breeannbirrchoreo-blog

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Japanese Noh Theatre

Noh theater is structured around song and dance. Movement is slow, language is poetic, tone is monotonous, and costumes are rich and heavy. Plots are usually drawn from legend, history, literature and contemporary events. Themes often relate to dreams, supernatural worlds, ghosts and spirits.

Further Information - https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2091.html

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Final Project Development

Below is the score for my final project.

START

Introduction - begin by saying my name 

Dancers starting in the audience, will come out one by one to replace me on stage to say something. After they get replaced, will go to their starting position.

SECTIONS

The structure as followed was developed by chance. Dancers selected from 6 pieces of paper or tiles to receive both the order and location of their movement. The number assignments were as followed...

Moves

Move + Stillness

Slow Moving

Drop/Run

Pas de bous serve

Biba quotes

Jump throw up

Location

Offstage

upstage right

upstage left

downstage right

Downstage left

in the audience space

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

END: As soon as the last song ends, dancers will stop and walk back to their spots in the audience and begin clapping.

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Dada and Cabaret Voltaire

Example of Dada performance 

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Chance Dance

I’m looking at the idea of chance dance and randomness in assembly of movement and the work. I am also entertaining the idea of creating the work completely separate from the music.

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Dada - Research

Here are some links to the definition of of Dada concepts and what I am looking at.

Dada - http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/d/dada

Performance Art - http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/performance-art

Readymade - http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/r/readymade

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Choreo 2 Final Proposal

For my final choreography, I want to explore the concepts of the Dada art movement in the realm of dance. With a history of performance already built into the movement with Cabaret Voltaire and Hugo Ball’s Karawane, what is dance other than extended form of ‘performance art.’ I feel a strong connection with the randomness and nonsensical construction of their work because we are currently living in an era of complete randomness and upheaval in values, society, and government. One thing that I have noticed through my research of the Dada movement is the consistent questions of the authority, asking what makes art, and who constitutes it. This is a something that has been bubbling up with me in regards to my own work and dance in general. What constitutes dance and choreography?

In using Dada movement as inspiration and an extension of the phiosophy of Merce Cunningham’s chance dances, I want to push myself, my dancers, and the audiences boundaries in regards to how dance is made as well as what is produced as the end result. I want to lok into all aspects of the creation of a performance from the music or sound, physical movement and construction, the role of the audience, use of lights, responsibility or lack of for the choreographer, and more. With more specific ideas in mind, below is a list of directions I might work with as the concept progresses...

Sound/Music

Recording of sounds and conversations from a day

Make a shuffle playlist of segmented songs and let it go 

play actual recording of one of the Dada performances

Movement

Not literal or representation of anything, more abstract

All rehearsals separate, give dancers performance cues and choices

create small numbered phrases and general structures on the stage to fill

give the dancers permission to leave the stage as they please

Audience Barrier

Use of smart phones as light for the stage

Turing the whole room lights on, no hiding in the audience, see it all

have the audience members call out a number to cue actions on stage

Props

The insertion of the ‘ready made’ concept

Make it apparent the construction and artifice of the stage

what is the line of ready made in dance

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Exploration - Body Cartography Project

For my selection of artistic projects, I have decided to explore Body Cartography Project. This project over an 18 year period has collaborated and created projects across the globe. Focusing on body-mind centering somatic practices, the explore and integrate embodied approaches to both movement and engagement with the audience. With pieces like ‘Works,’ ‘Closer,’ and ‘Go,’ each of them provoke both the audience and the performers to relate to each other. Their projects explore a variety of scores for both the audience and the performers as well as challenging the concepts of the front.

http://bodycartography.org/

Below is a video on BodyCartography and their ‘Super Nature’ project.

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Response to “Like No Place Else”

In reading this article about site-specific work, the primary thread that stood out to me was the concept of uncertainty and acceptance of flexibility. Having worked in various site-specific works myself, I can understand and recognize both of these aspects. I feel like in any works, there is a certain level of uncertainty, but when it comes to site-specific works there are additional factors that can further affect and influence the performance. This is something that I personal enjoy in regards to site-specific work are the elements of uncertainty and real-time interaction.

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Response to Burrows: Scores / Audience / Lighting etc...

Below are segments of the reading that stood out to me.

