Danielle Dowler discussed the experience of choregoraphing a dance titled "Light Finds Us"
Interview Summary
This participant shared their experience creating choreography for a dance piece titled "Light Finds Us." They chose this project as an opportunity for artistic expression, starting by listening to joyful, rhythmic music to inspire their choreography. The integration of music, which represents time, with dance, representing space, made this project unique. Motivated by the professional skill development and artistic challenge it offered, the participant embarked on creating the piece. Performances took place in November and December of 2017, during which the participant felt energized by the dancers' exploration of their performances. Challenges arose in aligning with the dancers regarding their interpretations. Despite initial reluctance towards choreography, the participant found joy in the process, particularly in the enduring relationships formed. The dancers and audiences alike found the experience joyful, contributing to the perceived success of the performances. Reflecting on the experience, the participant gained insights into their own thought processes and emotions, leveraging these insights to navigate rehearsal logistics successfully. While they do not believe in ultimate meaning, the process reaffirmed their belief in personal meaning creation. At 30 years old, they viewed the work as relatively successful, considering the challenging circumstances. The creation of this piece served as a positive endeavor during a time of global negativity.
Interview Transcript
Introduction
Interviewer: Okay. So we'd like you to think about the in our work that you created. That's especially meaningful to you. It doesn't have to be the most important, but it should be meaningful and emotionally salient. It helps, if created, if by your memories are vivid. But you don't have to remember anything. So I know You've chosen your artwork already. So what is it?
Description
Participant: it is a dance work I choreographed in 2017.
Interviewer: Oh, great. Thank you. Does it have a title?
Participant: It does. It's called Light Finds Us.
Interviewer: Great, and then I know sharing something like that is maybe a little bit tricky like in a when we're on video. But I don't know. If you have, do you have anything that you could share on screen or like through email.
Participant: Sure, I have a video recording of some rehearsals. I can screen share and pull it up. Or if you want just a Google drive Link. I'm happy to do that.
Interviewer: yeah, If you wanted to share via the link that I would think will be helpful. I don't think we need to you know go through it on now. but yeah, that'd be really appreciated. If you could
Participant: let me grab the link here now. I want to drop it in the chat. I believe that is a technical rehearsal. So costuming, but not full lighting rig and such.
Interviewer: Okay, so could you describe this piece for me?
Participant: Sure. Yeah. Like the important details. Okay, it's a dance movement work for dancers and non-dancers. it's about 11-ish minutes in length. I did it for a student organization that runs through the department of dance at Case Western, and it was primarily inspired by my love of some visual art and sculpting and connecting that with a piece of music, I found that I really enjoyed
Why did you choose this one? (Specialness)
Interviewer: great. Thank you. And then why did you choose this piece to talk about for this study.
Participant: It is one of the few pieces I created because I wanted to, and not because I had to do something for a grade or a degree or as part of like a professional gig, like a performance I was being hired to do. While I did get paid for this, it was far more offered as an opportunity for artistic expression. So the piece itself feels a bit more emotionally resonant, because there wasn't anything else driving it.
Process of Creating
What led up to its creation? What motivated you to create it?
Interviewer: And then what led up to its creation? What motivated you to create it?
Participant: I went looking for music first. I always start with music. and I don't remember precisely how I stumbled upon the first piece of music for the work. I believe it showed up in a playlist, or on a shuffle feature on like Pandora or Spotify and it's cello and beat boxing, which I thought was a really interesting mix of sounds.
And so it'd have been sitting in my pocket for a while, and then I was asked to do a work for this group because they needed more choreographers, and I thought of that piece of music and thought, Great Yup! This is a good serendipitous timing.
So I started with that the music is very upbeat and joyful and very rhythmic and at the same time
I was thinking about what kinds of movement would I be interested in exploring with that. And I was thinking about These little sculptures by this artist that I really enjoy that are also sort of very lifted and hopeful, but also a little weird and quirky, and I thought, well, perfect, cello and beat-boxing. It's the same kind of vibe. And so I looked at a lot of photographs of her work at some of the little statuettes that I have myself. And sort of translated that into some movement inspirations, and went from there.
Meaningfulness and Distinguishing
Interviewer: Great, Thank you. And then, is there something about like this genre or medium that's meaningful or distinguishing compared to other art forms for you?
