Editorial – Page 43

Making Dances: An Introduction

October 11, 2011 by 4dancers

4dancers is adding a new column to the mix–Making Dances. Lauren Wernecke will be writing this series and today she is here with use to give readers an introduction this subject and some of her thoughts on the matter…

by Lauren Wernecke

Well, hi there.

I’m so honored to be joining the fabulous crew at 4dancers. Making Dances is a unique writing experience for me, because, generally speaking, I tend to write about things I know a lot about. Like the Achilles tendon. And cheese.

I mean, what do I really know about making dances? On a good day, not much.

There’s a saying that “the more you think you know, the less you know, you know?”

I don’t necessarily think that this is always true, but in the case of choreography, part of the process of making a dance is about figuring out how to make it. Coming up with ideas is easy. It’s the implementation of said ideas that makes our jobs hard…

…and in the end, no matter how many comp classes or choreographic devices you implement, the rules on how to make a dance are individual to each dancer and each dance.

My goal in writing Making Dances is not simply to tell you how to make a dance. This is not Choreography 101. It’s a biased view inside one person’s creative process. However, my hope is that hearing my experiences in making dances will give you leave to reflect on your own creative process and to, in turn, articulate what makes YOU tick.

So, enough about me… [Read more…]

Attend The Joffrey Ballet’s Don Quixote-Themed Master Class!

October 9, 2011 by 4dancers

If you have the time–this looks like too much fun to pass up! After all, it isn’t every day you can learn one of the variations from Don Quixote! Check it out…

The Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet is offering an exciting Don Quixote themed master class taking place on Monday October 17 at 5:30 pm.

This open class is designed for all levels of students, from youth to adult and will be taught by Ericka Mac, a multifaceted dancer and performer who is well versed in Don Quixote anthology. In the first part of the class, Ericka will provide a brief history of the Don Quixote story and choreography. The second part of the class will incorporate a fun barre warm up choreographed to Don Quixote music and students will also learn Kitri’s sassy variation from Don Quixote.

The class will be held at the Joffrey Tower on 10 East Randolph Street in downtown Chicago. The class is $15 for adults and $10 for students with a valid college ID. Please contact reception@joffrey.org or call 312.784.4600 to reserve your spot today! Don’t miss out on this unique class! Visit http://joffrey.org/dqmasterclass for more information.

Doesn’t it sound terrific? If you have a second–spread the word!

Finis: A Different Angle

September 30, 2011 by 4dancers

by Christopher Duggan

My job at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival allows me to experiment with different angles and types of shots and practice how these different approaches to dance photography can aid the festival and the company in different ways. When Lar Lubovitch Dance Company performed at the Ted Shawn Theatre, I was able to photograph dress rehearsal from the front of the house as well as performances from backstage.

My front of house photo session was all about getting “the shot” for the press reviewing the dances. In order to get a great shot for press I have a few things on my mind: shoot horizontal, don’t cut off hands or feet or toes, show the choreography, find trios and small groups, look for “signature” moments that showcase the piece.

Backstage, without these constraints, I was able to capture the dances more playfully. I was only feet away from the dancers and so I paid closer attention to the dancers’ facial expressions, catching little momentary exchanges between them and moments of emotional connection with the choreography. The life in the backstage photos makes them a terrific fit for marketing materials. The images are much closer and more intimate, you can see the dancers’ personalities and the hard work that goes into their performance.

You can see more of my photos from front of house vs. backstage on my blog at: http://blog.christopherduggan.com/2011/09/jacob%E2%80%99s-pillow-dance-festival-lar-lubovitch-dance-company/

Contributor Christopher Duggan is the founder and principal photographer of Christopher Duggan Photography, a New York City-based wedding and dance photography studio. Duggan has been the Festival Photographer for Jacob’s Pillow Dance since 2006. In this capacity, and as a respected New York dance photographer, he has worked with renowned choreographers and performers of international acclaim as well as upstarts in the city’s diverse performance scene. Duggan often teams up with his talented wife and Pillow videographer Nel Shelby. A husband and wife dance documentation team, they are equipped to document performances, create and edit marketing videos and choreography reels, and much more. Visit Christopher online at www.christopherduggan.com.

