REHEARSAL #11

Friday, July 22, 2016
 
PROCESS DETAILS
 
TECHNICAL

​SHERRI

• Prior to this rehearsal, Jonathan carefully reviewed the video of the June 8th rehearsal.  He made extensive notes regarding a wide variety of technical and artistic elements such as:

1. Emotional expression
2. Emotional intentions and choices
3. Feelings that gestures/movements should convey
4. Technical modifications such as:

*Movement clarifications
*Desired execution of movements
*Timing adjustments
*Gestural nuances

• Jonathan sent the notes to Maggie to think about and work on before the next rehearsal (which turned out to be the one today).
• Both Jonathan and Maggie have child care coverage today.
• Jonathan forgets his computer when he leaves home, so he must return to get it -- making him slightly late for rehearsal.
• Difficult to find parking at this studio in Hawthorne.
• Since Maggie is late, Jonathan takes the time to stretch and review the notes he prepared for Maggie.
• Sherri observes that Jonathan and Maggie have brief warm-ups.  They explain that they don’t have time for the more extensive warm-ups that open most professional dance classes.  The warm-ups they do now are the equivalent of the preparation they used to do at home before going to the studio.
• Another pair of dancers enter the studio about half way through rehearsal.  Jonathan didn’t know that the studio had been rented to both pairs at the same time, so they had to rehearse while sharing the space.  Luckily, the studio is large enough to accommodate this, but elements like sharing the sound system and hearing each other’s music while rehearsing is very distracting.  Also, Jonathan has to film the run-through while the other duo is in the background.

JONATHAN

• Works with Maggie on each element outlined in the notes described above to achieve the desired effects:

1. Jonathan wants Maggie’s hand gestures to convey her character’s various considerations.  He encourages her to think about the texture and timing of the hand turnovers, recommending more uneven timing.  Jonathan suggests that Maggie use her “actor’s brain” to create a story.  The artistic decisions she makes based on that invented narrative should inform her performance.
2. In another arm movement sequence, Jonathan suggests that Maggie’s choices about the texture of her hands should inform and/or come out of the narrative she creates about her character.
3. Jonathan is seeking greater extension of Maggie’s arm when she reaches up and wants her to think about the resulting impact on the way her other arm moves.
4. Jonathan uses imagery to obtain a particular result: he wants Maggie to drop down with her legs crossed as if the ground is dropping out beneath her.
5. Jonathan and Maggie do a lot of qualitative work on a particular phrase requiring specific and varied emotional expression.  Jonathan explains that the timing can be very uneven.  At this point in the dance, Jonathan wants Maggie’s character to feel as if she just heard “crazy news that doesn’t make any sense;” she is angry, overwhelmed, confused, uncertain – engulfed by intense emotions.  Following this emotional peak, there is a brief easing of intensity as communicated through slower movements.  Jonathan wants this ebb and flow to continue with a new build-up of tempo and emotional expression.

• Jonathan then suggests that Maggie try to run the piece up to this point incorporating all of these changes.  This enables Jonathan to see how his ideas are expressed through Maggie’s interpretation.
• Following this evaluation, Jonathan gives more notes to Maggie:

1. Works on details of hand and arm placement.
2. Asks Maggie to free up her torso more and initiate turns with her upper body leading her lower body.  Wants the ribs to keep moving.  Would like to see maximum upper body curving as a way to telegraph more of a struggle.
3. Wants her to slightly delay leg lifts in a particular phrase.
4. Works on nuances of another phrase, suggesting erratic flipping of hands, head tilts, and continual change of focus.
5. Reminds Maggie to allow her ribs and emotions to propel her movements.
6. Referring to the segment in which the emotional intensity builds, Jonathan explains that Maggie’s character and her movements should become increasingly frenzied; a staccato energy should emanate from her body and state of mind.

