by Lauren Warnecke
Getting people to come to dance shows is hard, but getting friends and colleagues to come to a Works In Progress showing (WIP) is even harder. With dance happening virtually every day of the week in my home city of Chicago, why would I want to go see a work that’s in progress when I could spend my night out watching something that’s “finished” (1)?
Choreography can at times be an insular art form. Though you are working with other dancers and collaborators, it can be difficult to find the time and resources to get others to give you feedback. But ultimately, dance is as much about what the outside viewer witnesses as it is about you and your vision. Ergo, from time to time throughout the development phase of a piece it’s nice (if not critical) to bring in some of those outside eyes to tell you what they are seeing. That way, you can either ensure that your message is being clearly communicated – OR – a viewer could throw a wrench in and discover a hidden jewel in the work that you never considered or saw previously, giving you further inspiration to keep exploring.
That sounds like it could be a pretty enlightening and important thing to do.
I recently had the pleasure of showing new work at a series called Fraction at Links Hall in Chicago. Having been on both sides of the WIP scene (as both choreographer and viewer), I had low expectations in terms of attendance and the potential for feedback. These things can often include long, awkward silences during the feedback session in which people feel like they need to say something but don’t exactly know what to say. Amazingly, Fraction was packed.
It could have been that it wasn’t simply one, but seven different artists presenting new work, or it could have been the promise of snacks. Heck if I know, but Fraction was a super positive experience for me that afforded great feedback and I made $17 to boot! Instead of a verbal dialogue, audience members were encouraged to write feedback on an index card and place the cards in a basket to be given to the artists later. Perhaps due to the anonymous and non-verbal nature of feedback, I got a plethora of cards that said everything from “Razzamatazz” and “I want some grits and eggs!” to “I wonder what it would be like to change the soundtrack. I feel an antiquity and nostalgia surrounding the piece and wonder if it would remain with different music/sound or silence.” All of this is informative and inspiring and helps me decide where to go next with this piece. Or not. Either way, the value of hearing what people see cannot be underestimated and gives me direction in a sometimes arduous process that emulates a long and winding road. [Read more…]