Participant: from the creative point of view. I've always been a mover, a dancer, and athlete. I find art that uses time and space to be very interesting, right. It's multi faceted in a way that maybe visual art isn't in the same fashion. It exists in space, but not so much in time. Music is in time, but not so much in space, and dances are really neat mix of the 2. It also, just on a personal level, relies less on fine motor control the way other art does so in terms of creating or participating. It is the one that I find
most naturally accessible. As a person.
What led up to the creation? What motivated you to create it?
Interviewer: And now, could you please tell me about the experience and process of creating this choreography by answering some questions? So what led up to the creation, what motivated you to create it?
Participant: I don't enjoy choreography. And so when this was presented to me, it seems like an opportunity to challenge myself as a creator. I like to dance. I don't really particularly enjoy the act of creating dance or choreographing but it is a good skill to have. If you want to work professionally, you often have to create your own things, whether you want to or not. and it was an opportunity to engage more with the department who was hiring me. I was currently working there part time. It seemed
wise career-wise to take an additional opportunity to get more enmeshed in the department to participate more deeply in some of the ancillary activities outside of my own personal class load. And it afforded that personal artistic challenge of like, You don't really love this, but you can do it. Let's try it.
When and where did the work happen? Was anyone else involved?
Interviewer: And then could you tell me a little bit more about when and where the work happened, and then was anybody involved besides you?
Participant: And sure so the performances would have been in late November or early December of 2,017. Towards the end of the the fall semester we would have done 4 performances in 3 nights a third. It would have been a Thursday, Friday, double Saturday run in terms of the creation of the choreography and the costumes that was entirely me. I worked with pre-recorded music. by Mark Summers, I believe, is the composer's name. And then in terms of the rest of the stage creation. light design would have been by our technical director, Brad Pitto in consultation with me, but primarily would have been his creation. And that was it no sets or props, or anything like that for this piece.
What were you thinking and feeling at different times throughout the process of creating the artwork?
Interviewer: Great and then what were you thinking and feeling at different times throughout the process of creating this choreography.
Participant: Sure, at the beginning it would have been exciting and energizing. It was a cast of 19, so that would have very quickly shifted into a small sense of overwhelm. That's a lot of bodies to move through space. Knowing me, I don't have a ton of very specific recollections of this process in particular, but there certainly would have been days of frustration, of trying to create more movement or work out a logistical spatial issue. Or given that this cast was a mix of skill-levels and experiences. There were certainly rehearsal process struggles of trying to get everybody on the same count, or to do the movement in the correct way, or in the correct facing to make sure everyone's in the correct spaces.
But I do recall a sense of, once the piece was sort of completed from the creation standpoint, allowing the dancers space to explore their performance aspects, was really rewarding. I lucked into a group of dancers who were really invested and really excited to perform and be a part of the work. And so that was very energizing to not have to sort of drag them into the piece and get them excited about it. They were there with me from the beginning, which was wonderful.
Interviewer: Great! Thank you.
Can you describe any high points, low points or challenges, or turning points along the way?
Interviewer: Could you describe any high points low points or challenges, or turning points in the process of creating this?
Participant: High points were definitely the performances themselves, though I remember a couple of rehearsals when you have 19 bodies sometimes you just have to try something in the space and make sure that it works, and I know there were several successful moments of creating. There's a moment where there's an inner circle and an outer circle and being able to create a formation out of what started as sort of a whirling chaos of bodies. It was very satisfying. because that often will work in your head, but not in real life where physics is involved.
So that was certainly some high points. Low points, nothing terribly low. I had a couple of dancers who really struggled to count the music, and the choreography was very rhythmically tied to the freezing of the music. So, as a rehearsal director there were some frustrations not necessarily with them, but with our inability to communicate in a way that got us both on the same page about what was expected in terms of the choreography, and there are certainly, even in the performances, there were a couple of moments where the the rhythm fell off a little bit but overall not in a way that was eally was detrimental to the piece.
There were so many people and so much movement and so much energy that the very nitty-gritty specifics of the choreography were less important than sort of the overall group mechanics that were happening.
Let’s talk about the impact of the artwork on yourself and others.
What did you learn from the process of creating this artwork? Did you learn anything about yourself?
Interviewer: thank you. So lets talk a little bit about the impact of this on yourself and others. What did you learn from the process of creating this choreography? Did you learn anything about yourself?
