Konstantinos Michail

September 15th , 2015


First day of classes


 I really cannot feel my body. Meaning that i really feel my brain not cooperating at all with my body. So, in our first task called This is Me'', we had to present ourselves through movement or dancing. I totally stand still, lying on the floor, move really slow without thinking anything. I let my body do the work in order to show how tired I was. It actually worked as movement but inside me I didn't felt good. I felt quite strange due to the fact that I couldn't understand why my thoughts - process is not connected with my body. Hope from this class all the stress or tiredness move away as the days passing.



September 17th, 2015



Pick up a phrase or word and try to explore


Exploration needs creativeness for me. I still cannot manage both. I do not know yet if this is good or not. I try explore how this new chapter of body - brain process will work for me this Semester. Through the lesson  a question came to my mind, How could move on without body - brain cooperation in my chapter? and then something good happened. Corina came to me for the exercise we had and gave me a phrase. From that phrase I kept the word ''Limits''. I start moving in order not to overcome my limits. Limited movements without thoughts. Just pure movement. I'm very curious how I can move on this word. Limits for me as word is such important, it helps me a lot and gives me a focus on what I can without thinking anything. I think for most of us that have lots of things to do in the middle of the day. To have a word that is so close on our everyday life gives us the boost to explore further ourselves.






September 22nd, 2015




Combination of task - word - process - focus


From this class I can stick only to the above title. Again exploration gives us the material to build a choreography. If you won't explore you won't find a goal to achieve your task. To begin with, i used line limits Inside Black Box Theatre. Line limits helped a lot in order not to overcome them. I imagined that I was inside a not familiar rectangular. I started the exploration slowly using body and i was trying not to pass any line. Though the word came the process, through the process came the focus, through the focus came the task. For me, everything begins from my word Limits. Lets see together how this process unleashes!! It also so nice that we keep videos from every rehearsal. Its helps a lot to keep rewind and see how It went inside the class. It also help to keep on track of what you are doing and the progress you have. Keep on track, Videos are coming!! :D




September 24th, 2015




Woking on task - process


Keep working on the task about ''Limits''. Still haven't found something extraordinary. I try to move on the floor staying inside my line limits. Exploring the lines, imagining that there are walls. I put on my imagination that walls are existing and i am trying to explore them with my hands. The process moves slowly but I think that I am on the right track. Lets see how it goes on the class we meet.






September 29th, 2015



Working on task - process


I have my word but still missing my final - goal. Unfortunately, I couldn't be inside the stage of Black Box Theatre and explore. I still need a lot of exercise to work on both. But I managed through research that i have common points with Heiner Müller and Bertolt Brecht. Heiner Mullers text is theatremachine and Brechts text is Lindebergs Flight. I hope that you will enjoy them as I did.




October 1st, 2015




Process only


Still working on ground and lines. Limits still is a basic material for me in my process. I do not have certain thoughts to share, Though the lack of combination of body - brain still remains.





October 6th and 8th, 2015




Solo work and presentation


On the 6th of October we had to work on our own for 30 mins + 15 mins of warm-up and then present our task. Those 30 mins were the most important from all the previous days. Why? I really do not know. The only thing I can share with you is that those mins, I felt extremely free and without having any thoughts. I was moving inside BBT with a specific music in my mind ( Michael Jackson - Slave to the Rhythm), repeating state. I was relaxed without stress, I was feeling my body quite good and not stiff at all. I was surprised in a good way and I really enjoyed it. Before starting our concept we also had to speak and share details of our work and process. My presentation took place on 8th of October. Still need to find a way to post my videos.







October 13th and 15th, 2015




Solo work


Another element that came out from both classes is to open my space, meaning that I can put myself in a state of becoming one with a box, having limited movement inside the box, but I can use the box to move around the Theatre. This idea is not yet clear and the task is still on processing. Moreover, day by day I feel more comfortable and free again with my body. These gives me great pleasure and I really enjoy my time in class though I am still tired from my everyday schedule.





October 20th, 2015




The use of Enyas song ''May it be''

 

I try to establish in my task a song/sound that could guide me or help me for my Solo. In today's class I used the Enyas song ''May it be''. Unfortunately, I didn't had the results I wished for. It has great lyrics and melody but for my concept its totally different, this song gives me the idea of pureness and relaxation, rather than limits and movement difficulties.

