Songs Without Words 11
Songs Without Words 11

Studio trials 11

Once I had determined to work with Gene Koshinski’s Afternoon in March, a gentle understated piece of light character, my dance-making approach was to improvise through the music, again and again, staying deeply connected to a particular physical and emotional state, remembering what I could of vocabulary ideas, anticipating the structural shifts. As the work gained focus the vocabulary became both expressive and self-referential. The result felt to me a bit like prayer or ritual.

These three studio trials show some of the origins of the final dance. Immediately noticeable is how, in comparison to the final version of 11, the vocabulary has become focused and cohesive, treated with a performance that is emotionally contained.

Music

This simple work is a dance prayer, reflecting on a personal and serious matter. Gene Koshinski’s piece Afternoon in March expresses an easy joy, a perfect counterpoint to heaviness, and a lesson in living in light.

Notes:

What joy can be found in loss? What ease in adversity?

These six images show the evolution of the costume as ties were added. Eventually the ties were sewn on so that the would stay in place as the dancer moved.

Responder

Andreas Kahre

Andreas Kahre - Interdisciplinary Artist and Scenographer

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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.

SWW #11 Gene Koshinski Afternoon in March Contemporary Percussion Playlist trk 31 ABCresolvebridgeABCresolvebridgeA

Dance/Music

I (1’07)

0 – 13 / 14 – 25

exposition A, 4-part theme: up and down scale 2x, up with 4 high note tags 2x

Upscale in stillness, down scale  let the hands float away slightly

hands float back to floating at pelvis, 

focus right with right hand curve, wrist drop, 2nd 4 high note tag

reiteration A, 4-part theme: up and down scale 2x, up with 5 high note tags 2x

 

Contract elbow lift look away forced arch, 1st up and down scale

Continue to Carve fingers down, high right shoulder, open hand/right knee etc

Arrive at right hand spread at heart, left hand pelvis, 1st high note tag

Travel us, left ft flat, right demi, 2nd high note tag

26 – 36

shorter 7 note counter theme B 3x

heartbeat pulses w r/l hands, 1st and 2nd iterations

float right hand to meet left at pelvis, swing hands to left, follow with pelvis and

deepen arrival, 3rd iteration

 

37 – 45 / 46 – 55

C – 7 chord/note phrase similar, followed by a longer ralentissement

Tight pivot chasse to right to face usr forced arch l, transfer weight to left foot and off again to start w left on 6 step curve chassse to right face usl right foot forced arch, transfer weight into right, pivot curve chasse ¾ turn on left right foot forced arch

C – reiteration of 7 chord/note phrase and longer ralentissement

Paddle turn w right around left ft 2x, 6 steps chasse curve starting left and pivoting both feet slightly on last step to face dsl, right parallel fourth, palms open and lean back, hands return to pelvis step underneath w r ft, 

Quickstepping on spot around to same dslfacing, on arrival  turn wrists over and drop the hands and head, reverse the action w head and hands and bend elbows bring hands parallel to floor as fingers slowly curl up

 

56 – 1’03

long resolving slowing phrase

flat left demi right fast small steps travelling upright backwards, back of hands together

coming up front of body opening at collar bone and down to sides with chest and curved 

back and up, stay

1’04 – 1’07

short accelerated bridge

slowly returning hands overhead to set up for diving curves w hands/spine

II (1’08)

1’08 – 1’20  / 1’21 – 1’32

Theme A – 4-part theme: up and down scale 2x, up with high note tags 2x

Down and up w left foot shifting front & back, down and up travelling dsl sitting hips back, down travelling upstage up coming forward to feet parallel dsl, drop down and to right while shifting feet right, slow arms almost cross at chest with left lean, pull right arm down again to right and quickly gather arms wide to centre w head toss w 3/4 turn

Arrive at dsl with over head down up with left shifting back and forward, 

Theme A reiterated – 

tip left arm down to ds, change facing to dsr and deepen in hips slow down the gather, right hand flowers to sr,  into hips, right lunge left leg back

beginning hands around the aura at 2nd high note tag, 

1’34 – 1’42 

Theme B – 3x – shorter 7 note counter theme

Finishing aura hands at right hip, shuffling back right flat left forced arch hands floating up to chest while turning ¼ to usr on second half of 2nd and all of 3rd finishing facing usr with hands reaching up and beginning heart beat

1’43 – 1’53 / 1’54 – 2’02

C – 2x – 7 chord/note phrase similar, followed by a longer ralentissement

Heart beat hands filling out entire first iteration

Hands return to front of pelvis, rocking to left, change hands to face each other and swirl en dehors, the qi ball around the corner to face dsl, continue turning hands to buddha holds up the earth face sr with upper body twisting to right, hands drop from above to left to initiate chaine turn to right facing sr both hands open

 

2’04 – 2’10

long resolving slowing phrase

from hands down open at pelvis facing sr, step left to parallel to dsl get swirl to left buddha holds up the earth, step left paddle turn right into left lunge to sl right leg back sustain briefly buddha arms, step left to turn to parallel dsl swirling arms low to slowly float up

2’11 – 2’15

short accelerated bridge

step in and under to collect, deepen plier, bring hands together, palms touch

III (’26)

2’16 – 2’26 / 2’27 – 2’39

Theme A – 4-part theme: up and down scale 2x, up with 5 high note tags 2x  

Improvise the qi rubbing and releasing bringing palms back together,

downstage a few times

Theme A 

Reiteration starting ds, and then turning to upstage, walking around the circle,

Hands going to different directions

2’40 – 2’42

PPPP chord, note sign off

Hands coming into the heart, while body inclines, deep plier facing dsr

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