multiple moments that occurred center stage when Vicencio would crawl without the use of her arms; this movement language created an environment of internal struggle. I experienced imagery of this internal struggle that occurs within a person when they are reaching out for a dream and cannot quite grasp it; this dream for immigrants is reaching this utopian life that they hope to live here in America. At the beginning of the piece the title, La Bestia, el Coyote, y el American Dream, had no influence on me because I cannot speak or read Spanish, thus I could not create any connections with it. Afterwards, when I was able to translate the meaning the title still did not open up any more insight to me. At the conclusion of this work, I was more deeply curious about these issues that arise from immigration. Due to ignorance within myself, I was not completely aware of the laws surrounding immigration, why these laws were necessary, and why it upset a large population of people. Although, my opinion of open borders has not changed, Vicencio’s work of art pushed me to further research multiple perspectives on this political issue.

   The multiple themes that arose within this concert were challenging and significant to society. Being able to face sensitive subjects, such as immigration, allowed the audience to have the opportunity for a broader perspective; regardless of whether a person’s political stances were changed, they were still exposed to it. This type of exposure is necessary within the art and dance community because it allows for society to progress. 

Merge Dance Company - Response

On March 6, 2015 at 7:30pm I attended INtersections a concert presented by Merge Dance Company, performed at the Patti Strickel Harrison Theater at the Performing Arts Center on the Texas State University campus. This concert included multiple guest choreographers and performers showcasing their work. One guest choreographer was Heike Salzer; Salzer created a work titled Zefiro, with a sound collage by James Barron and Thomas Jameson, including Zefiro Torna composed by Christina Pluhar and L’Arpeggiata. This dance work had a suchness of an innocent childhood, brought about by the playfulness and explorative movement language created from the use of balloons as a prop. The strong choreography of this work contributed to the creative aspects, thus making this a true work of dance art.

            To watch Zefiro was to be taken on a magical journey that provides an awe-inspiring experience, thus leading this work of art to be categorized under art as sublime. This work of art creates an atmosphere for audience members that may feel familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. This familiarity comes from the literal idea of the balloons; balloons are an object that everyone can directly identify with because we all have the knowledge of these objects, however every person can experience a different emotion with them. These emotions that are particular to each individual could possibly create a story that each audience member is accustomed to. Though Zefiro produces a comfortable energy, that is knowable, there is a contrasting energy that leaves an air of mystery. This mystery comes from the situation that the choreography produces; this situation is that of dancing, moving, and interacting with balloons in a manner that we, as humans, are not familiar with. Surrealism can be used to describe what I felt while watching this work because of the bizarre relationships arising from the movements. When looking at this work it reminded me of an inner dream or wish being brought to life. The choreography resembled a type of ceremony, possibly a celebration ceremony because with the title of the dance, Zefiro, the work could display a celebration to the goddess of the wind. The bright music that began in the middle section of the dance made me think of folk music, and created the image of a community performing this dance. Zefiro, a bright and eclectic work of art, had traces of inspiration from folk and ceremony dances while being presented in a contemporary performance setting.

            A story is being told within this work, but not a narrative; this story is presenting a person’s inner emotions and dreams. This makes me consider Zefiro a metaphoric dance and more represented of the 2^nd function. What I realized while watching this dance is that it represented the immense happiness that a human can feel when a dream is met or an unbelievable experience has occurred. This unbelievable experience could be finding an unexpected lover or simply jumping out of a plane, both scenarios are ones that produce higher serotonin levels. When serotonin levels increase within a person this can make them feel as if they are on cloud nine or invincible; Salzer creates this same feeling in her piece. Regarding 1^st function elements, the strongest was the use of space with props. The movement language that was used with the dancer and prop interaction was brilliantly authentic. There were simple gestures, such as carrying the balloons into different formations, which were highly effective. The ending action was the most prominent 1st function element where the dancers were laying on the ground holding the balloons when they released them into the air; this was pure 1^st function in the sense that balloons, as a literal object, float away through space. It is apparent that Salzer did not just make a work of art, but created it. According to Dennis Dutton this dance could be categorized under multiple universal signatures including: direct pleasure, expressive individuality, and imaginative experience. Zefiro embodies these signatures from the positive energy and dynamics that it emits to expressing a metaphorical story that is unique to every individual audience member.