Watch below the link of the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7MLT4MmAK8



October 22th, 2015



Jocelyn Pook - Oppenheimer


My next experimentation was the use of the above song. Its certainly a very different sound from Enyas lyrics and accoustics. But it fits I believe perfectly with the concept of limits - Bundaries. Moreover, its better for me to move in a more slower tempo and try to use space as a line, that I have to begin from spot A and have to go to spot B. But one of my main concern it that I put myself in a state of being inside of a box and I need to reach spot B while moving my box. In order to achieve this approach, I have to limit a lot my movement and  I need consistently to have a flow with my body.



Watch below the link to get an idea of the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yOkFVhMEL4



October 27th, 2015



Choreographic Devices


In today's class we had to combine 3 choreographic devices. I decided to use 4 because as you can see in the video above, I had an idea of using physicality of the body with a sound. The sound was ''tik tok'' like a clock. I always thought that time has its limits. You cannot overpass the 24h per day. Those elements are: Tempo - Coordination - Change of Levels - Repetition. 

For more information watch the video below:



October 29th, 2015



Combination: Limits and Devices


Today, I figured that I have 3 different things: movement inside the box, elements and music. I am trying to choreograph those 3 in way that can show unity and most important rhythm. I want to create a choreography that should pleasure the audience. Something unique, with meaning and the central aspect which is Limits


November 3rd, 2015


Limits and Devices - Part 2


Second day of working with all my material and I must confess that is really hard to combine all of the materials. At this time I do not have rhythm at all. There is still lack of unity because I cannot combine the ''tik tok'' sound with my movement. I am also not sure if the ''tik tok'' help me or even worse if it is going to be heard to the audience.


November 5th, 2015


Limits and Devices - Part 3


It is so difficult to combine elements with music and find the most suitable way to acquire from all of them the right rhythm. A rhythm that will help you to develop your solo. A solo that needs to portray an idea, a word, a prospect. Still working out to find the best solution.


November 10th, 2015


Limits and Devices - Part 4


9 days before the mid-term and I feel am getting somewhere. I excluded the ''tik tok'' sound. It wasn't helpful at all, the sound wasn't strong enough. I record myself and I saw that there was no sound at all. Now, I feel more confident because I realized that if something is working do not be afraid to excluded.

Tip: I never used video recording for myself. It is very useful and helps a lot to watch your own faults and details that work or not working.


November 12th, 2015


Limits and Devices - Part 5


Exploration still exist in a specific part of my solo. I managed to combine music (Oppenheimer - Jocelyn Pook) with my choreography. Most of the times I feel strong, secure, knowing why and what I am doing in my solo. However, it seems real interesting that in my missing moments of the solo I have mixed feelings. Some times sad / limited while other times angry / exploit. 
I still need more exploration.


November 17th, 2015


Final rehearsal of my solo


No class today because of our National day celebration I finally managed to finish my solo. In the missing part that I feel insecure, I managed to find different moves and use tempo to gain more confidence and it finally worked. But, I keep in mind that I may use improvisation instead of something specific. It actually works sometimes to improvise through process, maybe the solo will evolve through emotion or repetition and bring something new. I feel that in the specific part I have to let it through as it proceeds and not block it at all.


November 19th, 2015


Solo Presentation


Today, I felt really good. I was confident and lost to the rhythm of the music. It was one of a lifetime experience that I could feel my body and mind flowing together with a lot of energy. I found choreography exploration rough because you have to explore moves that must have a continuity and rhythm, without those two elements, you cannot have a good dance choreography, music also helps a lot. It must be a song that can be combined to your choreography. Finally, I fell really nice that in the end I combined my thoughts for creating a choreography and had a presentable conclusion.

November 24th and 26th, 2015


Video Exploration - Thanksgiving


In today's class (24th of November) we explored how can use video streaming with our partners. How video can affect our movement and how we can use it in our advantage. I am so excited that we are going to create a relationship with our partners. It is the first time that I am going to create a project with someone that I haven't met in my life. However, this gives me the opportunity to create something in a very different level. This collaboration is going to be based on skype call meetings and video recordings. Lets see how this completely new approach is going to work.