Participant: I learned that my the assessment that I gave myself in graduate school- that I do not like to choreograph - was, in fact, still true, even when there wasn't a degree on the line. I think sometimes when you're working for a terminal degree, it's hard to tell what is your feelings towards the thing you're working on, and what is your feelings towards the fact that it's in service of a degree, or it's in service of something other than your own passion for it. And so this was purely a passion project, and while it was beneficial and successful, I think, largely as an artistic endeavor.
I don't enjoy choreography. It is not a drive that I have and it was gratifying to affirm that initial assessment of myself, even though I think there are other people who were hoping I would come to a different realization. But I did, I found some joy in it. I was actually looking back at the work right before this interview, and realized that many of the dancers in the cast went from being students to being colleagues, or even being friends, which is one of those sort of long-standing benefits I hadn't really reflected on.But it's very, very, gratifying to see that we had this creative experience together, and it sort of catapulted us into a more personal connection later on down the road.
How did others receive the artwork? For example, what were their reactions? Did you intend the work to affect others or the world in any particular ways?
Interviewer: Great! And then how did others receive the artwork, for example, what were their reactions. And then did you intend for the choreography to affect other people or the world in any particular ways?
Participant: So to the second half of the question, Yes, I was definitely trying to inspire a sense of uplift, the sense of light, a sense of joy not in any like with any particular message, but just to use the younger kids primarily. I just want to really good vibes and just really joyful. A really joyful atmosphere, because a lot of concert dance can get very serious and very heavy and very heady or very intellectual. They wanted something that was just more like a kinetic, joyous response, and I did get several members of the audience giving me that type of feedback that they did find it uplifting, that they did find it joyful. I got that and feedback from the dancers themselves. that they really enjoyed the energy that they found it very happy, found very uplifting or joyful of adjective of that nature.
Here. I can't say that it worked for everybody right. there Certainly isn't like an exit interview at the end of concerts. I do remember we sit in the audience and watch during these performances, and I do remember a very loud sort of applause at the end. part of that is because with 19 dancers there was always a lot of friends and family from them in the audience. But regardless, they enjoyed watching their loved ones enough in that work to respond very loudly and vocally at the end, which is satisfying, even if it's more about the dancers, and less about the choreography.
Did your experience affect your understanding of others or “the world”?
Interviewer: And then did your experience affect your understanding of other people or of the world?
Participant: Hmm. I don't know in any big, profound way. Certainly there are a handful of individuals who are in the cast. that I got to understand better as dancers. One of the cast members later went on to pursue her MFA through our department. So I taught her in several classes and coached her through some things. And having worked with her in this performance experience ahead of time, I felt like I sort of had a leg up on the types of things we were going to be working on together in terms of her dancing and her technique. But I don't know that there was any sort of like earth shatteringly large change.
When some people think about themselves, they see some parts of themselves as deeply true, real, or authentic.
If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about your true nature during the process? Did you have any insights about your own authentic (or inauthentic) self?
Okay, so this prompt is a little bit longer. When some people think about themselves that they see some parts of themselves as deeply true, real, or authentic. If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about your true nature during this process? Did you have any insights into your own authentic or inauthentic self.
Participant: Hmm. Um that statement doesn't fully resonate with me the initial start of it. But it didn't, as I mentioned earlier, because it was created under a different set of external circumstances, that reaffirming of my own assessment, my dislike of creating was certainly there, and felt it was easier to untangle it from other external frustrations with sort of the degree seeking process. And also, I think, doing this work in a long form…
Normally, when i'm creating movement for a performance gig you've got like 2 weeks. This is a multi-month process with long rehearsals, really dedicated rehearsals. And so it was also affirming to me that I work better with a tighter deadline. When I have just a couple of weeks. You've got to put it together. You can't sit there and ponder over every little detail. You don't have time with something long like this did sort of help me understand better that too much time is not helpful for me. I get stuck in negative feedback loops. I get stuck in anxiety spirals I get stuck in just the smallest, dumbest details that don't actually matter, because well, we've got to do something with this time. So in terms of it's all. That's all very logistical stuff, but I find that my understanding of what the logistics needs to be, comes from sort of just a very honest understanding of how my brain processes, and how emotionally I respond to different types of pressures. And then, therefore, what various work schedules and deadlines need to be to sort of game that to my advantage as opposed to my detriment.
