The Mood? Energetically Frightened.
I have an exciting announcement to make: the first performance of my choreography is happening soon! As nervous as that makes me to say it is also incredibly exciting. As some readers may know, I worked on a version of the Snow scene from Nutcracker this summer for a studio in Montana. That was my very first attempt at choreographing since I was 12, but come October, I will have my first public showing. Over the past week or so I selected a Shostakovich string quartet to use to choreograph a duet for my friend Blaine and I. This has long been one of my favorite pieces of music and I love it so much that my biggest fear is that I will not be able to do it justice. With a little over 3 weeks to get it all together in between rehearsals at ABT, I am keeping myself up at night as bolts of inspiration come my way.
A while back I had mentioned that Terry Bartlett has offered me a chance to choreograph for “Dance Off!” at P.S. 122. At first hesitant, I had a moment of “what the fuck am I thinking” clarity last week and decided to take the plunge. Even with the high probability of it being less than spectacular I at least want to give it a try. So I set my mind to work on doing something fun for Blaine and I to attempt.
Feeling like I couldn’t really make it much of a “story” in four minutes I decided to just play around with a few ideas. First and foremost, “who’s tempting who?” If relationships can be summed up as leader and follower, then who takes the role and is it always clear? By playing with the way the energy is pushed around I hope to acknowledge with this idea. Just because a person is “in front” does that mean they are the leader? Or can the leader manipulate the energy from behind? I know that all sounds a little vague.
The video above is from earlier today which was the first time Blaine and I worked on it together. Ever since we have been 14 I have enjoyed dancing with Blaine so much that I knew he was perfect to help me out with this. Having the ability to pick up and retain things better than anyone I know, Blaine learned what you are watching above in about thirty minutes or so. The beginning is a little more solid than the rest of it but you can see some of it beginning to form. There are definitely several “blank out” moments on the video but I thought it might be fun to show something that is MAJORLY in development. You lose some of it because we had no one to film it and just set the camera on the piano. The later part of the video includes some stuff with both of us that I was working on by myself today, but it will give some you ideas of what it is. Enjoy!
posted by M at 8:30 PM
3 Comments:
Matthew: somewhere through the not-too-great sound on that clip I heard the third movement of the third quartet. Great choice of music - but I have a couple of questions that have always interested me about choreographers: do you work with a score or just a recording? and is a piece of music like this, where the meters shift from duple to triple often unpredictably, more challenging to work with than a piece in more regular meter?
Thanks. If I'm available I'll try to catch your performance.
Wow! What a perceptive response! I'll do my best to answer it. It is indeed the music that you picked out, and I hope to choreograph to the entire third quartet at some point.
One of my biggest difficulties when deciding what music to use was the fact that this Shastokovich is so difficult to count! I was avoiding it for a while because although I was in love with it from the first listen, it seemed too daunting. I consider myself a musical person (as well as my father who has given me help with this piece of music) but it is still tremendously hard for me to count. For the most part with this I have just choreographed and played around with it until it fits on the music as I want it to. The changing meters make it difficult because as a dancer your body becomes used to having full bars that stay even. In this piece suddenly when you think you have one more beat, you are into the next phrase. It plays beautiful tricks on you. I think that is part of what I was drawn to in it.
I am fortunate enough to have Blaine working with me who can pick up ANYTHING so I don't even have to count it for him! I know that most choreographers that I have worked with refer to the score at many points during the creation. When having a live pianist to work with in rehearsal, the pianist can be incredibly helpful as well.
So yes it is much more challenging for me, but I working hard to make it as musical as I can! Thanks for the support! Did that help at all?
Yes, very interesting reply. As I'm sure you've noted, though, at least in the opening section the 2/4 and 3/4 alternate regularly, making a series of 5/4 bars, and at other places you have some brief passages that are duple and some triple, while in the coda you're home free in 2/4 for the entire last page. But you've certainly chosen the most challenging movement in the score rhythmically, especially given the fast tempo.
The introductory note in my score will probably amuse you: "The third movement is also a rondo built up on three ominous themes. The first two are asymmmetrical (different combinations of duple and triple time), while the third, mostly in duple time, is a biting musical satire of goose-stepping Prussian soldiery. Heard in the coda, it sounds appalling."
Good luck with your ballet.
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