The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" (circular dance, see choreia) and "γραφή" (writing). A choreographer is one who creates choreographies.

Week 14 Dancer rejection of piece/Kelly's piece/ Torense's piece

http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/751666/an-open-letter-from-a-dancer-who-refused-to-participate-in-marina-abramovic's-moca-performance

Sara Wookey (dancer rejected the offer to perform with Abramovic at MOCA's gala):

Wither's says, "I want to suggest another mode of thinking: When we, as artists, accept or reject work, when we participate in the making of a work, even (or perhaps especially) when it is not our own, we contribute to the establishment of standards and precedents for our cohort and all who will come after us."

There is always so much angst for the dancers that are rejected time and time again at auditions.  I'm curious why it is such a huge deal that this dancer rejected this choreographer.  The working environment did not suit her comfort level period.  Seems like a respectable decision to me.  Seems odd she even needs to explain herself.  Just because you have a big name, and are a piece of history doesn't mean the dancer has to bow down to you.  I've done my sharing of bowing down and regretted it each time.  No more bowing down.  Perhaps it used to be ok to treat dancers like dirt, but i would never agree to do that piece, no matter who the artists was.

 http://vimeo.com/33440443
Kelly's choreographic work

Red lit dancers in black maneuver slowly, very slowly through a vacant bar. Vacant in liveliness, but not texture, the dancers moved with butoh stillness, enough for audience's muscles and eyes to rest, and their curiosity to dance.

http://www.youtube.com/user/41TLJ?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/9zuJ3uaG-Ns

Torense's aesthetic piece

This specifically site specific piece exemplified the psychological space that can occur between two lovers in a relationship. By literally seeing the distance between these two dancers in this outside roman amphitheater staircase at Anne Arundel Community College, one felt the miles it takes to keep a relationship close.

Week 13 Smile America/Mare Heronimus/Abrams Article

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwEctagduKY
I can't believe that was me almost 20 years ago.  I think I want to cut my hair again.

Strong choreogrpahy: lifts, flips, throws, the constant weaving, braiding through space.  This trio created a whirl pool of energy, phyiscally and visually stimulating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1Sbmt0xuOw

Something happens when we watch dance, when we allow ourselves to watch dance.  Our centers relax, our mind quiets, we feel the breath of the dancer through our lungs. For a moment we are dancing with them, sharing their heart.  If only the world would allow themselves to watch more dance.  Peace in the world would come.

What Should a Dance Critic Talk About When She Talks About Dance?

 November 15, 2011

Editor’s note: A shorter version of this article initially appeared in Washington City Paper on Oct. 21, 2011. 

 By Amanda Abrams

 What is the role of a dance critic?

 

Wow, what a great review. How brave the journalist was to take on the Pulitzer Prize winner in dance writing, challenging Sarah Kaufman to admit her disinterest in the field. Thank goodness there is someone like Abrams out there paying attention, passionately defending the need for the chronicling of new, contemporary/modern dance. 

Aesthetics Identity Flyer and Script

http://vimeo.com/32934900

Below is the Identity Flyer I made and distributed via email to friends.

IDENTITY

Who am I?

What are my fears?

What do I love?

Who loves me?

What makes me who I am?

This 10 minute improvisation explores our inner thoughts about our sense of self through text and movement.

When: Nov. 27, 2011 1:30pm and 2pm

Where: Outside of Down Dog Yoga Studio in Georgetown.

Who: Jen Stone, Asher Gelman, Megan Thompson.

1046 Potomac Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007

The studio is located off of M St. Potomac St. runs along the right side of Dean & Deluca. Down Dog Georgetown is the last building on the right just before Potomac St. meets the canal.  Parking Information: In Georgetown, there is plenty of street parking in neighborhood as well as parking garages and lots. The Colonial Parking Garages on the corner of Water and Potomac Streets and elsewhere in Georgetown offer a discounted $10 flat rate after 5 pm weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday.

Title: IDENTITY

Intention: We are our thoughts.  This performance explores through text and movement our inner thoughts.  By answering questions posed by the performers, verbally and physically, and by listening and reacting to the other performers’ answers, the performers themselves will delve into the idea of what it is to be them, confronting their identity.   

These are the questions that were asked of the dancers and the audience during this piece.  The questions came from my stream of concious ideas on Identity.  These were all questions that I came up with that personally made me dig into my personal sence of self.