Some people believe in ultimate meaning. This is defined as deep, underlying meaning that transcends subjective, personal meaning. It is about the nature of existence and identity, and it may include ideas about the significance of suffering, as well as spirituality.
If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about ultimate meaning during the process?
Interviewer: Okay, Thank you. so this prompt also a little longer. some people believe in ultimate meeting. this is defined as deep underlying meaning that transcends subjective personal meaning. It is about the nature of existence and identity and it may include ideas about the significance of suffering as well as spirituality. If this idea resonates with you. Did you learn anything about ultimate meaning During this process?
Participant: The idea does not resonate with me. I do not believe an ultimate meaning. I think there is no meaning, and therefore you get to create your own. And that's what makes art so powerful because you can create art for yourself, and it has all the meaning that you imbue with it, and you put it out in the world, and none of that matters, and it's so freeing to not have to worry about it, and people may find their own meaning in it, and they may not, but that's their business. Your process of creating creates the meaning for you, whatever you need it to be. I think that's why art is so powerful, because it can be, whatever you need it to be, and it doesn't hold anything that you don't want it to hold.
Yeah, and this specific process I don't, didn't go against that feeling. I don't know that I, during the process, found that it reaffirmed that understanding, though looking back at what I actually created, and what I was thinking about or feeling at the time. I do think that was sort of the experience. like I was inspired by these little sculptures, but, like I didn't show the dancers pictures of these little sculptures, or anything that was just my initial inspiration, and that was for me. And other dancers found their own ways to express their feelings through the movement, and it might not have been what I would think about if I were dancing it. But that’s…i'm not dancing it. So it doesn't matter. Yeah,
that it's all subjective, and that's the beauty of it.
Some people believe or perceive a reality beyond the physical or material world. This may include religious beliefs/experiences (such as perceived interactions with God) but also may include mystical or transcendent experiences, or interaction with spirits.
Did you have any of these kinds of experiences during the creation of the artwork?
Interviewer: Thank you. and then some people believe or perceive a reality beyond the physical or material world. This may include religious beliefs and experiences. but may also include mystical or transcendent experiences or interaction with spirits. I did you have any of these kinds of experiences during that creation of this choreography?
Participant: No, I don't believe in any of those ideas. we do often talk and dance about like energy lines, and I know for some that means like a literal mystical energy or spiritual energy. For me it's just because I don't have a better word to explain how the eye line follows movement, and naturally extends it beyond the end of the fingers. I understand that to be some type of physiological and neurological processing but sort of the colloquial term in the dance world is the energy lines. And even if how I understand that is a little bit more literal than a lot of other dancers, it gets me the result that I need as a teacher and as a choreographer and certainly from a performance aspect with a piece like this, where you're hoping to inspire positive feelings. You're trying to get your dancers to find movements, or to find ways of performing their movements that create sort of a kinesthetic, sympathetic response that so if you're happy, people will read that in your body language, and then they will respond in kind. But I think that's my understanding of that, and how I get at. That is more about the idea that people are social creatures, and we tend to respond to what we're seeing in other people, and less about any sort of unseen or not yet understood higher power or mystical energy fields, or what have you.
How old were you?
Interviewer: Great? Thank you. I just have a few. Quick your follow up questions. So how old were you when you created this choreography?
Participant: 30,
How do you perceive the quality of the art?
Interviewer: And then how did you perceive the quality of the choreography.
Participant: It's okay. Looking back on it, I would make some different choices. I tend to get. I have a bucket of movement, and then I forget that I can put more in the bucket halfway through the process. There are also some staging aspects like how I moved bodies through space that I would revisit.I think, if I did it again, but I think, given the number of rehearsals, the length of time, the difficulty of counting the music, and the disparate skill levels of the dancers, It was a relatively successful within those parameters as a sort of like overarching. in a perfect world, and there would be some some adjustments made going forward.
What was going on in your life around this time?
Interviewer: Thank you. And then did you want to talk any more about what was going on in your own life around the time that you created the choreography?
Participant: Hmm. 2017. I don't know that there was anything particular in my personal life. Certainly I was getting a sense that there was a lot of negativity in the world given. It was the first year of a terrible presidency, and it would be nice to have something happy and uplifting, and just to just sort of bask in something positive would be would be nice. I'm sure was there a little bit. I can't recall any specific instances or goings on that were part of this process.