• Jonathan repeatedly looks for dynamic contrasts.
• Trying to find a balance between classical and contemporary choreography.
• Jonathan characterizes their work today as focused on qualitative details such as injection of emotional intention into Maggie’s movements and gestural precision.
• He explains that details are particularly important since this piece is generally sparse.  He notes that with other pieces he is often forced to concentrate more on the “broad strokes” since there is not enough time to identify and refine details.
• Jonathan proposes an interesting concept: the dancer can have an internal idea that she wants the audience to focus on a particular gesture or part of her body, depending upon where she wants the dominant energy to be.  With this intention, she can move the audience’s attention to different parts of her body at will.
• He emphasizes that, once the piece starts, Maggie’s thoughts about her character’s emotional experiences and motivation should inform all of the choreography.
• Jonathan would like Maggie to let movement ideas overlap; one can begin before another one ends.  Such movements would represent overlapping thoughts and unresolved issues.
• Jonathan notes that Maggie has displayed a lot of growth during today’s session.
• Ironically, Jonathan’s intention has been to create a minimalist piece suffused with quiet and stillness.  However, he realizes today that “filling everything out” doesn’t leave much time for stillness.  Might this indicate a shift in his process?

MAGGIE

• Given the long length of the hiatus between the last rehearsal (June 8th) and the one today (July 22nd), Maggie anticipated feeling physically challenged; she hadn’t rehearsed or practiced Pilates for this entire period of time.  She was also concerned that she would not remember all of the material.  Moreover, she confesses she has “been on road trips down south for the last three weeks eating fried green tomatoes!”
• Catches herself when she makes mistakes or forgets choreography.
• Clarifies exact hand placement in a particular sequence.
• Notes that weakness in her legs is presenting some difficulty in executing/holding certain moves.

PSYCHOLOGICAL/EMOTIONAL

​JONATHAN

• Characterizes today’s rehearsal as “juicy.”
• He explains that as a choreographer, his inclination is always to keep creating more choreography.  Yet, he loves diving into the details, nuances, and performance choices.  “It’s such a joy to get into the meat.”
• Describes his evolving professional relationship with Maggie.  They are getting to know one another better, achieving a deeper level of intimacy.
• Upon reflection, Jonathan recognizes significant development with regard to both his clarity of vision and Maggie’s depth of understanding.  He anticipates that each subsequent rehearsal will reveal greater depth in these areas.
• Jonathan explains that it is challenging to create and direct/rehearse simultaneously.
• Discusses with Sherri a dilemma he often encounters with regard to allocation of limited time: How much time can he devote to developing certain technical and artistic abilities in his dancers to ensure that his vision is realized?  Or is the time better spent working with his dancers’ unique capabilities and adjusting his vision to capitalize on their strengths?  Jonathan and Sherri remind themselves that a choreographer never creates in a vacuum; it is always a fusion of the vision and the particular dancers through whom the vision is interpreted and realized.  In essence, your dancers are your context.  The creative process is an ever-shifting collaboration between the choreographer and dancers, each with his/her unique talents, perspectives, and experiences.
• In another project, Jonathan is taking the next step in developing his idea to collaborate with professional dance colleagues who are also full-time caregivers.  He plans to meet weekly with two of them to “test the waters” in hopes of creating new works together.  He envisions making a series of “epic” solos with these colleagues.  Their first meeting is planned for next week.  Jonathan is eager to see how this plays out.  As always, though, he worries about the balance between the time he spends working and the time he devotes to parenting.
• Initiated an ongoing conversation with a visual artist with whom he is considering collaborating for his piece with Maggie.  In fact, if this works out, he imagines using this artist’s work in the solos he hopes to make with his dancer/parent colleagues in the project cited above.

MAGGIE

• Feels excited to work again after the long hiatus.  Although she worries about remembering material and finding her return to dancing to be physically challenging, she concludes that the rehearsal is “satisfying and challenging all together!”
• Explains that this solo helps her “stay on track” since the rest of her life feels so scattered, given her status as an artist and a parent.