Choreography

Making Choreographic Conversation

For a dancer, composition is essential. It organizes the work and thought process of a piece to have a direct story to tell. In taking this composition course, I have learned and observed several concepts that have allowed me to acquire a clearer understanding to trust the process when constructing work. Various aspects of creating work such as musicality and movement quality play vital roles in overall conveyance of a narrative. In learning these, they have all served as beneficial mechanisms to richen and enhance my choreography and its development. What has been immensely rewarding is seeing several course concepts being addressed in several professional works. In the viewing of A Love Supreme, Minus 16, and An Answerless Riddle this semester, choreographic tools illustrated musicality, accumulation, and movement quality in a strong manner that allowed their pieces to have strong and clear objective purpose presented to their audiences.

A Love Supreme, choreographed by Salva Sanchis and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, embodied numerous approaches to musicality that have been addressed in our course. This piece paid homage to, the iconic album by American jazz musician John Coltrane, A Love Supreme. To me, this piece was depicting the album structurally. In doing so, it set an obvious emphasis and appreciation for the album’s rich instrumentation. Each performer portrayed a musical instrument audible in the album: the saxophone, drums, piano and bass. The distinct variety of each instrument created an apparent division in the way each dancer portrayed themselves. Varying in solos and group work, each performer articulated Coltrane’s music on a more individual level. A Love Supreme in many ways was a physical representation of our class’ discussion on the relationship between music and movement. The performers instinctual response to each instrument, encompassed the essence of Coltrane’s work through dynamic, textural movement. Surprising moments of duets and trios simultaneously demonstrated commonality and individuality.  In addition, the performers specifically showcased the concepts we explored concerning generating movement to metered time. Choices made by the performers involved going with and against the music, welcoming several moments of surprise and physical variety. This  piece had a way of presenting movement diversity through the articulation of various musical subdivision. This was a concept we thoroughly explored in class with our 3/4 and 5/8 time studies. In watching this piece, I felt thoroughly fulfilled. The performative investment showcased by the performers, blurred their identity from individual and instrument. The fullness of the performers work, individually and cohesively. demonstrated the vitality and iconic nature of the album. In viewing  A Love Supreme, I was reminded of the grand significance of Coltrane’s work. Being able to see four male dancers move independently to the musical composition of this work, I couldn’t help but find appreciation not only for the multifaceted nature of this album but the multifaceted nature of Coltrane himself.

           Another performance that exhibited the concepts we explored in class was Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16, in Parallel Connections. Minus 16, a groundbreaking as well as controversial piece, addressed the rejection of religion while incorporating traditional Israeli culture. One section in particular that particularly stood out to me was the infamous chair section. There was something that created a  gut clenching feeling for me when watching this part. This was due to the intensity of the performers, asserting their presence through yelling and the removal of their clothes. Nineteen dancers, sitting in chairs, form a uniformed semi-circle in the entirety of the stage. Accompanied by vivid music, the dancers move in and out the chairs in forceful unison. Looking at Minus 16 from a compositional standpoint, the choreographic concept of accumulation is extremely effective and compelling. Accumulation was a concept we thoroughly explored in class that served as a tool for the reiteration of the essence of a specific section. In Minus 16, the accumulation of the dancers physicality addressed commonality as well as variation, allowing fleeting moments of seeing the individual. The accumulation of the chair section served to emphasize the task oriented process of getting in and out of the chair. This placed the focus on completed said task, in addition to the visually pleasing movement. I was able to take a lot from watching this one section. Even though it was broken into multiple sections, it amazing to see the grand impact that one choreographic concept can have on an entire piece of work.

An Answerless Riddle, choreographed by Eddie Taketa, exhibited the nature of the 3/4 time assignment we completed in class. The piece encapsulated the wispy essence of the supernatural, as the dancers flew throughout the entire stage. As a viewer, the effortless trajectory of the dancers resembled that of a gentle breeze. It was completely memorizing to see the dancers move in a natural flow of connected energy. Soaring through the space, the dancers appeared to never forcibly move through space. Rather, it appeared as though the dancers were simply riding the sensation of the movement. This was shown through indulgent turns, followed with luxurious leaps across the stage, allowed for the continuation and spilling of one movement into another. The combination of all these factors of the dance together reminded me of the effort qualities we were tasked with in our 3/4 time assignment. The continuous use of momentum granted the audience to get swept into the ceaseless ascension of the piece. Demonstrating light, sustained and free effort qualities, the entirety of Taketa’s work illustrated the nature of riding the music. As this piece reminded me of the indulgent movement quality we have studied and practiced in class, it was remarkable to see this concept connect in becoming the overall tone of the work. As opposed to examining and observing this movement quality on a soloist, it transposed on an entire task allowed the quality of indulgent momentum to be immense.

All in all, the viewing of various choreographic concepts we have studied in this course in professional works serves as inspiration of my own work. I have learned that a work doesn’t require the constant introduction of new material. Movement can return frequently and be manipulated to fit within a qualitative frame. This course has also introduced, what appears to be, endless possibilities in which a work can be constructed. I’ve found this course to challenge me to think beyond the notion of simply generating material. Considering space, time, and quality have all been concepts I have never previously thought of. In considering the qualitative dynamics like choreographic structure and musicality, I have noticed an enveloped nature of my past studies.  As I hope to continue exploring means of choreographing and constructing works, I find myself paying close attention to the various ways in which choreographic concepts can place impotence and grant a holistic nature to a piece. I’ve realized that the nature of the piece can’t always be initially found when creating work, but in the end, it’s primarily about the trust that you have in your own process to find it in your work, whether it be part of a piece or the entire performance. Those impacts it can have on the performance can ultimately both be equivalent.