Interviewer: Okay, that was great. Now, thank you so much.
This participant shared their experience creating choreography for a dance piece titled "Light Finds Us." They chose this project as an opportunity for artistic expression, starting by listening to joyful, rhythmic music to inspire their choreography. The integration of music, which represents time, with dance, representing space, made this project unique. Motivated by the professional skill development and artistic challenge it offered, the participant embarked on creating the piece. Performances took place in November and December of 2017, during which the participant felt energized by the dancers' exploration of their performances. Challenges arose in aligning with the dancers regarding their interpretations. Despite initial reluctance towards choreography, the participant found joy in the process, particularly in the enduring relationships formed. The dancers and audiences alike found the experience joyful, contributing to the perceived success of the performances. Reflecting on the experience, the participant gained insights into their own thought processes and emotions, leveraging these insights to navigate rehearsal logistics successfully. While they do not believe in ultimate meaning, the process reaffirmed their belief in personal meaning creation. At 30 years old, they viewed the work as relatively successful, considering the challenging circumstances. The creation of this piece served as a positive endeavor during a time of global negativity.
Interview Transcript
Introduction
Interviewer: Okay. So we'd like you to think about the in our work that you created. That's especially meaningful to you. It doesn't have to be the most important, but it should be meaningful and emotionally salient. It helps, if created, if by your memories are vivid. But you don't have to remember anything. So I know You've chosen your artwork already. So what is it?
Description
Participant: it is a dance work I choreographed in 2017.
Interviewer: Oh, great. Thank you. Does it have a title?
Participant: It does. It's called Light Finds Us.
Interviewer: Great, and then I know sharing something like that is maybe a little bit tricky like in a when we're on video. But I don't know. If you have, do you have anything that you could share on screen or like through email.
Participant: Sure, I have a video recording of some rehearsals. I can screen share and pull it up. Or if you want just a Google drive Link. I'm happy to do that.
Interviewer: yeah, If you wanted to share via the link that I would think will be helpful. I don't think we need to you know go through it on now. but yeah, that'd be really appreciated. If you could
Participant: let me grab the link here now. I want to drop it in the chat. I believe that is a technical rehearsal. So costuming, but not full lighting rig and such.
Interviewer: Okay, so could you describe this piece for me?
Participant: Sure. Yeah. Like the important details. Okay, it's a dance movement work for dancers and non-dancers. it's about 11-ish minutes in length. I did it for a student organization that runs through the department of dance at Case Western, and it was primarily inspired by my love of some visual art and sculpting and connecting that with a piece of music, I found that I really enjoyed
Why did you choose this one? (Specialness)
Interviewer: great. Thank you. And then why did you choose this piece to talk about for this study.
Participant: It is one of the few pieces I created because I wanted to, and not because I had to do something for a grade or a degree or as part of like a professional gig, like a performance I was being hired to do. While I did get paid for this, it was far more offered as an opportunity for artistic expression. So the piece itself feels a bit more emotionally resonant, because there wasn't anything else driving it.
Process of Creating
What led up to its creation? What motivated you to create it?
Interviewer: And then what led up to its creation? What motivated you to create it?
Participant: I went looking for music first. I always start with music. and I don't remember precisely how I stumbled upon the first piece of music for the work. I believe it showed up in a playlist, or on a shuffle feature on like Pandora or Spotify and it's cello and beat boxing, which I thought was a really interesting mix of sounds.
And so it'd have been sitting in my pocket for a while, and then I was asked to do a work for this group because they needed more choreographers, and I thought of that piece of music and thought, Great Yup! This is a good serendipitous timing.
So I started with that the music is very upbeat and joyful and very rhythmic and at the same time
I was thinking about what kinds of movement would I be interested in exploring with that. And I was thinking about These little sculptures by this artist that I really enjoy that are also sort of very lifted and hopeful, but also a little weird and quirky, and I thought, well, perfect, cello and beat-boxing. It's the same kind of vibe. And so I looked at a lot of photographs of her work at some of the little statuettes that I have myself. And sort of translated that into some movement inspirations, and went from there.
Meaningfulness and Distinguishing
Interviewer: Great, Thank you. And then, is there something about like this genre or medium that's meaningful or distinguishing compared to other art forms for you?