IDENTITY

1) Please state your Name, Occupation and Intention.

2) Please describe yourself.

3) Who do you love?

4) What or who do you fear?

5) What is your skill set?

6) What are you lacking?

7) Please state your magical name?

8) What do you want to be when you grow up?

Objects and tools needed:

 1 )Three dancers, doesn’t matter female or male, but a mixed group is best. 

2 )Three gray or white tee-shirts with one word on them each.  WHO, AM, I. 

3) A lab coat

4) clip board with attached pen

5) Sign announcing the title on poster or wooden board

Description:  The three dancers in shirts with lables WHO AM I stand in a horizontal line in front of a found audience.  After a moment they begin to move backwards and forwards, toward and away from the audience.  In time one dancer races up the lab coat which is placed at the downstage left corner of the space.  The other dancers make their way to the back of the space. The dancer puts on the lab coat and picks up the clip board. Then the dancer reads off one of the questions on the clip board in no particular order.  The other dancers one at a time dance or walk forward answering the questions asked.  This repeats with more questions being asked until one of the dancer replaces the one with the clip board.  The same process continues, questions being asked, answered in text and movement.  The piece ends when the dancers all come to stillness.

Where it is to be performed:  I had wanted it performed out side of a yoga studio because I believe yogis are on a path of self awareness and therefore might find interest in this idea of Identity.  I also being a yoga teacher felt like this could be gift from me to other yogis. Outside of Down Dog Yoga Center in George Town there is a safe place to perform,  a place to sit where audience and performers do not need to worry about cars.  Here is a letter I sent to the Down Dog Yoga Studio.  The plan was to perform outside of this studio after classes let out.  Traditionally students sit outside cooling off after a hot class.

Hello,

I’m a dance artist in the area as well as a yoga teacher.  Check out the announcement below.  I thought where else should I perform a dance piece on Identity, but outside a yoga studio where self-awareness is being practiced.  It would be great if you posted the attachment at your studio.  But either way poke your head out at 1:30pm and 2pm this coming Sunday and check us out.

Thanks,

Jen Stone

Evaluation: 

What happened:

 When we arrived at the site I looked around at other site options then my first intention outside the yoga studio, but still in the general area where the yogis could see us. We decided to perform it where I had originally thought, facing the yoga studio.  However, when the time came that students were to be coming out of the class no one but the manager walked out. "I must have looked at the times wrong I told her." It was true, my audience that I was counting on, was not coming out. Luckily I had always thought the first performance would be down by the studio and the second one would be up closer to the road, all very close together, so any other outside people that received my invite would easily find us. As it was no one else turned up for the show for the first time slot, except my professor. She suggested we perform it in front of the seated Dean and De'Lucca people sitting outside on the tables. Having seen that space before I decided this would be better than my other idea of up near the street. So we moved to that space.

This Identity Project is and never was a piece about a space. It was about an idea of expressing human thoughts as honestly as one could in the moment. So luckily changing the space had little effect on the piece itself. The first performance was thoughtful and introspective, but dragged on a bit. However, I appreciated the openness of the performers and realized when performers slow their physical movement sometimes this enables a more open performance quality. The second performance I added back the urgency of the running and speed, as well as tuned into the other dancers more and limited the size of the space. This urgency gave the piece a sense of importance and immediacy which I liked. The defined smaller space also kept the dancers closer together which then in turn made tuning into each other easier.

Individually Lori as a performer was very open and clear, she spoke authentically about her internal thoughts and seemed open to being in the moment. Her introspective thoughts, however, needed to be spoken slightly louder to be heard in this space. Asher I felt took a more false identity approach to the performance which I had allowed. I appreciated his strong energy and his loud voice. After the second performance when he repeated an answer from the first performance I realized my interest for this piece is to truly be in the moment versus repeating an answer that “worked” earlier. However, the skill to truly be in the moment for some can be extremely difficult. But with exercises to increase people's ability to be in the moment, it can and does happen and is something I would focus on prior to the performance next time.

For me I was interested in people's honest responses, and Asher's first response as a banker was honest in the fact that he was honestly hiding something by telling the world he was a banker. My allowing for the false identities was on purpose. I feel often when people are pressured to speak the truth they “get stuck”, so allowing an open door to their imagination was a way to keep the performers freely associating and open. Our identities are based on our thoughts and what happens in our heads is what makes us happy or miserable in our life, whether or not what is in our head is based on actual truth.  I am interested in people’s approach to identifying themselves.

