GENESIS OF THE WORK

• Initially, Jonathan used his modern dance class at Pace University to test out a vision for a piece he conceived and hoped to develop.  He was encouraged by his students’ enthusiastic responses.
• Recently, he decided to pursue the work, but go “back to scratch.”
• He wanted to simplify the material even more and extract the most basic themes.  He decided to develop those themes at a slower pace and set the piece on a more mature dancer.
• He envisioned 3 layers of the dance:
  1. The metaphor of a bird slowly hatching from its egg.  The egg relates to the creature’s budding emotional state.
  2. A woman at a particular stage of her life contemplating both her past and her future.
  3. Exploration of abstract, modern movement.
• A simple turning over of hands became the core movement of the piece.
• Jonathan sees his dancer as a woman looking at her past and considering where she is now.  The turning over of her hands is a gesture of consideration.  It is also a beautiful, modern, abstract gesture.
• He imagines taking that movement and expanding upon it over time.  
• The stories Jonathan and Maggie share about their current lives as artists who became parents serve as the impetus for the development of Jonathan’s vision.  They realize that this project fits well with the minimal amount of free time they have as parents.
• Even though he understands that their current context only allows for a small project, Jonathan wrestles with the idea that he needs to have big, long rehearsals with lots of dancers in order for his work to have value.
• He finally “surrenders to the forces,” acknowledging that he needs to create something he believes in to keep his creativity alive.
• A family member agrees to watch Jonathan’s kids during weekly rehearsals.  Maggie’s daughter Penelope will be present in the studio as Jonathan and Maggie work.
• Many years ago, very dear friends introduced Jonathan to the music he is using for this piece.  Often, he creates work with music he has been given and fallen in love with.  It’s as if it was “meant to be.”

REHEARSAL #1
Wednesday,  February  3, 2016

PROCESS DETAILS

TECHNICAL

JONATHAN

• Chooses to use a minimalist approach to the choreography.  A movement idea is introduced, repeated, then subtly changed to keep it interesting.
• The music for this solo is very romantic -- beautiful, but also challenging.  It has so much emotion and its own strong phrasing that Jonathan must have his own strong sense of phrasing to avoid “getting lost” in the music and allowing it to dictate the dance.   Ultimately, the dance and the music need to coexist well and make sense together.
• Exploring the juxtaposition of the “super simplicity” of his choreography with the lush music.  Although Maggie moves in a clear and simple way in the beginning, there is a whole well of emotion inside her.
• Once he discovers a general sense of rhythm to the dance, he allows Maggie to make her own specific rhythmic choices.

MAGGIE

• Curious about how her body will react to dancing again after so much time off.
• Proper warm up allowed her to feel physically prepared for rehearsal.

SHERRI

• Maggie’s upper body gestures are particularly expressive.

PSYCHOLOGICAL/EMOTIONAL

JONATHAN

• Finds it “thrilling to get back to business” after taking time off for the birth of his daughter.
• Feels nervous about a variety of dynamics:

1. Starting something new and diving into the unknown.
2. Hadn’t worked with Maggie in a long time, so he wasn’t sure where she was at as a dancer and how they would work together.
3. The distraction of having 1 or more kids in the studio.  Would it prove to be too frustrating?
4. Usually, his own kids are not with him during rehearsals.  Will his commitment to this project conflict with his children needing their father?

• Worries are eased by an atmosphere that feels caring and nurturing.  The project feels like a “spiritual venture” between 2 artists who are parents, experiencing similar emotions and supporting each other in the process.

MAGGIE

• Excited about working with Jonathan again on new project.
• Jonathan became a dear friend during Maggie’s tenure as a Riedel Dance Theater company member.  Considers Jonathan and her RDT colleagues to be like family.
• Nervous about being able to retain material.
• Throughout her dance career, Maggie was a perfectionist; she felt devastated by even the smallest mistake.  At this later point in her professional life -- and as a mother -- she finds herself in a different psychological place.  Her body has changed, and she is not in top physical condition, so mistakes are more common.  The difference now is that she is no longer concerned about what others think or how her dancing will be judged; it is truly liberating.  She attributes this shift to wisdom acquired from age and experience.  She wishes she had been able to have more of this perspective when she was younger to mitigate the punishing effects of perfectionism.
• Now, when she does make mistakes, she doesn’t get upset and doesn’t worry that Jonathan will regret working with her.  In the past, she would always apologize to the choreographer whenever she didn’t perform perfectly.  Instead, she finds it wonderful to work with Jonathan without these performance concerns.
• Nevertheless, still deeply ingrained in her personality and “dancer mentality” is some concern about disappointing Jonathan.
• Feels adequate since today’s movements are purely gestural.
• Overall, she experiences a wide range of emotions from excitement and a sense of freedom to uncertainty about performing as an older dancer with physical challenges.

SHERRI

• Notes that choreography is so slow with a lot of stillness and repetition.  Acknowledges some discomfort with the minimalism.  Continually wonders, “What is this?  What does it mean?”