By the time it came to perform in Bedford, a lot of us were going to be glad to see the end of the Performance Projects module because it had been so demanding of us. However, we needed to perform one last time for their students.
I spent the afternoon helping to set up the technical aspects of the performance because this had been my second role back in Coventry. I really enjoyed this role again and observing the differences between the facilities at Bedford compared to Coventry. I was surprised to hear that the students at Bedford are not given the opportunity to operate the sound and lighting equipment for themselves. We are lucky that we can take these additional skills with us when we graduate from Coventry University.
For the performance, Small Boat all pulled together to give our piece a good send off!! We regained all those qualities we had found for the original performances back in Coventry. The change in space was challenging to begin with because it was a lot smaller than what we were used to, but we managed.
Showing posts with label Performance Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Performance Project. Show all posts
Friday, 12 April 2013
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Dress Rehearsal
This footage was taken of Small Boat Dance Company during the dress rehearsal on Thursday 6th December 2012, before the first evening performance.
Unfortunately, this is the only full length, costumed, light copy of the piece we have. The filming of the first real performance failed and the second was only taken on a small camera which could not cope with the professional lights and therefore is of poor quality.
So enjoy!!
My Second Role
This was the day of our first performance and Imminent Dance Company were helping put up the projection screen for our piece
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Just some pictures of the lighting booms at the side of the space and the lighting rig above it. I took these pictures to put in my artist journal to coincide with my second role of technical support.
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And this is the lighting desk in the box. This controls all the light set up in the space and it was my job to control this during Imminent's performance.
Day 5- Intensive
The last intensive rehearsal all seemed a bit of a blur really, we just muddled our way though the day just doing what we needed too. I am glad we had our last rehearsal day so close the the performance because this really gave us time to polish and perfect the piece.
We started by finishing the piece off and finding the right place to end. Rather than just all stopping and creating an almost forced ending, we finished with all of the group trailing off one or two at a time until the last two dancers came to a gradual stop. I feel this was the rightful ending that our piece needed, like we had done it justice and now it was time to end. Once this became the definite end for the piece, we began to go through and clean the piece.
We went through it slowly making sure that no stone was left unturned and that each movement was done with the intention of how it was created, from how it came from out own individual thoughts about what dance means to us. I suppose when I think about it, it has been a personal experience for all of us. And like I previously said, in order to convey the piece I feel that I need to put everything in to show my true feelings about dance. And only from this can I now understand that I have lied to myself about why I do it and how it makes me feel. I cannot believe how this has changed things for me.
Anyway, we corrected any problems and got the piece looking really good. We continued to run the piece several times so that we were really comfortable with it and then we left it before it sent us mad!!
We started by finishing the piece off and finding the right place to end. Rather than just all stopping and creating an almost forced ending, we finished with all of the group trailing off one or two at a time until the last two dancers came to a gradual stop. I feel this was the rightful ending that our piece needed, like we had done it justice and now it was time to end. Once this became the definite end for the piece, we began to go through and clean the piece.
We went through it slowly making sure that no stone was left unturned and that each movement was done with the intention of how it was created, from how it came from out own individual thoughts about what dance means to us. I suppose when I think about it, it has been a personal experience for all of us. And like I previously said, in order to convey the piece I feel that I need to put everything in to show my true feelings about dance. And only from this can I now understand that I have lied to myself about why I do it and how it makes me feel. I cannot believe how this has changed things for me.
Anyway, we corrected any problems and got the piece looking really good. We continued to run the piece several times so that we were really comfortable with it and then we left it before it sent us mad!!
Final Costume Design
So these were all the clothes that we brought in so we could come up with a matching colour scheme in order for us to look like a unit...
...And this is what we came up with!!
Sunday, 2 December 2012
Day Four- Intensive
Today our priority was to put the sections we had created into some kind of order to create our piece. We worked quickly and efficiently to prepare as much as we could for when the other companies came to watch our sharing.
