going public

Tomorrow, we will show a portion of what we have been studying. We will test some theories (previously considered in this blog) and see how they are perceived. A solo and a duet will be happening simultaneously; but in extremely different worlds. We will be addressing: private vs public; individual verses group; perception and perspective. We will also begin to consider the performance venue as a laboratory/sanctuary/torture chamber... The question looming around the whole concept being: who is studying whom?


As this performance nears, I have been thinking about the transition from the studio to the performance arena, private to public. The transition can be jolting, if one is not practicing fully during studio time. For us, we work hard to commit entirely to each rehearsal in a way that begins to close the gap between private and public. It is just a practice, not an execution whether it be for ourselves for viewers. Thus, public performance is simply an expression of the private studio thoughts. Not much changes in terms of delivery and energy.

I have also been wondering, as we all sometimes do, what the greater function of all of this is. For now, my thoughts remain attached to the idea that through abstraction and imagination, our performances open channels that allow viewers and performers to begin to understand complex realities in visceral ways, and in so doing provoke some kind of response. This is my goal, my job. I have come to find that it is important to not only know one's intention for a specific performance; but, to also identify a more expansive point. Once this is defined one's performance is clear, grounded, and full of truth no matter what the specifics of the current performance entail.

more soon...

-rach

immunity...

possibilities:

1. ...the performance arena as a place where the thoughts, desires, and fears of the deepest recesses of our mind exist freely. this project and process as a venue that allows, welcomes, and nurtures the unacceptable, where the things that we hide are exposed; a safe place to be fucked up.

2. inner monologue: a mind is racing, but that body is still. turn the inside out here in this sanctuary. physically express the inner monologue...

also, a thought on the art of performance: this weekend i saw a lot of dance and i noticed a common theme: the dancers and choreographers were making choices to execute and approach their works, performances, and movements with excess amounts of energy, almost insane amounts. ease, control, concept, and detail were totally lost in a surplus of misdirected and unsupported outbursts of energy, regardless of intention. it brought to light for me the importance of practice, task, and clear intention. we dont have to perform to PROVE anything. we can perform to communicate. and if you are always screaming at me, i will go deaf or tune you out... which ever comes first. just a thought.

the videos below are a series of "inside outs/inner monologue" studies for one. and yes, there is a thunderstorm happening during the first video. lightning and all. it was exciting. and yes, i cant stop listening to older catpower. it is helping me try less and show more.
-rach

random thoughts

just thinking, in no order of importance and not necessarily new or old....

sound associations: sounds trigger memory for the mind and the body. it's as simple as that. This sense has become a tool for recalling movement ideas without memorizing an actual series of movements or "steps". The ears cannot edit as the eyes can (close your eyes). The ears hear what they have heard before and the body recalls what it was doing then. simple science. It's in the tool belt. using sound to access memories and in turn past movement practices as a performance idea and a study tactic.

task and intention: a task is something to be done. direct. An intention is an aim or a plan mostly based on prior education. memory. these ideas are clearly fused in dance. A mover chooses to move from A to B, a task. A mover travels from A to B with ease. intention. I am beginning to create a solo for a portion of the work that will be a series of unrelated tasks and intentions. but wont this make them related? more soon...

communication: the more i work the more i realize i dont want to express anything in particular. i want to work on the actual act ( task ) of communicating as an ethereal almost telepathic experience, the performance space as an opportunity for input and output between viewer and performer.

sanctuary: used to be a place ( in a church) where fugitives were immune. so, a place where what is considered unsuitable can be free... thinking of this as a visual concept...
-rach

thinking bout:
"What happens when we are required to keep in constant contact with _______?"
Filling in the blank is always amusing and the answers change by the day, by the hour. The possibilities are endless.

These improvised studies explore magnified expressions and isolated aspects of each our personalities. I am learning more about the players as people and the way in which we each deal with what is presented. It is profound to watch the performers develop within a given study. It is truly living and breathing. As a result, perspective and perception- physical and emotion- are lingering around our thoughts.

"What do we present and what do we perceive on our way to defining what we are and what "it" is?" deliberation, struggle, contentment, engagement, separation.