We didn’t this time, but after performing again with a new cast I would like to discuss the “questions” with the performers. I like the improvisational aspect of the performers being asked the questions for the first time while performing.  Perhaps a way to make this more of a democratic process is to have the performers write down on the clipboard three questions they would like to ask without anyone seeing them beforehand. 

The clip board character was created because in order for myself to be truly in the moment I needed to not have to hold onto these particular quesitons in my mind.   I constructed a clip board lab coat person that would have the questions on the clip board for us to freely read when we were ready to take over that position.  I as a performer thouroughly enjoyed the lab coat position. It was a position of power, of control, of a non revealing character.  A safe position.  I enjoyed playing with the audience, speaking to the audience directly as well as speaking directly to the dancers. I questioned how far I could push the dancers in the position.  I believe next time I would aim for this piece to be 20 minutes long so more development of the relationshiop of the lab coat person and the dancers could be established.  The lab coat person could be an open minded scientists, an all knowing doctor, or someone as powerful as one who decides who gets an donor organ first.  The role of that character needs time to develop in each of our dancers minds.  If worked on again I would talk to the performers about that role.  Who is that role in their life.  How does it feel to be in that role.  What is the responsiblity of that role and how does that role show respect.   This role is in its infant form, but I'm very attracted to how it could develop.  Even perhaps as someone walking around into the audience and directly asking individual audience members these same questions.  It has the potentail to really break down the third wall.

Finding an ending in silence felt arbitrary in the dance. I would like to play with finding an ending by coming to a verbal climax instead where each of the performers are speaking loudly over each other coming to a verbal climax. 

 Audience Reaction: One audience member wanted it to continue longer.  Another remembered he had always wanted to learn how to fly.  Another enjoyed watching three separate performers not trying to connect, but being content in their separate Identities.  These are all responses that made me feel positive about the work.

 Future Possibilities: I would like to take this script to different populations and perform it in different countires.  I would like to work with non/dancers on this script.  It is an easy script to learn and I think has an interesting subject.  Most of the time people enjoy listening and learning about other people  and most of the time people like talking about themselves.  The process of identifying oneself is intersting to me.

Maida's Comments about outdoor performances:

"Remember that the human voice is easily lost unless you are in an acoustical site that helps. Otherwise the voice needs to be projected in a low range so it can/will be heard or megaphone or microphone. Music/sound is a good attractor to let people know something (performance) is going to happen. You can go through the area and have a “caller” “announcer” invite people to a performance in 10 minutes, etc."

Aesthetics 10-03-11

http://english.ifactories.ru/page/conference
When I first wrote about this I was feeling very insecure as an artist. Infact I would not identify myself as an artist and therefore would not attend one of these forums. However, after my show yesterday I have a renewed sense of confidence. Lots of my art friends that I revere where I lived loved the work and found it very creative and effective.  The audience seemed to enjoy the experience, with several being moved to tears.  I suppose I can try and slowly get used to this idea of me being an artist, not just a dancer.


http://www.dancemetrodc.org/
DC Metro is a wonderful local Washington DC organization that supports local dance artists in the area, providing advertisement, annual dance award ceremonies and other forms of community sponsorship. I was saddened to see that it doesn't venture out to Loudoun Cty where I live.

Week 12 Dance Article/Maida review/video Brian Buck installation/Helanius Piece

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/performance-and-dance/2011/10/21/not-what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-dance-films/-

An upbeat preview about an evening of dance video work by Maida Wither's. Having been at the event it was interesting reading this preview. Although I enjoyed the details of Maida's personal endeavors, I was missing imagery fromthe video's.  I wonder if previewers watch the piece before they write their preview or if most of the time there is only time for a phone conversation.  I'm interested in dance writing, so I'm curious.

I wrote some descriptions of the videos...

The upscale green screen was spectacled with 70's floral prints and pinks, offsetting Tveta's melancholy face and effortless dancing; whimsical meets iron curtain as the chain crisscrosses her bouncy path.

“Tuk” was an epilogue of southwest rock and ancient blue sky with the bare boned dancers bringing to life the petroglyphs with which they danced.