Surprisingly, we did not start with the section we had planned to. We created a new beginning made from mine and Abbie's solos. It then continued into the section we had already worked on. We continued to add a few small lifts and new sections to come to an ending. I'm not sure if this will be added on to but we have found a comfortable ending if that's what happens.
The piece hasn't been polished and perfected but our aim was to create the piece and then make final adjustments on our last day of rehearsals.
Our Sharing Video!!
Surprisingly, we did not start with the section we had planned to. We created a new beginning made from mine and Abbie's solos. It then continued into the section we had already worked on. We continued to add a few small lifts and new sections to come to an ending. I'm not sure if this will be added on to but we have found a comfortable ending if that's what happens.
The piece hasn't been polished and perfected but our aim was to create the piece and then make final adjustments on our last day of rehearsals.
Our Sharing Video!!
Day Three- Intensive
We started with a warm up as usual and then got stuck straight in! Today was very busy indeed!!!
Using Katie's shuffle motif as the feature, we created a group section with the intention to slot it in to the final piece somewhere. Katie used her shuffling movement and Crizzel and Greta moved across the space with the awareness of their breath. Tara, Abbie and myself moved slowly towards the floor but never quite made it all the way, we repeated this three times. Here is the section we created...
After this, I worked alone for a while to create a set solo based on the idea of my free movement improvisation taken from the story board. I wanted to keep it a true to the original idea as possible so I tried improvising and trying to remember what I had done. I was getting too lost in the movement to remember what I was doing and it was a lot harder than what I first thought. I enlisted the help of Tara to be my watcher!! She watched my improvisation and told me the movement I had done. It took a long time doing it this way but it definitely worked! I wrote notes in order to help me remember the solo. I then had to teach Abbie my solo so that she could repeat it at some point during the piece.
Once my solo was complete, Tara had to join me to create a duet. Her role was the fill the space around me. To fill the gaps I had just left and to create gaps for me to move into. We were almost dodging and weaving around each other. Again, it took a while to complete this process because we had to identically recreate the improvised movement each time. Tara took the same approach as me by writing it down. We both wrote each others movement just to keep a record.
At the same time Tara and myself were completing our task Abbie and Greta were doing the same. Abbie had learnt my solo and Greta was filling the gaps so to speak. We finished the day by filming everything we had done. It was going to be 2 weeks until we saw Marina again and this way would be able to remember what we were doing and rehearse on our own.
To Do List:
Using Katie's shuffle motif as the feature, we created a group section with the intention to slot it in to the final piece somewhere. Katie used her shuffling movement and Crizzel and Greta moved across the space with the awareness of their breath. Tara, Abbie and myself moved slowly towards the floor but never quite made it all the way, we repeated this three times. Here is the section we created...
After this, I worked alone for a while to create a set solo based on the idea of my free movement improvisation taken from the story board. I wanted to keep it a true to the original idea as possible so I tried improvising and trying to remember what I had done. I was getting too lost in the movement to remember what I was doing and it was a lot harder than what I first thought. I enlisted the help of Tara to be my watcher!! She watched my improvisation and told me the movement I had done. It took a long time doing it this way but it definitely worked! I wrote notes in order to help me remember the solo. I then had to teach Abbie my solo so that she could repeat it at some point during the piece.
Once my solo was complete, Tara had to join me to create a duet. Her role was the fill the space around me. To fill the gaps I had just left and to create gaps for me to move into. We were almost dodging and weaving around each other. Again, it took a while to complete this process because we had to identically recreate the improvised movement each time. Tara took the same approach as me by writing it down. We both wrote each others movement just to keep a record.
At the same time Tara and myself were completing our task Abbie and Greta were doing the same. Abbie had learnt my solo and Greta was filling the gaps so to speak. We finished the day by filming everything we had done. It was going to be 2 weeks until we saw Marina again and this way would be able to remember what we were doing and rehearse on our own.
To Do List:
- Bring clothes for costume.
- Film skin and slow it down.
- Bring the film of me scrambling again.
- Think of ideas for programme.
- Get some practise in!!!
