26 Days and Counting . . .

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:00:55 -0700

It’s hard to believe that there are only 26 days until the first performance of Western Door/Power Trail. Things have really started to come together compositionally and logistically in the last month. I hope you can join us at 7pm or 8:!5 on November 13 at the Arizona Falls. Until then, here’s a new excerpt.

Work in Progress

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:09:24 -0700

The last month has been very productive. Todd and I have reached a point where we are moving from exploration to crafting. This video clip is a five minute excerpt from what we imagine will be the beginning of the piece.

Taking Shape

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:05:41 -0700

Over the last month, ideas have really started to take shape. I’ve been drawn to exploring the multiple (and sometimes conflicting) stories about the Maid of the Mist. When I set out to improvise in relationship to this content, I didn’t know where to start. First, I played with embodying what I saw as the key moments in the story. This somehow seemed false, so I decided to work more intuitively. After reviewing the week’s rehearsal footage, I found that a large portion of the developing vocabulary involved circular, unstable moments. This made me realize that intuitively I had discovered what it maybe would feel like (in an abstract way) to be the Maid of the Mist and to be surrounded by crashing rapids and swirling eddies.

I’ve also been drawing from Navajo poetry, particularly a piece that speaks to the cyclic nature of death and rebirth through the metaphor of rain. This is providing an interesting compliment to the Maid of the Mist material. It looks like these two ideas will coexist (somehow) as a section.

Todd’s created some beautiful interactive media and music too. One idea we’ve been exploring media-wise is that of an abstract outline of a figure. My movement is captured through an infrared camera connected to a laptop. This allows me as the dancer to control the outline of the figure as it is projected behind me.

Overall, things are really starting to take shape!

Getting started

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 09:49:21 -0700

Although Todd and I have been working on this piece for five months, it feels as if we are just getting started. This is the first time I have created a work involving improvisation. In the last week, ideas have started to come together. Currently we are working on identifying the most vivid and pertinent themes for us to explore and overlap. In the next few weeks, I will post some rehearsal video of the work in progress and notes about the process. Check back soon and thanks for visiting!