Scores:

It is one way to get an overview of time and material

Provides a way to sense and adjust time, allowing to see a shift the relation of materials over longer periods

Score is a conscious way to distance you from the thing you’re making

Score represents the pieces itself, separate from the personality or desire of the performer

Score can also embody within it the principles and philosophy behind the work; a good example of this is chance processes.

Place or Space:

Watching a great performer dance gives on the impression that they could do anything

If you go anywhere, how do you make us care that you go somewhere?

“The primary illusion of dance is a virtual realm of Power - not actual, physically exerted power, but appearances of influence and agency created by virtual gesture.”

If yo ucare where you are then we (the audience) will care also

Facing the Front:

thinking about direction is in constant negotiation with compass points

Is there another way we could orientate ourselves in relation to the room we are in and the people who are watching?

“You know if you dare to turn around and dance away from us we love to follow you”

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Narrative / Continuity / Relation / Transitions / and Connections Assignment

1. Complete Burrows Text 

- See previous posts on Narrative / Continuity etc...

2. Considering ‘Choreographic Material”

In regards of ‘choreographic material,’ I feel like it is dangerous when we look material as being crystallized. Material and work is always a process and can change in any way shape form. With that being said, this doesn’t mean we can’t be happy with what has been produced. For me personally, I do believe that material can be produced from multiple inspirations, but I prefer to produce from a more physical and conceptual space.

3. Create 2-3 Choreographic Materials

I created 2 phrases within the parameters of my small living room. I was not inspired by anything to specific, but did it more as an exercise of creation within constriction in a different space other than a studio. 

4. Coming together as a group

When we came together to discuss what we had created, we all came to the conclusion that many of our projects had been developed in a similar manner no matter the prompted; We create material on our own and then we put it together. Another topic came up was our relation and inspiration we draw from our professor. From this, we each pulled a mannerism and used it to create a small gesture phrase in which we each manipulated in our transitions. From a thematic stand point, we decided not to learn each others phrases and instead try to “quote” them or learn them in the moment. During the learning section, after we each were ‘teaching’ our section, we finished with a hesitate vocal cue of, “That’s It” which came about naturally when we each were sharing our material. After we went through the learning section, we each tried to recall and perform what we saw from memory.

5. Include Solo, Duos, Trios, and Quartets

With this piece, there were three of us to overall it is designated as a trio. Within the piece, there were consistently structures of 3 solos at once, 1 solo and a duo, and no dancers in the space. For the most part when we were dancing we were all moving in the space together and were attentive to each other and observing/learning in real time. 

6. Include one unexpected element

The unexpected element we brought in was in the relation between music, dialogue, and holding the space. In the first section, we kept an informal element of me setting up the music and walking into the space like we were about to start a class. We continued to dance with the music but then phased out to the sides while the music continued to play. We let it play out and held the space in silence for almost a minute. After this time we had a conversation about the process and development right in the middle of the piece. After this concluded, in silence we continued with our finishing segment.

7.Choose music if appropriate

The song we selected was “All Wet (feat. Siriusmo)” by Mr. Oizo.

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Observations: Neil Greenberg’s “This”

Watching Greenberg’s “This”and reading conversations with Biba Bell, there were a number of things in the piece that I noticed and many things that peaked my interest. One of the first notable features for me was the use of lighting. There were very subtle shifts and nothing to intricate, and from what I observed the lighting seemingly mirrored the energy of the dancers on stage. Along with the subtle shifts, the changing in music and costumes was also something I enjoyed. In regards to the relation of the dancers in space, even though the dancers aren’t seemingly ‘dancing’ together in the space and doing individual solos, they are still holding the space together. I found myself never getting bored with the piece because it was interesting to see the contrast and relations of their movement together. Even if the choreography isn’t the ‘same,’ I loved that there were similar energies linking the dancer. 

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Burrow’s Readings: Narrative/Continuity/Material/Relation etc...

Response and highlights from Burrows readings p.109-122

Bellow are passages from the readings that resonated with me.

Continuity:

How one thing connects to the next thing, is perhaps as important as the thing itself

Can an individual movement be defined as ‘material?’ Is ‘material’ what happens when you put things together? 