- Get videos on Facebook/ Youtube.
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Costume Talk
- No chinos!!
- No leggings!!
- Same colours/ tones (Burgandy, grey, blue, purple)
- Individuality
- Range of trousers and dresses
- Mixture of patterned and plain.
Bring costume ideas to next intensive day- 26th November
Mine and Tara's Task
Complimenting A Solo
Tara's Movement:
Me Complimenting
My Movement:
Tara Complimenting
Tara's Movement:
Me Complimenting
- Body Pulls- Looking around (Sitting)
- Stillness- Walking in a circle slowly
- Body Pulls- Looking around (Standing)
- Body Shaking- Twitching
- Direction- Integrated throughout movement
- Focus- Integrated throughout movement
My Movement:
Tara Complimenting
- Initiating movement from head- Initiating from the hips
- Stillness, pause- Direction changes
- Hands moving other body parts- Slow, delicate movement with hands
- Running to a new space- Stillness
- Free positive movement- Sharp movements
Day Two- Intensive
We spent the morning looking at our story boards that we had made since our last intensive. The idea was to create a solo that could be used within our final piece. We were almost rearranging them, like finding a more in depth movement strategy that could become permanent.
Broadening our vocabulary.
Altering the movement.
I kept a particular aspect of each box but changed it in a way that created a new way of moving.
For example:
I originally made my story board so that it could be taken in any order, but now I was structuring it so that it became a set order every time it was danced.
Marina watched my solo as I was one in the first to finish in the company. She particularly liked the hands moving other body parts section. She asked Tara to film me doing this section with the intention of using it as a projection on the wall to accompany our final performance. She encouraged me to try and move as fast as I could!!!!
Videos to follow...
We also did some filming of the skin as Marina was interested in this. She liked the idea of the light on the skin and the reflection. She also liked the idea of not being able to tell where it was on the body. Moving in and out of focus. Slow motion. We then discussed the possibilities of having projections of both me 'scrambling' and the skin at different intervals throughout the piece.
This is a basic idea of the projections we have planned for the piece:
After lunch, we had a one to one meeting with Marina to show her the progression of our solos and to discuss how to work on it. I didn't have much feedback regarding things that needed to be changed. Tara and myself had both finished our solos and therefore she asked us to do a task together.
Our task:
To do list:
Broadening our vocabulary.
Altering the movement.
I kept a particular aspect of each box but changed it in a way that created a new way of moving.
For example:
- Hands on Back- Hands moving other body parts.
- Negative Flashback- Stillness, pause.
- Nodding the Head- Initiating movement from the head.
- Negative Flashback- Running to a new space.
- Free positive movement.
I originally made my story board so that it could be taken in any order, but now I was structuring it so that it became a set order every time it was danced.
- Initiating movement from the head.
- Stillness, pause.
- Hands moving other body parts.
- Running to a new space.
- Free positive movement.
Marina watched my solo as I was one in the first to finish in the company. She particularly liked the hands moving other body parts section. She asked Tara to film me doing this section with the intention of using it as a projection on the wall to accompany our final performance. She encouraged me to try and move as fast as I could!!!!
Videos to follow...
We also did some filming of the skin as Marina was interested in this. She liked the idea of the light on the skin and the reflection. She also liked the idea of not being able to tell where it was on the body. Moving in and out of focus. Slow motion. We then discussed the possibilities of having projections of both me 'scrambling' and the skin at different intervals throughout the piece.
This is a basic idea of the projections we have planned for the piece:
After lunch, we had a one to one meeting with Marina to show her the progression of our solos and to discuss how to work on it. I didn't have much feedback regarding things that needed to be changed. Tara and myself had both finished our solos and therefore she asked us to do a task together.
Our task:
- To frame/ compliment each others solo.
- Do not copy or contrast.
- Small in the background.
- Nothing too distracting away from the main solo.
To do list:
- Film the skin.
- Film me scrambling outside. Wear red!!!
- Have solo completed.
- Complete the complimenting task.
