Introduction
I
am a Sophomore here at Kenyon College, double majoring in International
Studies and Dance. I'm from right outside of Chicago, where I have
lived and danced my whole life. The beauty in movement, I think, is the
vulnerability that comes with physical art. You reveal a pretty scary
part of yourself in from tot your peers and audience members, and being
accepted during this rather daunting act is one of my favorite things
about performing.
Strength Study Thoughts:
"Strength
seemed to work within any of the three phrasings and thus allowed for more
freedom and less stress while choreographing. I also felt I got to choose my
movement, rather than just use whatever seemed to work for me. In resiliency it
was so rare for me to find a step that worked as resilient, that I almost
always had to include it. With strength on the other hand, I felt I was really
able to craft my solo and not just put the working pieces together."
Body-Place-Identity: Post #1
For
me, my bed has always been very much a sanctuary. At home it’s where I
would retreat to allow whatever emotions to roll off into my bedding,
away from my family and their watchful eyes. At school, it’s essentially
the only place I have that’s just mine. I share a dorm room with two
others, and I very much retreat to my bed to be alone, even if there are
still people in the room. It’s still where I go to release if I need
to, and throwing myself into my pillow at Kenyon feels the same as
throwing myself into my pillows at home, which is really comforting.
Additionally, I absolutely love to sleep but have some insomnia, and I
think playing with that desire to release into my bed while my mind is
overly active, causing my body to stir and frustration to mount, could
be cool. Additionally, I think it could be cool to do a split-screen so
that Ioanna and I bleed right into one another.
Body-Place Identity: Post #2
Ioanna and I are definitely clarifying our vision! We had rehearsal on Saturday, and have sent one another videos of our movement since. Our duet is going to have two parts - a prerecorded video and then a live component. For the pre-recorded video, I believe we are both going to try to be outside in beds, filmed in a split-screen style. We will have the times posted in the corner, and it will be 00:00 for Ohio and 7:00 for Athens. I will be trying (and struggling) to fall asleep, and Ioanna is slowly easing out of it. We are also hoping to have as much interaction between the two of us as possible. I am planning on filming this Friday outside of some campus apartments, and I believe Ioanna is shooting Saturday. We will then have a week to edit! Below is a rough story board I created yesterday. 
Body Place Identity: Reflection
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?
The dialogue between Ioanna and
myself was open and almost constant. We Facebook messaged frequently, and
though I initiated the idea of using beds, Ioanna took it to an entirely
different level. I just thought it might be aesthetically pleasing, and liked
the universality of a place to sleep. Ioanna, coincidentally, had recently done
a ton of research on beds and their evolution, so we chose to incorporate some
of those ideas as well. The dialogue on the screen is pseudo-representative of
technology, as we are communicating from halfway around the world. The actual
movement was, in my case, very much inspired by Ioanna. She sent me many videos
of both her and others’ to feed off of, and I think both of our choreography
ended up consisting of playing with many, many, different ideas – some
improvisatory, some carefully planned.
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!)
Despite our
consistent communication via e-mail and Facebook, when we first Skyped just the
two of us it seemed we were on quite different pages. I thought we had decided
on a pre-prepared video, while Ioanna thought we had decided on a live
performance. Initially, we had hoped to simply do both – present our short
film, and then perform in front of our respective classes. However, the video
ended up being a lot more effort than I think either of us anticipated, so we
sort of ran out of energy to do a live component. Maybe later in life, though J I was
surprised to find how much more helpful it was to Skype rather than message,
and it was also through one of our “rehearsals” that Ioanna clarified her
vision of the time and text, both of which made our final product what it is. I
normally really seriously struggle working with others. I have a vision and
it’s extremely hard for me to have a joint vision, to loose control over a
piece of the process in order for others to have a chance. However, I was
absolutely shocked that that did not seem to be an issue here. To be honest, I
am thrilled with our final product, though it is not at all what I would have
done alone. It truly was collaboration, and a pretty fantastic one at that. I
always felt my voice was heard, and hope Ioanna feels the same.
How could you see
this project developing given more time?
Given more money, I
think we should definitely fly out to Athens and meet our partners! I was
pretty worried about the time frame, but I don’t think it ended up being an
issue for us! The only effect it really had was that Ioanna was supposed to
film outside, but it was raining that day and we were running a bit short on
time for her to do it another time. So, she filmed in her friend’s studio and I
can’t imagine a more beautiful setting. I’m so glad we had that “setback”, for
it offered a comfort and contrast we wouldn’t have gotten outside. Beyond this
project, though, I really hope I’m somehow someday able to work with Ioanna
again, as I feel we make a pretty great team J I have loved this
experience, and would love to explore an array of different places and
dialogues.
What were the
highlights? new learning? What bit of new knowledge about
choreographic practice are you 'taking with you'?
To be honest, the
best part of this project was getting to “meet” Ioanna. I wish the time
difference wasn’t such a bother and that we could’ve Skyped everyday – her movement
inspires me so much, and her warmth and kindness made this project such an
incredible experience. I definitely learned a lot about working with a partner,
and not to fear the evolution of ideas so much. I also have a lot of new
movement ideas for the floor, which I’m excited to utilize, and learned a lot
about editing. I hope this is my first of many dance films.
Laura Solo Video
Bridget and Laura Duet Video