Brian Buck's Installation- Too slow to keep my attention, but perhaps that was Brian's point.  The view from his double window was warm and familiar, inviting the viewer to dip their toes into their own comforting river down the road.  However, like a friend, if not paid attention to, this environment too will disappear.

Helanius’ s Piece for Choreography- Strong imagery, the almost naked boy shaking deliberately is still in my bones. "Flesh" took an idea and stuck with it throughout the piece. I can still feel the first woman's more peaceful approach, and perhaps wish there was more of that experience in this work. However, as Helanius’ s program notes state, the dancer's interest seemed to be centered around this act of discomfort, irritation, uncomfortableness. "Flesh" made me as a viewer depressed at the state of these dancers "in their own skin," and made me question what specifically is in our society that is creating such  unrest.

Blog- Artful writing

I think I just figured out what kind of writing I want for my Blog.  Read below of Helanius’ work Trigger.  This writing is what I wrote in Kate’s class.  I thought the Blog was more diary writing, notes for me as an artist to refer to later. But I appreciate both.  For now on I will write diary notes first, my intial personal response, then I'll attempt to write a more artful comment, the kind of writing one might find in a dance review.

“The dancers moved through contemporary movements without abandoning themselves. The movement was their voice, not arbitrary actions laid upon them. The intricate vocabulary brought interest beyond pedestrian, taking the audience from real to artful, adding richness for the eye.”

Final Choreographic Script-Wolf Talk

http://vimeo.com/32096438

"What an amazing show, Jen.  Thank you!  Beautifully danced....sorry for all the tears, but it was incredibly moving.  Wasn't ready for it...the ending just blew my mind.  So powerful.  ---  What a wonderful gift, to tell stories like that through movement." - audience member Debbie Rouady-


Title- "Wolf Talk"- a contemporary dance piece inspired by human's relationship with our natural world.

Intention- To share with viewers an experience of being human that is more primal than our everyday way of existing in our world. By exploring the physical qualities of dogs and wolves in movement the piece encourages the audience to feel more connected to the animal world. The text is to demonstrate the lack of connection humans are experiencing with our food chain, consequently feeling more disconnected from our natural world.

Objects and Tools Needed- One male and one female dancer, two musicians, a violin, a drum, , and an in door/ outdoor space to perform.   Branches for the indoor space.

Description- A site specific work performed at Glen Echo Park, Bumper Car Pavilion Sunday Nov 13, 2011. There will be two performances, 12:25pm and 1:55pm, directly after the two morning puppet shows at the Puppet Theatre in the park across the way.  A director of the Puppet Theatre will let audience members know there is a free, kid friendly, dance performance right after the puppet show.

Wolf sounds as well as signs placed around the park will draw the crowd to the performance space. The dancers crawl out into the space to the sounds of wolves howling.  The dancers begin to move and dance and chase, lifting and tossing eachother in a playful puppy manner.  The female gets tickeled by the male and they begin a spoken game of 20 questions about where human's food comes from. They transform into chickens and then back to wolves for a more violent toss that ends in silence.  A slow, painful crawl toward eachother begins the last section of falling, lifing and carrying.  The piece ends in a silent howl, petting the earth and eachother. A bell signifies its over.  The piece is about 15 minutes long.

Evaluation/Conclusion- It went great. I had trouble deciding if we should perform in a grassy space or the bumper car pavilion, but the musicians were pulling for the BCP because of  better acoustics.  Once I brought the branches to transform the BCP I was no longer missing the outside feeling of the grassy spot.  It worked, audience members from the puppet show, as well as other people walking around the park came.  The wolf sounds did attract people, and they were curious about what was coming .  The dance went well, different feeling each show of course, but the content and musicians were strong.  Afterward, I think I should have said something more offiical.  I wish I had planned for that.  I said thank you, and asked them to sign our mailing list, but I was a bit shy about it. Maybe I should have opened it up for question and answer?  I could tell the audience was waiting for something to be said.  Maybe just being clearer at the end about thanking them for coming out.

Reactions from audience- one friend burst into tears, my folks loved it.  The first show a kid got scared and started crying after the violent tossing moment.  My friends said I was so expressive and appreciated the emotional richness.  I think in general folks were really happy they made the trip to see it, especially all of my Bluemonters good friends, who have never seen me dance.  One friend was impressed because she had never seen me move like that.  One friend emailed me and asked why the chicken?  I explained the natural food chain idea, but it reminded me of Maida's questioning.  I'm thinking perhaps in the whole evening work it will make more since.  Again, though, questions of how now am I going to make this a part of the whole evening work.  The discussion part in the middle of this dance, maybe it needs to be more, or less...