My Story Board
This is my story board that we were all asked to create before our second intensive day. It was based on the improvisation tasks that we had done on Monday. The aim was to have movements that could be arranged into a solo, although it did not have to be set material.
I continued with the idea of the negative and positive attitudes I had from our discussion on Monday.
As you can see, I was very vague with the negative ideas. To begin with, I simply labled them a negative flashbacks as a contrast from the positive movements. At a later time I was going to decide exactly what that would become.
The positive moments were much more obvious and defined. I was able to pin point exact movement from the improvisation tasks and through feedback from Marina. They are based on new things I have learnt during my time at Coventry University or thing that have been brought to my attention quite vividly. For example, thinking of my floating skull and the alignment of my body through my spine, the connection of my arms to the torso and improvisation.
I set it out in a way so there was no start and no end, each box could be taken in any order. I took this idea from how Marina explained this task to us, it was just the way in which I understood it. My layout was different to everyone elses in Small Boat but I think my story board works best for me in this particular way.
I was interested to see what everyone would take away from the improvisation tasks and how they would make it there own. Even though we all had the same tasks we all discovered completely different things about ourselves.
I was anticipating what we would do with our story boards...
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Day One- Intensive
Monday was our first day working with Marina on our performance project. I'm glad we have had the opportunity to work with Marina in our phrase class since the start of the year because it has enable us to get to know her a little and understand her style of dancing.
I did not know what to expect because obviously its the first day and we do not know what ideas the choreographer has. From the readings we were given, I assumed we may be working with sounds and the head. From the questions Marina asked us to answer, I thought she just wanted an insight into why we dance.
To begin with, we spent a lot of time talking about the questions we were asked and our individual responses. It brought back emotional connections to things that had happened in my dance career previously. Things that I probably didn't want to talk about and things I had forgotten for a while. However, listening to everyone elses answers, I feel my opinion has also changed. We then began to move:
Task 1
Task 2
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For myself
Task 3
Things to carry forward from Task 3
Task 3 (Round 2)
Task 4
To do list for Thursday
I did not know what to expect because obviously its the first day and we do not know what ideas the choreographer has. From the readings we were given, I assumed we may be working with sounds and the head. From the questions Marina asked us to answer, I thought she just wanted an insight into why we dance.
To begin with, we spent a lot of time talking about the questions we were asked and our individual responses. It brought back emotional connections to things that had happened in my dance career previously. Things that I probably didn't want to talk about and things I had forgotten for a while. However, listening to everyone elses answers, I feel my opinion has also changed. We then began to move:
Task 1
- Warm up.
- Openness.
- Material about your joy of dancing.
- Music changes.
- Changing energy.
- For the first time this year I felt I was moving how I wanted to move. I found my contemporary style again.
Task 2
- Openness with a witness in the space.
- 2 types of open- being open in your movement and being open as a person.
- There is a difference between reaching and opening.
- Open, widen, expand, creating space, opening the heart.
- I was open in my movement whereas Kate wasn't, she was more reserved.
- You need to close before you can open.
- Moving into new spaces.
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- Embrace whats new, what I've come to study.
- Tone and quality in voice, "I wasn't supposed to be here." Express that in movement.
- Difficult being here. Showing both positive and negative.
- Lack of fulfilment.
- Desire.
Task 3
- Reflection.
- New beginnings.
- Listening to the body.
- What happens happens.
- You can look back on the past but you can't change it, that's why I need to move on.
- Bringing all that I've learnt in the last year to my movement.
- As one door closes, another opens. That's what has led me to where I am today.
- New paths.
- I can add more strings to my bow. I am learning new things.
- Realising how my body should feel.
Things to carry forward from Task 3
- Keep the phrases, hands on back stuff, nodding heads, rises.
- Move on from the phrases into positivity.
- Its ok to be obvious between positive and negative.
- Interruptions of negative.
- Make negative moments more of a snapshot/ flashback.
Task 3 (Round 2)
- Continued to work with nodding heads, rises and hands on back however did not progress them any further.