            Without a doubt, I can confidently say that Salzer is a true artist in the dance community. To be able to create a dance work that goes beyond time, space, and energy and into the conscious lives of audience members is a gift. It brought back memories of childhood moments and I received the chance to live the time of innocence all over again thanks to Heike Salzer.

Gallery Visit and Experience

   On February 26, 2015 I went to The University Galleries at Texas State University. Within Gallery [1] was an exhibit titled Tell Me What You Think of Me, curated by Leslie Moody Castro. Stereotypes, definitions, and cultural classifications are brought to the forefront and how North America, as a whole, contributes to these issues. La Graduita by Máximo González was a doll standing on a thick piece of plywood; the wood jutted out at least a foot from the wall. The doll, a mere inch in length, was set against the wall leaving eleven inches of emptiness in front of her. At the feet of the doll was a small sign that read “Graduate.” The doll was wearing a cap and gown while holding a diploma in one hand and her head in the other. The neck was painted showing the bone of the spine and blood red of human flesh. When looking closer, the texture of flesh appeared smooth showing a clean cut. La Graduita is a work of art that is representative of the North American higher education system and makes viewers postulate the issues that graduates face.

   A doll clothed in graduation attire directly represents college graduates and the higher education system; therefore, I see this work as employing art as imitation. As an artist I question, “Would Plato approve of this form of imitation?” I answer myself, “No, he would not.” Plato defined art as imitation as showing an ideal world, a sort of utopia. La Graduita does not imitate an ideal world, but represents how the world actually is. However, imitation is shown through this tiny doll with the cap, gown, and sign that says Graduate. As a viewer, I do not question what it is I am looking at; I am looking at a college graduate. This is why I would categorize this work as employing imitation. Although, the head decapitation is not literal of college graduates, it is on a metaphoric stance; metaphorically, this doll is imitating every future college student. I am viewing this sculpture as an artist and also as an upcoming graduate. The experience I received from this art allowed me to come to terms with and understand the world I will soon be entering into. Employing art as a means of understanding was successful through this sculpture. This sculpture gives viewers the understanding that graduation is nearly the same as a death sentence. I am able to more clearly understand this work of art because of the information I have learned about the higher education system. I can directly relate to this graduate doll because I feel that I am represented through it.

   This artwork is very three dimensional, and because of that it allows viewers to be given the opportunity to walk around it and experience the art from all angles. The bluntness of a decapitated doll coexists well with the linearity of the wood that is clear and stark. This work is nearly symmetrical, aside from the difference in what is in the dolls hands. By standing directly in front of the doll I experienced the same feelings as I did when standing on either side of it. When postulating further about this work, my take away is the idea of this doll representing the higher education system. Delving deeper, it mimics the college educated students specifically in North America. Regarding 2^nd function, the piece of plywood represents the notion of ‘walking the plank,’ and there is a clear intention of having the head removed. This plays with the idea that receiving a college degree is sentencing people to a death sentence. The plywood could also represent walking out into the world. There is nothing on the end of the board besides emptiness, just a straight drop off. This emptiness is society and the walk towards it is anything but good. By leaving the universities and entering into society, college graduates have nowhere to go but down. Graduates should be greeted with immense opportunities and job possibilities, but instead they are faced with unemployment or becoming employed in a field that they did not specialize in. While appreciating a work in 1^st function form is refreshing, the 2^nd function within this work was dominant.

   The experience I had while viewing this work stirred up a variety of emotions. I was relieved that this issue of college and society was being addressed artistically, but on the opposite end, I was upset because it is a pressing issue. I believe González’s intention was for viewers to become upset with how the system works in North America. The artist wanted to remove the dolls head and paint on the bloody flesh and vertebrae to show the brutality of our reality. Instead of simply stating what is wrong with higher education, González responded to the issue in an imaginative way that jolts viewers into facing the reality. La Graduita can fall under multiple categories of Dennis Dutton’s universal signatures. Novelty, creativity and imaginative experience because of the imaginative way the artist spoke about a serious issue through a small sculpture. Strongly depicted within the art is the universal signature of representation - the setbacks that this generation’s college graduates are ultimately destined to face, and the intellectual challenge of how do we change things for the better.

