Choreography showing and peer feedback

I performed the first three minutes of my choreography to an audience of my peers. The performance served several purposes which will aid my choreographic process and progress/development.

Erin Taylor 3 minutes of choreo part 1 : https://youtu.be/MNXq74thMKA 

Erin Taylor 3 minutes of choreo part 2: https://youtu.be/lhNlrXhq8ps

 To receive feedback and ask questions, following Liz Lerman’s critical response process

·       To allow me to perform to an audience.

·       To experience how it felt to dance my piece in the studio

·       To question if it embodied my intentions: (movement for its own sake, building through addition, fluidity, tension, energy, rhythm)

·       To question if the choreography utilised the spaced, varied the dynamics, was impactful and contrasting

·       To question the impact of my music on an audience and how it felt to dance to and the mood it created

·       To question if the choreographic methods I used were effective: (repetition, accumulation, physical thinking)

We used Liz Lerman’s critical response process which creates an environment where direct suggestions for change in the choreography is not encouraged. Instead responses from the audience that can be interpreted by me are given, to inform my own choreographic process. Her process allows for my voice to continue to evolve rather than it becoming a collaboration with others. It keeps me in control of my choreography and the choices I want to make. I found the process rewarding as observations were made rather than direct likes or dislikes. I came away inspired by the audience’s input. The process felt more encouraging, rather than critical and produced topics for self -evaluation. 

My questions and responses:

Q. Would you be able to give me one word to describe what you have just seen – in terms of movement.

A. Dynamic, Fluctuation, Intriguing, Expressive.

Q. How did the silence make you feel?

A. Made the movement more impactful as the focus was entirely on the dance. Worked really well with the movements and got the intention across. Intense, sharp build up, suspense.

Questions from the audience:

Q. What inspired your music choice?

A. I wanted something with a pulsating rhythm, without words and not too orchestral.

Q. What was the purpose of the clap?

A. Like a starting gun, it marked the beginning and caught the audience’s attention abruptly.

Audience observation/statements of meaning:

·       There was a purpose behind each movement.

·       Looked like everything meant something

·       Telling a story rather than just moving

·       Movements sometimes fluid, sometimes sharp, on the beat

·       Sometimes upper and lower body did opposite which was effective

·       May not have understood but wanted to see the rest of the dance

·       Wouldn’t think to use a clap and make a noise myself

The feedback and responses I received have enabled me to reflect and assess my choreographic piece so far, clarifying that my overall intentions were clear and that my movement was also clean and precise.

The audience were able to appreciate my movement and although I felt that I had choreographed contrasting separate phrases of fluid and more rigid/mechanical movement, I was pleased to hear that at times it had appeared my body moved in both ways at once. I think this reflects my music choices as they contain a variety of sounds. I would like to use my body more in this way as I want to portray the idea of contrast as well as forces working together, building to become one movement, one resulting energy.

When performing my piece, it was clear I needed more guidance in the beginning silence. I really wanted there to be no music at the start and am reluctant to add in noise, however I now realise I need some form of prompting in my lack of music otherwise I am likely to miss the beginning beats of when my first piece of music begins. I like the idea of having an outdoor atmosphere, where you hardly notice the incidental noise of a car passing or a plane overhead.

When I began choreographing, I set out to start from nothing, a silence. I wanted my movement to be the focus. When questioned about the addition of the hand clap at the beginning of my piece I realised it was almost as if I was telling the audience to pay attention. My idea stemmed from the original butterfly effect stimuli and capturing a butterfly in my hands and maybe its wing clap, the noise exaggerated.

The word, fluctuating resonated with me as it is how I see my choreographic piece progressing and my interpretation of the butterfly effect. I do not see it as a linear process. If I think about the path of a butterfly, the air travelling from its wing and its path across the sky, I imagine it with interruptions, with passages of slow and fast, with ups and downs and a path that you cannot predict. I would like my dynamics to continue to be clear and varied to highlight the uncertainty of the path taken. I believe I can emphasise and make the different dynamics more apparent.

In practical terms, the process of performing showed me that I started too far away from the audience and although I feel my piece travels well across the stage, it did not move forwards enough. I also felt that incorporating a wider variety of levels, utilising more floorwork would help show the undulating path of the butterfly. It will also give me an opportunity to show a wider variety of my bodies capability.

Although at this early stage in the choreography I have not developed my interaction with the audience by watching the video of my performance back it allowed me to see the importance of including the audience, drawing them in by using my head to finish moves, making them clean and precise adding in eye contact and using facial expressions to portray my stimuli.

Below are some stills taken from my video of my choreography so far. They show clear movement and precision however my face cannot be seen and I would like to adapt these movements to bring more emotion and connect with the audience. 

Reverences

L.Lerman,J.Borstel, 2003, Liz Lerman's Critical Response Process, Dance Exchange, Takoma Park, MD