- Movement was more free this time rather than 'static' classwork.
- Flash backs worked well although I couldn't always the define them from the positive.
- Thinking of phrases but not necessarily taking notice of them.
- Thought of positives more than negatives this time.
Task 4
- Softening.
- I felt sometimes obvious and literal in my movements.
- Rocking backwards and forwards.
- Relaxing.
- Trust.
- Skin touch.
- Heaviness.
- Communication.
- Relying upon someone to support you.
- Meeting of two bodies.
- Disorientated when standing.
- I felt I had to breath more deeply.
To do list for Thursday
- Make a story board. Based on improvisation task think about making a phrase of movement. Not directly set but have an idea of what you're doing.
- Book recording equipment to film skin.
- Listen to John Tusa interviewing Anthony Gormley (BBC 3).
- Ask about the possibility of blending sound scapes.
- Get more interviews.
- Take a quote from the days experience.
- Record the sound of the wind.
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Monday, 5 November 2012
Trip to the Tate Modern!!
Monday 22nd October 2012
Tino Sehgal- Turbine Gallery
The Tino Sehgal piece really interested and intrigued me. It made me ask questions about what the piece was about/ based on...
Why the repetion of moving up and down the hall?
What were the stories? Did they represent an influential moment within their life?
Why did the speed change?
What was the starting point/ stimulus for the piece?
Would it mean something different if it was shown in a different place?
The Tanks
Tino Sehgal- Turbine Gallery
The Tino Sehgal piece really interested and intrigued me. It made me ask questions about what the piece was about/ based on...
Why the repetion of moving up and down the hall?
What were the stories? Did they represent an influential moment within their life?
Why did the speed change?
What was the starting point/ stimulus for the piece?
Would it mean something different if it was shown in a different place?
The Tanks
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Company Name Ideas
These are some of the ideas we came up with after reading a piece of writing we were given and after researching into Marina's background.
Our final decision was... Small Boat Dance Company
My Job Description and Person Specification
Technical Support Team
The technical support team is usually comprised of a stage manager and an assistant. They are responsible for the operation of sound and lighting within the theatre space during technical rehearsals and performances. They are also responsible for the preparation of the space before it is ready for artists to use safely. Some previous technical knowledge would help in order to use the equipment efficiently and to create sound and lighting ques.
All technical equipment will have to be checked by the technical team in order to ensure that the space meets health and safety standards and will not cause any hazards to the performers and the audience. A risk assessment will also need to be completed for this reason.
The technical support team will need to have some understanding of both the technical and artistic elements of a performance in order for it to be delivered exactly to the director’s requests. This will mean the team will need to collaborate and communicate with the director, performers and possibly, costume design.
The technical support team is usually comprised of a stage manager and an assistant. They are responsible for the operation of sound and lighting within the theatre space during technical rehearsals and performances. They are also responsible for the preparation of the space before it is ready for artists to use safely. Some previous technical knowledge would help in order to use the equipment efficiently and to create sound and lighting ques.
All technical equipment will have to be checked by the technical team in order to ensure that the space meets health and safety standards and will not cause any hazards to the performers and the audience. A risk assessment will also need to be completed for this reason.
The technical support team will need to have some understanding of both the technical and artistic elements of a performance in order for it to be delivered exactly to the director’s requests. This will mean the team will need to collaborate and communicate with the director, performers and possibly, costume design.
·
Good with heights
and ladder work
·
Working as part of
a team
·
Good listening
skills
·
Following orders
·
Organised
·
Tidy
·
Health and Safety
aware
Company and Roles
Small Boat Dance Company
Choreographer:
Marina Collard
Dancers:
Greta Jokubauskaite, Tara Holt, Abbie Hannaby, Emma Woolley, Katie Elliot, Crizzel Ward.
Company Roles:
Greta: Company Manager and Rehearsal Coordinator
Tara: Fundraising Manager
Abbie: Costume Design and Marketing
Emma: Technical Support
Katie: Technical Support
Crizzel: Front of House Manager and Marketing
Choreographer:
Marina Collard
Dancers:
Greta Jokubauskaite, Tara Holt, Abbie Hannaby, Emma Woolley, Katie Elliot, Crizzel Ward.