   While looking at the exhibit as a whole, it is clear that the issues behind all the works were from a South American cultural point of view. The stereotypes and classifications that the North American culture puts on other cultures is made fun of and questioned throughout this exhibit. Máximo González could have possibly created La Graduita in response to how the education system in North America confides or maybe oppresses students of different nationalities. As a person born in North America this artwork spoke to me as an individual, not regarding any of my cultural categories. La Graduita is not focused to a specific group or person, but speaks universally to people.

Hubbard Street Dance: Response

On Thursday January 29, 2015 at 8pm, Hubbard Street Dance of Chicago took the stage at the Bass Concert Hall located in Austin, Texas. Hubbard Street performed five works including Jiri Kylian’s Falling Angels. Falling Angels use of repetition was pushed past appealing and into dissonance. Repetition is a useful choreographic tool that choreographers use to repeat a special moment or an interesting movement. This captures audience’s attention and gives them the opportunity to witness the moment again. When repetition appears to be the only tool used, or is prominently used, the piece of work becomes monotonous. As an audience member I was observing and analyzing the structure of the work, but the work was completely overshadowed by repetition. Within creating art, artists often try to explore new mediums, themes, and approaches to the creative process. It was prominent within this work that Jiri Kylian was using this one single choreographic tool as the basis of the dance. I appreciate and respect the bravery he had to ultimately go against the rules. In school we are taught, as choreographers, how to choreograph including the use of all the tools. Within choreography lessons it is taught that these tools help grow dance works and avoid works becoming mundane. It was a bold move on Jiri Kylian’s part to, instead of using all the tools, to only focus on repetition. Though he was bold and brave, it quickly became stale. The repetitious quality made the work seem interminable.

            

April 14th

I have decided to take a different direction...

All through college I have been studying dance and dance and more dance. Every aspect of dance that you could think of. I have changed my mind about 5 times since I have started college. But these changes of mind that I am going through are not me being indecisive. It is me growing and discovering that there is more out there and learning about the things that click with me. 

The things that I know I love and connect with are: Isadora Duncan, Dance Kinesiology, Dance History, and World Cultural Dances. While being in college I have discovered these 4 areas that I excel at and enjoy doing. I love dancing the Duncan technique and I love trying and dancing different cultures dances. I also love reading and learning about the history of dance, as I am currently reading Isadora Duncan's autobiography. And kinesiology, has been a number one love for me. Discovering these things has really given me the opportunity to hone my career and life goals.

I am going to continue my research and discovering within these aspects and create more within the dance community. 

Contact Improvisation

Let's discuss Contact Improvisation. I have been meaning to write this post ever since I took this specific master class but haven't found the time. I took a 6 hour long master class on contact improvisation. Now first let me say that I recently fell in love with improvisation overall in the past few months. I had finally found something that I really loved and felt comfortable in. This changed everything that I wanted to do in my career. I then discovered contact improvisation which again changed my world. I wanted to begin to study that even more. I finally found a master class to attend and it was on a Saturday from 11 - 4. I was extremely excited because I felt I had so much to offer and learn. (Back story: I have never really liked being touched by people, it has always bothered me. And this was a leap for me). I had an 'ok' experience in this class. It was the kind of experience that made me question my love for improvisation and contact. Still a month later I am shaken by that experience.

At the beginning of the class it was a lot of fun and I was experiencing a lot of things. But as it went on and I had to partner with other people that I did not know. Sometimes for me I am okay with this, but other times I am very uncomfortable. The first lady that I partnered with I felt she was treating me as a child and was trying to teach me instead of dance with me. These kind of things makes me feel inferior and I get agitated and upset. From that point I kind of couldn't wait for it to be over. When partnering with someone that I do not know I feel that I must have a connection with them. If I feel no connection I will shut down. I have started to realize these things around and analyze why I am feeling such ways and what is happening. I observed in myself that I had few connections in the room. This thought in itself is unsettling. I had another moment dancing with someone else where I felt they too were also trying to guide me and teach me themselves instead of dancing. This experience of people treating me this way was frustrating. I have noticed in my personality that I have strong opinions and strong feelings. I have gotten in touch with these things so I can know myself better. In a more defensive way, I don't like to take shit from anybody. This is exactly how I felt when these older ladies were trying to teach me.

