REHEARSAL #12

Wednesday, July 27, 2016
 
PROCESS DETAILS
 
TECHNICAL

​SHERRI

• Both Maggie and Jonathan have child care today, so there are no kids at rehearsal.
• Warm-up is more substantial today.  On one side of the studio, Maggie listens to piano music she uses when guest teaching Cunningham classes.  On the other side, Jonathan goes through his warm-up routine without music as, on this particular day, he finds it to be distracting.

 
JONATHAN

• Jonathan goes through the most recent rehearsal video and clarifies/modifies various phrases.  He demonstrates his ideas, and Maggie tries out movements in accordance with his direction.  Only by watching Maggie bring the material to life can Jonathan determine whether the movements are right for the piece.  He then makes adjustments as needed.
• In one particular phrase in which one arm caresses the other, Jonathan clarifies arm and hand details, emphasizing differences in energy for each arm.
• In another phrase featuring side leg lifts, Jonathan asks Maggie to play with her upper body being “off kilter” when she executes her turns.
• Jonathan offers notes on emotional expression for many of the phrases.
• Focuses on quality of arm movement execution and adds new gestures in another phrase.
• Introduces more visual interest and emotional impact at a certain point in the narrative, then scales back -- for example, adds a single flip of one hand and asks for fewer face wipes.
• Offers images to help Maggie envision how to execute movements.  One example regarding the texture of the fingers:  imagine air moving through the fingers.
• Jonathan wants to change arm movements during the lunging sequence.  He plays with different “designs” -- hand, finger, and arm positioning and timing.
• Jonathan asks Maggie to sink her hips more with each position change.
• Jonathan’s notes for the final phrase concluding Section 1:

1. Requests a shift in Maggie’s execution of the final relevé.
2. Gives highly detailed directions about how she wipes her face with her hand.
3. Makes change in timing and quality of final arm movements.

• Asks Maggie to try a run-through incorporating these changes. 

1. At an early point in the run-through, Jonathan stops the music, realizing he wants more dynamic and textural changes in the first hand flipping phrases.
2. Maggie notes that she is getting caught up in quality of the hand movements and forgetting the sequence of them.
3. With dynamic changes in play, Maggie and Jonathan realize they now have a bit of extra time requiring more choreography.

• He films final run-through and expresses satisfaction with Maggie’s execution.
• Jonathan plans to start choreographing the next section in the next rehearsal.  Notes that the music for the next section is different in mood and tempo; he is trying to figure out how to treat this. Should he show another side of the character?  Or continue to explore the character’s painful longing in a new environment?
• Jonathan wants Maggie to tap into deep emotionality -- but questions: how “extreme” should she take it?  Wants to find emotional balance; recognizes that this takes time.
• Knows he needs to find the right language to communicate what he wants.
• Acknowledges that in future rehearsals, Maggie will need to run the piece repeatedly with fewer or no changes from Jonathan in order to go deeper into the work’s emotion and physicality.  This can be difficult when the choreographer is still making changes.
• Although he is adding visual interest, he takes pains to ensure that it flows from his original intention.
• Always trying to find a balance between stillness and activity.
• Jonathan wants to express the character’s turbulence using a minimalist vocabulary and explore how long someone feeling this upheaval can sustain such outward calm.

 
MAGGIE

• Feeling more muscle soreness today than in previous rehearsals.  Fortunately, the more extensive, individual warm-up helps ease the discomfort.
• After Jonathan introduces the changes, Maggie wants to work on a particular section where she is not feeling secure in her technique.
• Maggie is unable to do the deep lunge section fully due to soreness in her legs.

PSYCHOLOGICAL/EMOTIONAL

​JONATHAN

• He doesn’t know when or where this piece will be performed, but is proceeding with its development under the assumption that it will be presented one day.  He is acting “as if,” if you will.
• Realizes that because there is no “end product” date, there is no sense of urgency in his approach to the work.  Yet, he feels he needs some emotional impetus to drive the process.  If a show was scheduled, Jonathan would feel compelled to ensure that the piece really works and would need to see it performed “full out” every time.
• Feels excited about the work they do today, but is disappointed when Maggie is unable to perform “full out” due to her leg discomfort.  This is not abnormal in the process, though. Overall, he thinks this has been a great rehearsal and feels good about his notes and clarifications.
• Jonathan contemplates the way he assesses his dancers’ technical and artistic capabilities.  He asks himself what he knows about their previous work that lets him know they are capable of delivering the performance he is seeking, even if “it’s not all there today.”  When the piece is “not looking right,” Jonathan tries to determine why.  Has he given too many notes?  Is the choreography not quite right?  Are the dancers unable to execute in the way he needs?
• Jonathan entered into this project knowing he would have a limited amount of time to devote to its development, given that he is a full-time caregiver.  Not surprisingly, though, he becomes increasingly invested in the work as the process evolves.  He longs for more rehearsal time and wants to delve deeper and deeper into all aspects of the piece.  He finds himself shifting from a “let’s just see where this goes” mindset to more elaborate ambitions for the presentation of this dance.  As a result, he is torn between wanting to increase his participation in this creative venture and maintaining the boundaries he originally set to ensure he is prioritizing his family’s needs.

 
MAGGIE

• As the process evolves, Maggie is excited about “more layering and the intricacies of the piece.”
• Feels “honored” that Jonathan gives her “artistic freedom” and hopes she doesn’t disappoint him.