Musings: Metamorphosis – Changing the Form

September 23, 2011 by Kimberly Peterson

by Kimberly Peterson

The act of change can be frightening at times. What will this change bring? Will it be accepted? Where will it lead? Is it the right decision?

But with art, change is a natural progression. Very few things remain unchanged and still retain cultural relevance. There is a struggle between holding to tradition and fighting for relevance that can be seen in such classical forms as Ballet – where the art strives to move beyond the classical structure, forms and story; but where companies still do a full production of Nutcracker every season…

However, this idea of metamorphosis – change, growth – is not solely a struggle between classical forms and modernity. Contemporary dance also struggles with the concept of what “dance” really is. Is it simply movement? All movement or just certain kinds? Pedestrian movement or stylized gestures?

For some, this line of question has begun to include the body and whether or not a body needs to be physically present to be considered dance. This concept is beautifully illustrated in the short film Thought of You utilizing The Weepies’ song “The World Spins Madly On”. Watch for yourself.

This award winning short film is the product of hours of animation, hand drawn by artist Ryan Woodward who spent countless hours during the creation process and rehearsals studying the movement, and the dancers themselves. Over 25,000 hand drawn images went into this stunning work which translates the qualities of movement as well as their physicality, into his creative vision which was influenced by the music.

For those, like me, who desperately needed to know how this came about, there is a making of video where Woodward delves into the process he took in creating this work as well as his artistic intentions.

The question of whether this is, in fact, dance is one I leave you with to discuss. I encourage you to leave comments with your answers, as well as your reasoning. It is/is not dance because _______ .

So what so you think – Dance or No?

Contributor Kimberly Peterson, a transplant to Minneapolis from the Dallas area, received her BA and MA from Texas Woman’s University’s prestigious dance program.

Drawing on her experience with producing dance works, Kimberly has served as lighting designer, stage manager, event coordinator, volunteer and an advisor in various roles. She has taught in various capacities and her choreography featured at ACDFA, TCC South Campus and Zenon Dance Studios. Her recent internships with Theater Space Project and the Minnesota Children’s Museum have served to expand her skills in arts administration and development.

Her graduate research explored the parallels between the independent music industry and current methods of dancer representation. Fascinated with how art is represented and presented in society, she continues to develop this research while delving further into this complicated subject through her dance writing.

Musings: Point of View – Dance and the Camera

September 17, 2011 by Kimberly Peterson

by Kimberly Peterson

There are few examples of what dance and the camera can be that reach the caliber of Amelia from La La La Human Steps.

The 2002 production, choreographed by Edouard Locke, melds incredible feats of dance into a feature length production that is simultaneously engaging, challenging and entertaining. The excerpt below is from this longer work and is one of the most intricate and breathtaking uses of classical ballet I’ve seen performed.

While the technical proficiency can not be denied in this work, the use of the camera to break the formal presentation of this classic art-form is really groundbreaking and highlights things that would be missed in traditional presentation as well as in traditional documentary footage. This exemplifies the camera as a tool, a co-creator and an audience in and of itself.

Camera as Tool:
Framing the initial shot of the dance, the camera zooms in to focus our attention on the performer. Bringing us closely in line with her stillness, searching for movement and in doing so, bonding our connection to her.

The subtleties of the dance are highlighted through the use of the camera’s tools of rotation and distance, keeping the viewer focused on the elements the choreographer wants you to see, while ignoring the open space until the intricate spell is broken by the pedestrian movement. Further, such play in focus and space directs your attention to elements that perhaps would have been lost if conceiving this work in a traditional performance environment, such as the shadow play in the middle of the work (2:37-2:55). [Read more…]

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