Participant: from the creative point of view. I've always been a mover, a dancer, and athlete. I find art that uses time and space to be very interesting, right. It's multi faceted in a way that maybe visual art isn't in the same fashion. It exists in space, but not so much in time. Music is in time, but not so much in space, and dances are really neat mix of the 2. It also, just on a personal level, relies less on fine motor control the way other art does so in terms of creating or participating. It is the one that I find
most naturally accessible. As a person.
What led up to the creation? What motivated you to create it?
Interviewer: And now, could you please tell me about the experience and process of creating this choreography by answering some questions? So what led up to the creation, what motivated you to create it?
Participant: I don't enjoy choreography. And so when this was presented to me, it seems like an opportunity to challenge myself as a creator. I like to dance. I don't really particularly enjoy the act of creating dance or choreographing but it is a good skill to have. If you want to work professionally, you often have to create your own things, whether you want to or not. and it was an opportunity to engage more with the department who was hiring me. I was currently working there part time. It seemed
wise career-wise to take an additional opportunity to get more enmeshed in the department to participate more deeply in some of the ancillary activities outside of my own personal class load. And it afforded that personal artistic challenge of like, You don't really love this, but you can do it. Let's try it.
When and where did the work happen? Was anyone else involved?
Interviewer: And then could you tell me a little bit more about when and where the work happened, and then was anybody involved besides you?
Participant: And sure so the performances would have been in late November or early December of 2,017. Towards the end of the the fall semester we would have done 4 performances in 3 nights a third. It would have been a Thursday, Friday, double Saturday run in terms of the creation of the choreography and the costumes that was entirely me. I worked with pre-recorded music. by Mark Summers, I believe, is the composer's name. And then in terms of the rest of the stage creation. light design would have been by our technical director, Brad Pitto in consultation with me, but primarily would have been his creation. And that was it no sets or props, or anything like that for this piece.
What were you thinking and feeling at different times throughout the process of creating the artwork?
Interviewer: Great and then what were you thinking and feeling at different times throughout the process of creating this choreography.
Participant: Sure, at the beginning it would have been exciting and energizing. It was a cast of 19, so that would have very quickly shifted into a small sense of overwhelm. That's a lot of bodies to move through space. Knowing me, I don't have a ton of very specific recollections of this process in particular, but there certainly would have been days of frustration, of trying to create more movement or work out a logistical spatial issue. Or given that this cast was a mix of skill-levels and experiences. There were certainly rehearsal process struggles of trying to get everybody on the same count, or to do the movement in the correct way, or in the correct facing to make sure everyone's in the correct spaces.
But I do recall a sense of, once the piece was sort of completed from the creation standpoint, allowing the dancers space to explore their performance aspects, was really rewarding. I lucked into a group of dancers who were really invested and really excited to perform and be a part of the work. And so that was very energizing to not have to sort of drag them into the piece and get them excited about it. They were there with me from the beginning, which was wonderful.
Interviewer: Great! Thank you.
Can you describe any high points, low points or challenges, or turning points along the way?
Interviewer: Could you describe any high points low points or challenges, or turning points in the process of creating this?
Participant: High points were definitely the performances themselves, though I remember a couple of rehearsals when you have 19 bodies sometimes you just have to try something in the space and make sure that it works, and I know there were several successful moments of creating. There's a moment where there's an inner circle and an outer circle and being able to create a formation out of what started as sort of a whirling chaos of bodies. It was very satisfying. because that often will work in your head, but not in real life where physics is involved.
So that was certainly some high points. Low points, nothing terribly low. I had a couple of dancers who really struggled to count the music, and the choreography was very rhythmically tied to the freezing of the music. So, as a rehearsal director there were some frustrations not necessarily with them, but with our inability to communicate in a way that got us both on the same page about what was expected in terms of the choreography, and there are certainly, even in the performances, there were a couple of moments where the the rhythm fell off a little bit but overall not in a way that was eally was detrimental to the piece.
There were so many people and so much movement and so much energy that the very nitty-gritty specifics of the choreography were less important than sort of the overall group mechanics that were happening.
Let’s talk about the impact of the artwork on yourself and others.
What did you learn from the process of creating this artwork? Did you learn anything about yourself?
Interviewer: thank you. So lets talk a little bit about the impact of this on yourself and others. What did you learn from the process of creating this choreography? Did you learn anything about yourself?