The last thing that happened was I had decided to pull myself out of the class and just observe for the last hour or so. After so much touching and frustration I was exhausted. There does come a point sometimes in contact improv that you are just overly sensitive from the contact. I was at that point. The teacher was facilitating a cool down with partners where you lightly massage them. The teacher came over to me and asked if I wanted to participate. Not knowing exactly how I felt at that moment I told him, very unsure of myself, that I did not know. He immediately said back to me, "well it is a yes or a no. So do you or don't you." This sent me over the edge. I felt that from a teacher stand point he should not have back fired at more or talked to me in that way. As a teacher he should have been able to tell that I was uncomfortable and unsure. From there he should have made the decision for me that it was best I sit out or try to talk to me in a more friendly way to help me participate. In the end I tried to do the cool down but as I laid on the ground my head began to spin and I almost passed out. Thus I jumped up and ran out of the studio. I am still thoroughly embarrassed about this but I didn't have time to connect with my feelings at that moment.

Isadora Duncan

My latest adventure has been studying the Isadora Duncan dance technique. I am currently studying under one of my teachers who is a 4th generation certified Duncan Dancer. Needless to say, I am putting "Dance with the Duncan Foundation" at the top of my list of things to do in my career. I had already planned to eventually (hopefully in a year) move to New York. As of right now I will try to get in with the foundation by either work-study or an internship and hopefully be offered a spot in the company. Now I am prepared for this not to be a lifetime thing, as I would love to go on and teach at a university. But finding a few specific style of dances to focus all my attention on and study is what I want to do. I do not just want to flounder around in the dance world doing small, basic things. I need to find bigger things to study. The Duncan technique is going to be one of those big things.

I am currently reading Isadora's autobiography because when I study something I want to fully study it, not just half way. I want to know where she came from and how she got there. It is safe to say that Isadora was very colorful in her life. She was free and did exactly what she wanted. The things that I myself am taking hold of. She wrote her whole book in 6 months and was drunk the whole time. She drank when she wanted, dance when she wanted, and made love when she wanted. She had many lovers throughout her life and even had two children who had different dads. The most important thing I have learned so far is her association with herself to Aphrodite. She says she was born under the stars of Aphrodite and that's where she dances from.

This picture is not of Isadora herself but of someone dancing her technique. I chose this picture because this pose is my ultimate favorite in her work. It is a high release with an attitude. I personally have troubles with this pose sometimes because it looks more difficult than you would think. From the picture it is observed that her pelvis is in line and not tilted to the back. Naturally any dancer doing this move will try and lift their attitude as high as possible and tilt their pelvis back. I personally do this myself. It is hard to try the body to be moving and leaping into the position but not tilt the pelvis. All the while this high release in the upper body. All of her work is about releasing the sternum and lifting the sternum. This too is a struggle. To obtain this kind of technique it is best to be using imagery within your own body.

Textures

In my composition class we have started working with textures in choreography. Mostly taking a lot of things from the Laban and Bartienoff Method. We were told to find some textured images and create a phrase from them. We had to have a movement that was light, lighter, lightest and then strong, stronger, strongest. I chose water from a pool, a sponge type creature, and cracked concrete. Using the pool image was a lot easier for me because I am better with flowy movements. I used this for my light action and did a wave action with my arms. I would send my arms up to the sky to show lightness and then immediately dropped. I didn't focus so much on the sponge texture but the shaping. I just made an abstract circle shape with my hands. This shaped went up above my head in an over-curve and then pushed to the side. I was told by my teacher that I needed to focus on passive weight and using heavy movements. I took a wide second position and tried to drop all my weight down and let go of my head and arms. Doing this passive weight was different for me but I really liked how it felt on my body. I don't normally do this type of movement naturally but I am going to begin to focus more on it. I had some trouble choreographing this because I didn't have a certain image in my mind and I had to go back to the body images that I chose to continue choreographing. I made this second solo a continuing piece of the first solo. I implemented the same motifs and feeling. I have been thinking lately what kind of music I might put with this dance and I would like something instrumental and dark. I can see this piece as a solo but maybe with more work can turn into a duet or trio or even larger. Following this solo that I performed for my class they all analyzed me and said what my aesthetics were and my habits. A post about this will follow soon.