Company Roles:
Greta: Company Manager and Rehearsal Coordinator
Tara: Fundraising Manager
Abbie: Costume Design and Marketing
Emma: Technical Support
Katie: Technical Support
Crizzel: Front of House Manager and Marketing
Thursday, 4 October 2012
More Research on Marina Collard...
These are some videos I found on Youtube of Marina Collard performing.
This work was choreographed by Jo Moran as her video application for the 2012 Place Prize. Marina Collard is one of the three dancers alongside Neil Fleming Brown and Louise Tanoto.
Video Description: "Obverse is a new trio. It presents a refreshing, unusual and disjointed physical language that foregrounds the virtuosity of dancers to visibly transform their state of being, from moment to moment, in both body and thinking."
Obverse (2012) - Place Prize commission sponsored by Bloomberg
This work was choreographed by Jo Moran as her video application for the 2012 Place Prize. Marina Collard is one of the three dancers alongside Neil Fleming Brown and Louise Tanoto.
Video Description: "Obverse is a new trio. It presents a refreshing, unusual and disjointed physical language that foregrounds the virtuosity of dancers to visibly transform their state of being, from moment to moment, in both body and thinking."
Marina Collard
This video is an example of the work and technique that Marina Collard uses when teaching a class.
Survey (2010) by Joe Moran
part 1
part 2
part 3
Video Description: "Survey is a solo choreographed by Joe Moran for dancer Marina Collard. It is informed by a series of conversations with other artists about ideas and questions related to formalism, abstraction and the failure of form."
My Research on Marina Collard
Marina
Collard B.C.S.T. I.A.B.T. registered member of C.S.T.A
She has danced for several independent choreographers and companies such as Carol Brown Dances, Cando Co, Siobhan Davies Dance Company and more recently for Dog Kennel Hill, Joe Moran and Ersatz Dance.
Collard has broad experience in teaching having delivered company class and professional class both nationally and internationally. She is a frequent teacher at Independent Dance, Laban and London Contemporary Dance School.
Having worked in dance for nearly 20 year, she qualified as a Biodynamic Craniosacral Practitioner working in London and Oxford. She trained at The Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust under the guidance of Michael Kern, Steve Haines, Katherine Ukleja amongst others.
Her treatment approach is informed by her career in dance and her own experience of receiving a wide range of treatments throughout that time. Marina enjoys working in both as a dance artist and therapist as she finds that each of those practices inform one another and enrich, as well as deepen, her curiosity about the body.
Marina Collard has also had the opportunity to work outside her usual settings as an assistant for Breathing SpaceMaudsley NHS Trust psychiatric unit.
Resources:
Marina
Collard is a freelance dancer, teacher and dance maker. She specialises in release technique as well as creative practice, both
of which are informed by a deep understanding of the body and its fundamental
functions.
She has danced for several independent choreographers and companies such as Carol Brown Dances, Cando Co, Siobhan Davies Dance Company and more recently for Dog Kennel Hill, Joe Moran and Ersatz Dance.
Collard has broad experience in teaching having delivered company class and professional class both nationally and internationally. She is a frequent teacher at Independent Dance, Laban and London Contemporary Dance School.
Having worked in dance for nearly 20 year, she qualified as a Biodynamic Craniosacral Practitioner working in London and Oxford. She trained at The Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust under the guidance of Michael Kern, Steve Haines, Katherine Ukleja amongst others.
Her treatment approach is informed by her career in dance and her own experience of receiving a wide range of treatments throughout that time. Marina enjoys working in both as a dance artist and therapist as she finds that each of those practices inform one another and enrich, as well as deepen, her curiosity about the body.
Marina Collard has also had the opportunity to work outside her usual settings as an assistant for Breathing SpaceMaudsley NHS Trust psychiatric unit.
Resources:
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