Participant: I learned that my the assessment that I gave myself in graduate school- that I do not like to choreograph - was, in fact, still true, even when there wasn't a degree on the line. I think sometimes when you're working for a terminal degree, it's hard to tell what is your feelings towards the thing you're working on, and what is your feelings towards the fact that it's in service of a degree, or it's in service of something other than your own passion for it. And so this was purely a passion project, and while it was beneficial and successful, I think, largely as an artistic endeavor.
I don't enjoy choreography. It is not a drive that I have and it was gratifying to affirm that initial assessment of myself, even though I think there are other people who were hoping I would come to a different realization. But I did, I found some joy in it. I was actually looking back at the work right before this interview, and realized that many of the dancers in the cast went from being students to being colleagues, or even being friends, which is one of those sort of long-standing benefits I hadn't really reflected on.But it's very, very, gratifying to see that we had this creative experience together, and it sort of catapulted us into a more personal connection later on down the road.
How did others receive the artwork? For example, what were their reactions? Did you intend the work to affect others or the world in any particular ways?
Interviewer: Great! And then how did others receive the artwork, for example, what were their reactions. And then did you intend for the choreography to affect other people or the world in any particular ways?
Participant: So to the second half of the question, Yes, I was definitely trying to inspire a sense of uplift, the sense of light, a sense of joy not in any like with any particular message, but just to use the younger kids primarily. I just want to really good vibes and just really joyful. A really joyful atmosphere, because a lot of concert dance can get very serious and very heavy and very heady or very intellectual. They wanted something that was just more like a kinetic, joyous response, and I did get several members of the audience giving me that type of feedback that they did find it uplifting, that they did find it joyful. I got that and feedback from the dancers themselves. that they really enjoyed the energy that they found it very happy, found very uplifting or joyful of adjective of that nature.
Here. I can't say that it worked for everybody right. there Certainly isn't like an exit interview at the end of concerts. I do remember we sit in the audience and watch during these performances, and I do remember a very loud sort of applause at the end. part of that is because with 19 dancers there was always a lot of friends and family from them in the audience. But regardless, they enjoyed watching their loved ones enough in that work to respond very loudly and vocally at the end, which is satisfying, even if it's more about the dancers, and less about the choreography.
Did your experience affect your understanding of others or “the world”?
Interviewer: And then did your experience affect your understanding of other people or of the world?
Participant: Hmm. I don't know in any big, profound way. Certainly there are a handful of individuals who are in the cast. that I got to understand better as dancers. One of the cast members later went on to pursue her MFA through our department. So I taught her in several classes and coached her through some things. And having worked with her in this performance experience ahead of time, I felt like I sort of had a leg up on the types of things we were going to be working on together in terms of her dancing and her technique. But I don't know that there was any sort of like earth shatteringly large change.
When some people think about themselves, they see some parts of themselves as deeply true, real, or authentic.
If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about your true nature during the process? Did you have any insights about your own authentic (or inauthentic) self?
Okay, so this prompt is a little bit longer. When some people think about themselves that they see some parts of themselves as deeply true, real, or authentic. If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about your true nature during this process? Did you have any insights into your own authentic or inauthentic self.
Participant: Hmm. Um that statement doesn't fully resonate with me the initial start of it. But it didn't, as I mentioned earlier, because it was created under a different set of external circumstances, that reaffirming of my own assessment, my dislike of creating was certainly there, and felt it was easier to untangle it from other external frustrations with sort of the degree seeking process. And also, I think, doing this work in a long form…
Normally, when i'm creating movement for a performance gig you've got like 2 weeks. This is a multi-month process with long rehearsals, really dedicated rehearsals. And so it was also affirming to me that I work better with a tighter deadline. When I have just a couple of weeks. You've got to put it together. You can't sit there and ponder over every little detail. You don't have time with something long like this did sort of help me understand better that too much time is not helpful for me. I get stuck in negative feedback loops. I get stuck in anxiety spirals I get stuck in just the smallest, dumbest details that don't actually matter, because well, we've got to do something with this time. So in terms of it's all. That's all very logistical stuff, but I find that my understanding of what the logistics needs to be, comes from sort of just a very honest understanding of how my brain processes, and how emotionally I respond to different types of pressures. And then, therefore, what various work schedules and deadlines need to be to sort of game that to my advantage as opposed to my detriment.
Some people believe in ultimate meaning. This is defined as deep, underlying meaning that transcends subjective, personal meaning. It is about the nature of existence and identity, and it may include ideas about the significance of suffering, as well as spirituality.
