Research on Deborah Hay

Due to our choreographers being inspired by Deborah Hay, I thought I would do some research as well as start reading Deborah Hay's book: 'My Body, the Buddhist'.

Here is a short interview with Deborah Hay that I found on YouTube of where she discusses some work and how she sees dancer's in space, how they should see themselves, and how the audience perceives them: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5SYVDPpxUI

"What if the question “What if where I am is what I need?” 

is not about what I need but an opportunity to remember 

the question “What if where I am is what I need?”? "

A list of her dances can be found here: 

http://www.deborahhay.com/dances.html

A list of links for her scores for the dances can be found here:

http://www.deborahhay.com/scores.html

My Second Role- Fundraising For Performance Projects

Me and Carly have decided that due to the success of the first bake sale, we will hold weekly ones in the hub in order to raise more money for the performance projects, to cover things such as costumes, the choreographers time, as well as the flights and accommodation of our choreographers.
We have decided to have them on Thursdays and give them themes, and so therefore we have spoken to Abbie whose second role is Marketing and Advertising, and asked her to design a poster.

Through research, I have discovered that home-made goods are an effective fundraising idea that make money, so we are going to as a group decide on things to make e.g. bracelets, and sell them at the bake sales. In addition to this, we have also discussed the following possibilities to raise money:

- open mic nights 

- raffles

- tombolas

- dance performances

- themed events

Carly has said she is going to email some venues in Coventry to ask about having an event there in order to raise money for the dance performance. As she is doing this I am going to think of ways to then raise money from these nights e.g. admission fees, creating our own cocktails of which we will get a certain percentage of the money from etc. 

Fundraising - First Bake Sale 16/10/14

Today was our first bake sale that we launched in order to raise money for the performance projects in December. As I decided to put myself forward as Fundraising Organiser with Carly as my second role, I really hoped that today would be extremely successful as our first attempt at fundraising to get all of our group excited and motivated for the future events.

I decided to make 'sweetie cones' as my contribution to the bake sale, to compliment everyone else's contributions of brownies, cakes, and smore pops! 

Everyone who contributed made an enormous effort and we managed to raise an amazing £147! I'm really proud of everybody for being so dedicated and I feel it has really bought us together as a dance company so we have good group cohesion. Go Year 2 Dance students!

Performance Projects - Day Three of Intensive Workshop - 15/10/14

Day Three with Fitzgerald and Stapleton

Today was the final day of our first intensive set of days with our choreographers. Looking back over the past 3 days I have learnt a lot about myself including my movement patterns and comfort zone, and how its okay to break the two and experiment.

In today's open practise I was very confident to use my voice whilst engaging with my cells and trying to claim the "originality and uniqueness". I felt comfortable being in contact with other people and again felt a determination to 'double my cells' and take another persons so I have more to play and experiment with. I also experimented with stillness, however, I personally felt a stronger connection with my cells and others if I was moving around, no matter how extravagant or intricate.

We have completed all of the choreography now and are aware of the principles, stage directions, and details that we need to put into the movement in order to reflect the score.

Fitzgerald and Stapleton urged us to create contracts with them so that we sign it and are in agreement of committing to a certain amount of rehearsal time, both in groups and individually. We are also aware of what needs to be completed from now until they return in November, e.g. to write out our self interviews which will be used in the performance in December.

I have really enjoyed working with these two choreographers as my perception of dance has once again been widened, and I am now in connection with new improvisation techniques and movement ideas. Can't wait to see them again in November!

Performance Project - Intensive Session - Day Two 14/10/14

Day Two with Fitzgerald and Stapleton

Today I decided to test out my voice during open practise. I did it where it felt necessary as I was slightly apprehensive to do so yesterday, however, I felt that the use and variations of my breath were more effective for me than the use of voice. Today it was more of a natural need to try and experiment with new ways of moving and engaging with my "trillions of cells."

We spent a significant amount of time with a particular part of the score which we say out loud in three separate groups:

"The work the work the work the work, before final darkness, in language, some truth to find again before it can work. 

The work the work the work the work, before final darkness, a promised task borrowed and changed before it can work. 

The work the work the work the work, to allow us to think of ourselves as somewhere between points a and b for whatever points a and b represent.

And if not improving, at least changing and saving maybe a little of what we love." 

By going over the score and text even more today I have also understood it more which has enabled me to connect it with my movement further. After the lesson, however, I started to think more about the score and the quotes our choreographers used in reference to Deborah Hay, especially: "What if where I am is what I need." With how the choreographers express this, I feel as though it refers to environment of which I am in, and how can I get more out of it for what I need as a dancer in that space, in that time. On the other hand, I also feel that there is more too this, and I am going to explore this as a personal task to see if I can engage further or even let it claim a new context or reference for my own understanding and moving. 

Performance Project - Intensive Session - Day One 13/10/14

Day One with Fitzgerald and Stapleton

Above is the journal entry I made about the first intensive session with our choreographers: Fitzgerald and Stapleton for our performance project which will be show cased in December.

The task I am referring to is 'open practice' of where Fitzgerald and Stapleton first regurgitated some principles of Deborah Hay in order to achieve what was needed of us:

"What if where I am is what I need?"

"What if every cell in my body has the potential to perceive and surrender the uniqueness and originality of all that there is?"

"What if my perception is the dance?" 

This open practice was then the starting point of our performance which is choreography based upon Fitzgerald and Stapleton's original piece of 'The Work The Work'.

Instant Composition - 06/10/14

So second year has arrived quite quickly, and for the next few weeks I have Polly as my tutor for Instant Composition on a Monday afternoon.

In today's lesson I noticed similar principles being used like what we use in Skinner Releasing technique, with a lot of visualization at hand. The poetic language helps my creativity when in improvisation/instant composition based tasks as there are no specific instructions on how to move or articulate the body; you can interpret the language in your own way to generate your movement which can completely contrast what somebody else composes with their bodies.

"the breath is our constant companion."

"the breath is a white mist..."