Just dancing is enough. It depends what you want

Looking for interesting movement can be a thankless task. Looking for style can be a thankless task.

Relations:

One of the greatest strengths of dance can be putting two people doing two different dances next to each other

When you work with two people, you might think of the ‘material’ as being what happens between them.

Just putting two things side by side works. It depends what you want

Solo, Duo, Trios, Quartets

The people you work with are your most important material

More people doesn’t necessarily mean more will happen

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Response to “Wayne McGregor - Entity”

Read this article, there were many different things that I took from it as well as related to on an extremely personal level. One of the first things that struck me was that ‘he has a workload that would terrify an ordinary human.’ This for me is something I have been told when I try to tel people about what I do; it’s never a quick answer. For me it is not always out of necessity but this crazy schedule comes from my desire to continue to learn, create, and do. I most definitely related to him when it comes to various interests, cross-disciplines, and the importance of challenging collaborations. The last thing that majorly stood out for me is the need for practice and the continuation to produce work, and to not be ‘precious’ about creating. It doesn’t have to be this crazy magical process that takes forever to go through, but it can be an experience that can be quick. We don’t always have to like what we produce and it can be good or bad. 

In looking up some of his work, I came across this TED talk video he had on the Creative Process in Real Time. I was interesting to hear him talk about the process.

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Response to “5 Artists on Working with Trisha Brown”

After reading about the experiences of these 5 artists and watching portions of Trish Brown’s “Set and Reset,” I understand where these artists were coming from. In watching the work, there is this sense of undulations, quirkiness, and freedom within the confines of the space. Commenting on Baryshnikov’s statement of having no particular style other than using your eyes and your brains to learn it. This really resonated with me because the concept of style is something I think is focused on too much in my current experiences with my contemporary dancers and choreographers. Rather than being holistically involved in a pieces development, the construct of style and liking gets in the way too much. I also really enjoyed Terry Winters’ statement of “the shortest distance between two points in the forest is not necessarily a straight line.” This statement made me smile because this is so true and so much the opposite of the straight line, point A to point B, society we live in today.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/arts/dance/5-artists-on-working-with-trisha-brown.html?_r=0

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Response: Neil Greenberg in Conversation with Biba Bell

In reading the conversation between Greenberg and Biba, as watching Greenberg’s “This,” I was very inspired. My major take away is the idea of the ‘aboutness’ of a piece, and the audience as well as the dancers and choreographers need to make material about something. Living in the representation or non-representation realms of dance isn’t a right or wrong route, more so a preference. I can understand and begin to empathize with Greenberg’s allergy to ‘aboutness’ in work and I find myself more and more drawn away from the idea of direct representation and storytelling. 

https://movementresearch.org/publications/critical-correspondence/neil-greenberg-in-conversation-with-biba-bell

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“One, Two, Me, You;” Response and Reflection

Overall Process and Performance

With this piece, I wanted to explore the concept of duality throughout its development. In early stages I opened the concept up to both of my composers and told them to interpret this prompt however it worked for them. When I was creating material with my sister, I opened up the choreography to my sister. We each interpreted each other’s movement and styles, presented the material to each other, and combined them into a storyline. With the performance, I was able to also adjust the light to mark the two halves of the piece.

Positive Experiences and why?

In developing this material I had a great time working with my sister in creating the work. It was a huge test for me in terms of trust because I was leaving almost half of the material in my sister’s hands. Seeing the final product in the performance and seeing the trust come to fruition, it was very wonderful to see.

Negative Experiences and Why? What will I do next time?

One thing I was not particularly please with was the end result of the music. On its own it is a very beautiful piece of music, but it wasn’t what I had in my mind as far as how I wanted the piece to turn out. Although I provided a playlist of inspiration and possible direction I was thinking, I feel that in the future I should have been more direct with what I was wanting.

Take Away from the Process?

What I am taking away from this process is finding balance between completely trusting material development to others, but also finding clarity in the direction I want to take it. What I would also like to do is create further connections with the music community and work more on collaborative efforts. One thing that I am finding is important to me is the idea and practice of collaboration and the breaking down of boundaries between art forms and community.

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“One, Two, Me, You”

Choreographer: Breeann Birr

Dancer: Britney Birr

Original Composition by Nick Edelmann and Dan Giordanelli