Performance Critique

This past Thursday, the 13th, I attended the first dance performance of the semester. This performance was put on by the Orchesis Dance Company, which is a student led modern company here at Texas State. I also attended their show last spring and was very impressed with it. I remember last year that the style of dancing that they were doing was exactly what I wanted to do. Well, a lot has changed over the year. Going into this performance I decided I wanted to watch it from a critique point of view, instead of just watching to enjoy it. I did this being I have friends in the company who wanted my honest opinion and because I am currently in a choreography class so I wanted to use some of the aspects that I've learned to try and properly critique. Watching a performance from this perspective was an eye opener. Not only did I really love critiquing it but I also learned that my dance style preferences has changed completely.
So this performance was pretty short, only an hour and a half. And overall I was artistically unsatisfied with it. Some of the dances were aesthetically pleasing though. I wrote notes in my program on every piece and I pretty much wrote the same key words on every piece. From the very first dance I felt like I was watching a high school drill teams Spring Show. Spring shows are not a bad form of dancing but it is usually only nice to watch this style when it is actually on a high school drill team. Spring shows are aesthetically pleasing and have really cool tricks and what not, but to watch this on a college based modern company, is a bit disappointing.
Another huge thing that I noticed was the same motifs were being used for every dance. I also felt like every dance was the same except the movements were just rearranged. I'm not sure how many times I saw a hand rise up with fingers spread open. I very classic So You Think You Can Dance, contemporary, move. Which is a move a saw in 75% of the pieces, if not every one. Which brings me to another point is that every dance looked like it belonged on SYTYCD. Not that this show is bad, but the dances on there are very contemporary and pretty much the same. This company is suppose to be modern and I'm not sure I saw any of that in this show.
I have recently started hating dance performances that use songs with lyrics in them. Sometimes using this kind of music can be very beneficial to the piece in the right setting. But for this show I really hated it. When using popular music, with lyrics, people tend to choreograph the dance to those lyrics. This is also kind of a drill team thing to do and less of an artistic statement. I personally use to love doing that typing of choreography and I am even still guilty of hearing a real popular song and imaging a dance with it. But when I actually watched it on a stage, I now understand why my choreography teacher said it isn't very artistic and should not be done. And I did see this in almost every dance they performed. Movements that matched the lyrics perfectly, they might as well have been acting the song out.
Which brings me to the point of organic movement. In class our teachers are always encouraging us to stay away from the unoriginal movements and find something organic. And me, who is focusing on studying improvisation, is always trying to find the organic movements on myself and others. And to be straight to the point I saw no organic movements in this whole performance.

This whole critique was based from my point of view and from what I am currently learning in school. Yes, I do realize that I may be critiquing from a bias point of view but to be completely unbias about something is near to impossible to do. I was trying to be as unbias as I could. This critique is a study for myself and was not meant to offend any of the artists or performers in the show.

Phrase Study

This past week in my composition II class we were studying phrasing, and how to choreograph a phrase. Our assignment was to visit the gallery on campus and find inspiration for the phrase and choreograph from that. I had recently learned that it was a lot easier to choreograph when you had a shape or mood to start with. The Gestault of choreographing has almost helped me immensely. The Gestault method has actually changed how it think about choreographing in general, and is truly amazing. 

When I went to the gallery I chose an installation, and panoramic narrative, by Deb Sokolow. 

This appears to be two dead bodies that are covered by black table cloths. When I first entered the gallery these bodies were the first things I saw. My initial reaction was fear, lots of fear. After about fifteen minutes in the gallery I was less afraid, but still pretty afraid, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to use the bodies as my inspiration and shaping. I also based my mood of my phrase off fear.

I started off my phrase laying on the floor, exactly like that bodies, used breathing to pull myself up. For the beginning of my phrase I was remaining very grounded and creating tension. In my climax I used more lighter movements and sudden changes, to make it seem like I was coming out of the fear. But right after the climax I fall right back down. I retro graded my beginning to get back on the floor. 

My teacher and class loved the phrase. She said it looked like real choreography and my peers told me that this was something I could create a full solo with. So I do hope to be able to continue with this and maybe expand on it more.

This art piece is by Deb Sokolow : All Your Vulnerablities Will Be Assessed

At the Texas State University Gallery 2.