Now I feel like I can perform out where I live.  I needed this first big show to be a little farther from home, I wasn't ready for all of my friends, yoga students etc to see me create.  But now after doing this show, I believe I can create and feel good about it.  Even if there are some things I need to work on, I'm still not quite finished with the sounding, painful solo section yet, in general it was a very successful show and all who came seemed to really appreciated it.  The musicians and dancer Brian, were  very happy to be apart of "Wolf Talk".  Thanks to my wolf Daisy for inspiring it all and for this creative process to be a healing process for me for letting her go.  I'm going to make a nice video of the dance and send it to Mission:Wolf  where she lives, and to friends that couldn't see it for a christmas present.

More thoughts a week later- I need to be careful to relax my face.  I sometime's appear to be smiling even where it is inappropriate, like it is a nervous smile or something.  I'm wondering about during the painful solo, if I should have the violinist make scratchy sounds on his violin to add or instead of my sounding.  After talking with a good friend of mine, I realizied I did miss an opportunity to educate the public in terms of discusing why I did this work and sharing my process etc.  Next time I'm going to have a question answer segment, before after, or in the middle of my show to answer folks questions if they have them.

photos by Richard L.Clark

 

Week 11 2 Video/Zap's kickstarter project video/Helanius Trigger- Dance Article Trisha Brown

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/53256689/the-unearthing
A best friend moves ahead.  Takes the next step as an artist.  Ask's the world to support her endeavors, describing finally what she has been doing, all along. Bringing together all her talents, organziations and beliefs and ask boldy, personally for their help.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/2860d6d4-0557-11e1-a3d1-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1d7HKymtN-
Trisha Brown Article
Labeling with language can limit a dance.  Leaving the dance to do the describing is better.  Meticulous unveiling, waiting for the vapor to form, having faith that something will appear.


http://www.youtube.com/user/hjwdance

Helanius, a dancer friend, a colleague in graduate school, thank you for bringing this world to my own. Beautiful and tragic. I loved the lighting effects, really creating structure and environment. I loved the sets in the background, how they changed with the lighting.


The dancers moved through contemporary movements without abandoning their own selves. The movement was their voice, not arbitrary actions laid upon them. The intricate vocabulary brought interest beyond pedestrian, taking the audience from real to artful, adding richness for the eye.

Wolf Rehearsal 10



http://vimeo.com/31728691

I watched Brian do it without me and it was great.  A great tool to use, for me as the director and for him as a dancer. 

Below is the listing of the dance for the musicians.  We spaced the dance in the sunny spot and the rainy spot at GE today.  Really fun.  Wonder if this piece is going to be toured to area schools.  Wasn't my intial intention, but it is sort of morphing into that kind of possiblity.

Gary gathered the wolf sounds from Mission:Wolf.  They are perfect.

1)  Wolf noise-turned on when puppet show's first people step out the door.

2) Brian and I (B and J) enter the space on all fours looking around.

3) Wolf sounds fade and we begin howling.  Might be that the cue for this is us getting to center center and you two fading down the music.  We'll have to see how this works.

4) We howl in silence,

5) Then begin contact improvisation (CI-the rolling around form) with your MUSIC.   this section is shorter than before. 

6) We come to standing and start pulling away from each other until we let go and begin the "physical section".

7) Physical section includes, lifting and running and lifting again until finally we do the last lift which is Brian in a handstand and I catch him and push him down.

8) We go to all fours again and walk around each other slowly, this goes into the rubbing the belly/laughing section, into talking section.

9) Talking section goes into grotesteque faces into acting like a chicken into Brian turning into a wolf and chasing me.

10) Physical section happens again, with physical lifting, chasing into us lieing on the floor panting. 

11) This next section is my solo with Brian slowly walking, we had talked about this section being in silence. I am now vocalizing here as well.

12) This section ends with Brian petting me.

13) We do contact impro again a bit to standing, I fall and he pulls me up, this happens three times, then he picks me all the way up like a baby.  He walks I fall down, he picks me back up over his shoulder twice until he lies me down. 

14) I pet the floor, I think in silence, he silently howls.  When my hand stops moving and his silent howls stops.  The piece is done and Gina rings the bell.