Choreography Day #1

So I began the journey into new artistic territory yesterday when I stepped into the studio with Blaine to begin choreographing my first piece. I guess this can't officially be my first work, seeing I was doing Star Wars ballets in my basement by the time I was 10. But you know those Montana audiences, so fickle, I won't even put it on my resume.

I had gone in with a slight idea of what I wanted to do, but just like when I first began teaching class (also in Montana) I didn't really know how to assert myself or even what I would be like in the studio. It is much different dancing around your apartment with Vivaldi pumping and movement just running through your head rather than having to actually instruct someone else on those ideas. Blaine was amazing, and game for it even as I continuously apologized. I, like in my writing, quickly saw that I need to stop apologizing anytime I am not just throwing something out there. I will have times especially at the beginning where I need to struggle through it. All in all I managed to get about forty seconds done. Not a huge accomplishment but its a start. I am not exactly elated about what I have so far but I can always go back and change it. I am working on a duet that I am attempting to have reflect the push and pull of a relationship. It is with two men, so it could be taken as friendship, lovers, or strangers. Physically I am trying to work with magnetism towards each other versus repelling away from each other. Mapping that out in the space is a challenge and I don't want to get too repetitive with it.

One of the hardest things for me on this first day was trying to figure out transitions. I have constantly found that the difference between good choreography and great choreography is in the transitions from step to step. It is such a challenge to not look like a game of connect the dots, but instead like it all just came out in one stroke.

The music I have picked so far is three Vivaldi pieces. All very short in length and this male duet will fit somewhere in the middle. Frantic music (for lack of a better description) seems to prompt frantic choreography. I need to learn how to let it breathe through the music and not feel the need to Mark Morris it by transposing the score into movement. Not every note needs to have a movement. Will this ever end up coming together? Only time will tell.....
I'll keep ya posted.