Also, the idea that it all has to make some sort of sense is totally out the window for me. I look at what we dig up and I piece it together. It's okay to create your own puzzle and solve it yourself and the pieces don't actually have to seamlessly fit together to create a beautiful thought. Making beautiful (or not so beautiful, but still beautiful) images and finding new ways to communicate is this process. "What does it mean?" doesn't mean anything. Art making is like magic- it's mystical and phenomenal. yes.

P. S. Matthew Baker has also joined the process and we are more than thrilled!!

Here is another taste:
-rach








the sound is this video was created by Fade Kainer.

recappin

we took some time out of the studio to travel, write, think, and live. we are here:

a pink tool kit, cheese sandwiches, Barbie, Jesus, the apostles, Mary Magdalene, pillows, guns, bandages, pills, tang, couches, mascara, closets, bright lights, flashlights, exposure, soldiers, a birdcage, a memory, grocery bags, crystals, a music box, roller skates, strawberries, a game of telephone, shadows.

hold me

This week the lovely Jackie Carslon joined us. She is fierce.
We worked on an improvised duet for Liz and Jackie with the following in mind:

: verb (used with object)
-squeeze someone tightly in one's arms, typically to express affection
-hold (something) closely or tightly around or against part of one's body
-fit tightly around
-keep close to

The bodies tell the story. The videos posted are the beginning takes of the process this week.
-Rach

seeing what happens

Last week was spent mostly talking, conceptualizing, throwing out every idea that came to mind. A lot of the talk was centered around the phrase "the last supper". This phrase has been in my brain for awhile now. I have been talking to people about what the phrase means to them, Liz has as well. The different responses are incredibly vast (more on this soon) and inspired the intentions and compositional ideas for the basic studies we have been playing around with so far:
1. perspective
2. portrait/depiction.

thinking thinking thinking....

Toward the end of the week, we decided to put all that intellectualizing aside as best we could and let our bodies lead us. This video clip is my favorite place we ended up.
-Rachel

limitation breeds creativity

We spent the past week studying our individual movement behaviors and patterns. In solo, we improvised with no particular goal in mind, trying to stay true to just following impulses. Through repetition of this exercise, patterns developed and we began to identify our habits. Habit-friend or foe? Yes, friend and foe. I wanted to try eliminating the habits we tend to employ when improvising. Jolt us a little, remove the comfort and uncover the movement narratives that reside under the protective layers. We spent more time improvising trying to exclude our habits- "anti-habit" studies, so to speak. It was a frustrating and revealing task, for me. I was irritated by the limitation and, at the same time, aggravated that I couldn't let my "tendencies" go. Idiosyncrasy has it place in performance and creativity; but, I found myself bored with my habitual movement vocabulary. I wanted new stuff! What ended up happening was exactly what I was hoping would happen: the elimination of the habit eventually created new patterns. We taught ourselves new tricks! The videos posted are several "anti-habit" studies edited together. The studies exhibit some of our little discoveries. P.S. The music in the videos is motivation (and feel-good indulgence). -Rachel :)

beginning

(liz's foot after Friday's rehearsal- werk)

so, it's Liz, the studio, and me. we have been writing a lot, talking a lot. and now, over the past few weeks have begun to move a lot. we drink the wine (or the harder stuff) in rehearsal and it usually takes us about an hour before we calm down enough to actually start rehearsing. distractions are often welcomed as we sift through the incredibly vulnerable ritual of rehearsing. our sources are anything and everything. "the last supper", flashlights, trash bags, shiny things, and answering machine messages have been floating around the studio A LOT- literally and not so literally.

This past week we made movement portraits in which we tried to examine personality perspectives. these portrait studies are exposing ways for us to fuse abstraction and "recognizable person" gesture and vice verse. We are working on teaching ourselves how to seamlessly move in and out of realism and abstraction. unlearning the distinction is THE GOAL right now. rhythm and variation of timing is creating interest and calls for more exploration. a desire to challenge our "comfortable" performance behavior is in the air. the throat and the idea of dying has come up a lot. oh, and Barbie in all her splendor became a re-occurring theme in a our rehearsal jabber on Friday.

the ideas are broad and vague. so many places to go. i like where we are headed so far! -Rachel

Rachel and Brenda

liz and brenda