Next Projekt
I have a few new projects in the works, at different stages of creation. They are moving forward simultaneously, which is a new development for me. It is all because time has allowed it… thank you Corona virus!
With Light Art Dance we will have a performance on the 3rd and 4th of October at the Kulturforum in Wiesbaden. The concept for the new piece has been developed over many months and most of the choreography is finished. It has been a fantastic process for me, pulling together many thoughts and ideas around the theme emotions, to present in a dance piece. They are ideas I have been working on over the last year and the process of creating and focusing has grown grown them even more. The great thing about a performance is always to express the work that I and the dancers have done.
Emotions - they make up such a large part of who we are and how we approach life. Even the short moments influence us profoundly in how we think and act. They are our “caveman” response. Emotions defined are physical reactions and expression inside of our body. Linking this to dance is personally very deep because through dance we express ourselves and our thoughts physically, reflecting on who we are and how we are in that moment.
There are so many different emotions that we experience, that in the creation process and for sake of clarity, I had to I had to narrow them down to a smaller more manageable amount. The eight basic emotions defined by Robert Plutcik as I have previously written about in this blog have been taken as a basis. The 8 emotions are are universal, experienced by all people of different cultures and in theory recognisable to all. Their beauty is also in how they connect and combine to create complexity. Just as we are complex in our being, so are the emotions we experience.
In drawing parallels, the importance of emotions is well known. Advertisers realise that most often the reason why we buy a product is the way it makes us feel. Hollywood its has the emotional pathos that draws us to films especially those which incite emotional responses inside of us with highs and lows. Intrigue is also created by connecting us emotionally to characters, leaving us wanting to learn even more about them and their lives. Instant gratification in Social Media uses emotion to entangle us and incite response often inciting emotions such as envy and outrage. This is much deeper and perhaps a theme for another post, suffice to say that there is plenty of emotion involved!
A piece about a single basic emotion would be interesting in itself, but lack any dramaturgical impact. What is needed is contrast. In exploring ideas that use basic emotions combined, I have found much more interesting forms of expression and ways to create dance.
To create a piece of dance I am looking firstly at the theme, finding a piece of music that expresses this theme and then filling in the music with choreography to represent the idea. Coherency is key, that every ingredient connects and supports each other.
The music that inspired me to create this time has been pop music. There is something emotional to pop music that is much more common and easier to relate to. Yes, a great piece of classical music is extremely powerful and emotive, but I think the reason why I chose pop music was it’s relatability. It is something that surrounds us in our daily lives, whether jingles in advertisements, streaming music services, radio and television or background music in a shop or restaurant, it is always not too far away.
To form the basis of the choreography, through my classes, I have been working on how movement and emotion connect. Emotions are physical reactions, so there is a natural connection to expression there. Each person has a slightly different form of expression making us unique, but there are a lot of generalisations that we can reach in analysing the movement. Using Laban Movement Analysis has helped to distinguish and define typical types of movement that each emotion has. The research I have done has been focused on using authentic expression - connection to an emotion through conscious focus on memories, images, sounds etc. Then it is a process of allowing the body move in its own way through following internal impulses relating to the feeling involved. It’s a process that has been deeply engrossing. Through it I have learned much about the depth that dance has.
More to about the piece itself to follow…