26th of November - Happy thanksgiving


December 1st and 3rd, 2015



Beggining of a great collaboration 


First day of discussion with my partner and we have decided for creating a dance chorography video, instead of live streaming. This video will contain interior and exterior spaces of our houses, plus we are going to use some of the dance moves we already had in our solo. We want to combine strangth and limits, how those two are going to affect us through the recording. Moreover, one of our main theme that we are going to use, as one of  the basic tools is: unity of a body no matter the distance (Athens-Ohaio).


December 7th and 9th, 2015


Collaboration through Skype call and sharing thoughts


One of the basic ideas to make this video work was the collaboration and sharing ideas. From the first moment we dicided that the exterior and interior shots are going to be in our houses. Both shared views from skype call. We agreed without any hesitation. For me my house is the beggining of a new life. It is my new safety net because i rent it for myself and it is the first time i did somethin only for me. It is important to have a space that consists my limits , my ideas , my time without anyone to interfere. I really love my new place and life. It is again the first time that I managed to take my own life in my hands.




Another space that I am going to use is a place withing the campus that I am going to relax and think my next steps. Steps concerning my life and my courses.





11th and 14th of December, 2015

 

Video Sharing from my takes

 

Some takes from my process on Friday the 11th - Monday 14th, whope you will enjoy it:

 

 












December 17th, 2015


The ending of a beautiful colaboration and the beggining of a friendship.



Before starting answering the questions, I would like once again to say that it was one of the best collaborations I ever had and really enjoyed it to pieces.

What was the nature of your dialogue: how did your mutually influence your choreographic choices?  How did you arrive at the 'theme' of your project? 


From the beggining of our dialogue, Ian and myself decided to combine strength and limits which were our main themes in our solos. Another aspect was that we dances to each other through skype call. We saw how many similarities from the first improvisations. From the first minute we had a great chemistry together, which from its nature it is very difficult to communicate and understand someone, especially when your partner is miles away, you have limited time on speaking via skype call, and try to combine thoughts, process without even know the other person.

The theme of our project came through sharing ideas, he invented the place, I invented the combination with the videos, we collaborated to everything, we didn't act as eqoists. In order to have flow in our project we shared everything and agreed on them.


What changes took place during the process in relation to the nature of the project (place/body/identity) exchanged electronically, artistic challenges that you met and how did you resolve them? (we know the time difference was a challenge from the start- we want you to consider the creative challenges not the circumstantial ones!)

 
There weren't any dramatic changes. From the beggining we agreed on the interior and exterior view of a house. We shared pictures and video viewing from skype call in order to have a total agrrement. The only changes we made in relation to the project were the places inside the house, wether he should start from the bed or from another room, and then proceeding on my limited walk on the balcony. They weren't any artistic challenges as our movement is very common. It may sound shilly but we really understood each other like brothers do. Our dance movement, body lanquage and ideas were perfectly combined. I had of course the fear of time difference but this never stopped us to work every time we met for at least 2 hours, and messaging through facebook to share more ideas, or even share music material to include them to our video.


How could you see this project developing given more time? 

I believe that if we had the priviledge of more time , we would probably experience a completely different collaboration, and also the audience would watch a different outcome. The fact that we had only three weeks gave us this unique kind of experience. Personally, I took many lessons from that collaboration. I understood how difficult is to create something from scratch. However, I believe that if we were given more time we could have a much better build up on our partnership.


What were the highlights?  new learning?  What bit of new knowledge about choreographic practice are you 'taking with you'? 


One moment I will always remember, and it is the best highlight of this partnership was when we danced to each other through skype call. We laughed so much because of the common dance method we have. It was like I found my brother from another continent. Every time we had a skype call was much better from the previous, and we roled as a team much easier. There couldn't have been a better partner than Ian for me.

I learned how difficult it was to to dance in a poetic way. It is an aspect that I was working long time ago and couldn't understand. But thanks to our video collaboration, I understood how a place can be so influencial that will lead your own body and mind, creating poetic rhythm.

From the course I will definitely take with me how important is to collaborate with someone. The process that we have to follow as partners to create something from scratch. I had never created a choreography dance piece in my whole life. But now, with all the knowledge I acquired from this course, and with the help of my partner, I am able to structure a new dance choreography and not being affraid of limited time, collaboration, use of body and mind, even though sometimes are not working simultaneously. 



One last time many thanks to my partner Ian for this unique collaboration. It was a great honor on meeting you!!