If this idea resonates with you, did you learn anything about ultimate meaning during the process?
Interviewer: Okay, Thank you. so this prompt also a little longer. some people believe in ultimate meeting. this is defined as deep underlying meaning that transcends subjective personal meaning. It is about the nature of existence and identity and it may include ideas about the significance of suffering as well as spirituality. If this idea resonates with you. Did you learn anything about ultimate meaning During this process?
Participant: The idea does not resonate with me. I do not believe an ultimate meaning. I think there is no meaning, and therefore you get to create your own. And that's what makes art so powerful because you can create art for yourself, and it has all the meaning that you imbue with it, and you put it out in the world, and none of that matters, and it's so freeing to not have to worry about it, and people may find their own meaning in it, and they may not, but that's their business. Your process of creating creates the meaning for you, whatever you need it to be. I think that's why art is so powerful, because it can be, whatever you need it to be, and it doesn't hold anything that you don't want it to hold.
Yeah, and this specific process I don't, didn't go against that feeling. I don't know that I, during the process, found that it reaffirmed that understanding, though looking back at what I actually created, and what I was thinking about or feeling at the time. I do think that was sort of the experience. like I was inspired by these little sculptures, but, like I didn't show the dancers pictures of these little sculptures, or anything that was just my initial inspiration, and that was for me. And other dancers found their own ways to express their feelings through the movement, and it might not have been what I would think about if I were dancing it. But that’s…i'm not dancing it. So it doesn't matter. Yeah,
that it's all subjective, and that's the beauty of it.
Some people believe or perceive a reality beyond the physical or material world. This may include religious beliefs/experiences (such as perceived interactions with God) but also may include mystical or transcendent experiences, or interaction with spirits.
Did you have any of these kinds of experiences during the creation of the artwork?
Interviewer: Thank you. and then some people believe or perceive a reality beyond the physical or material world. This may include religious beliefs and experiences. but may also include mystical or transcendent experiences or interaction with spirits. I did you have any of these kinds of experiences during that creation of this choreography?
Participant: No, I don't believe in any of those ideas. we do often talk and dance about like energy lines, and I know for some that means like a literal mystical energy or spiritual energy. For me it's just because I don't have a better word to explain how the eye line follows movement, and naturally extends it beyond the end of the fingers. I understand that to be some type of physiological and neurological processing but sort of the colloquial term in the dance world is the energy lines. And even if how I understand that is a little bit more literal than a lot of other dancers, it gets me the result that I need as a teacher and as a choreographer and certainly from a performance aspect with a piece like this, where you're hoping to inspire positive feelings. You're trying to get your dancers to find movements, or to find ways of performing their movements that create sort of a kinesthetic, sympathetic response that so if you're happy, people will read that in your body language, and then they will respond in kind. But I think that's my understanding of that, and how I get at. That is more about the idea that people are social creatures, and we tend to respond to what we're seeing in other people, and less about any sort of unseen or not yet understood higher power or mystical energy fields, or what have you.
How old were you?
Interviewer: Great? Thank you. I just have a few. Quick your follow up questions. So how old were you when you created this choreography?
Participant: 30,
How do you perceive the quality of the art?
Interviewer: And then how did you perceive the quality of the choreography.
Participant: It's okay. Looking back on it, I would make some different choices. I tend to get. I have a bucket of movement, and then I forget that I can put more in the bucket halfway through the process. There are also some staging aspects like how I moved bodies through space that I would revisit.I think, if I did it again, but I think, given the number of rehearsals, the length of time, the difficulty of counting the music, and the disparate skill levels of the dancers, It was a relatively successful within those parameters as a sort of like overarching. in a perfect world, and there would be some some adjustments made going forward.
What was going on in your life around this time?
Interviewer: Thank you. And then did you want to talk any more about what was going on in your own life around the time that you created the choreography?
Participant: Hmm. 2017. I don't know that there was anything particular in my personal life. Certainly I was getting a sense that there was a lot of negativity in the world given. It was the first year of a terrible presidency, and it would be nice to have something happy and uplifting, and just to just sort of bask in something positive would be would be nice. I'm sure was there a little bit. I can't recall any specific instances or goings on that were part of this process.
Interviewer: Okay, that was great. Now, thank you so much.
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