SWW Video Archive Phase 2 – May 20, 2020
Reflections on going forward from May 18 – silence or music, single image in silence, phrasing in silence
1. Try one image…and adding, in silence
View and Impression – I think the vocabulary needs to be more distinct in each idea and between ideas, hair pull should have been more stretched out in time-too rushed, animal fist walk came thru at ending instead of hand rolling and at a good pace, head needs to be more off centre.
SWW Video Archive May 26 Phase 2 Rehearsal #10
Looking for a new clearer approach
1. priority is still in the defined SWW values, and in new discovery
2. work with music – but only the expressive evocative best – Bell / Saariaho / Somers / Westerkamp / Lee / Tanaka / Schafer.
3. When working with music use the same piece twice, each interpretation based in a different combination of themes and counterpoint quality choices
4. Consider using Post It notes in the rehearsal space to prompt the inclusion of themes, strategies etc.
5. Somers, Portent 2’12
Be lyrical melodic, try arising and being consumed
Viewing – some excellent punching variations in form and phrasing, more energy is good
6. Somers, Portent 2’12
Be a flower that is afraid but brave
Viewing – how little can you say with how much power? / keep this them, push it,
SWW Video Archive Phase 3 June 9
Phase 3 – As a result of the restrictions on live performance, and my relationship with Hal and the Cochrane Movie House, I have launched a notion of showing some of these pieces during the pre-screening ads. The idea is to make it a charitable offering and to ask people to donate towards a couple of charities that Hal and I identify. Also, to give an outlet for the SWW creative process so far. This would entail getting costumes from Angela, lighting and space dressing from Steve, video from ??, rehearsal direction from Helen. This does not preclude a live performance version of the pieces as solos, nor the development of a trio.
***Time to make a new file of SWW music.
So having committed to certain pieces of music and themes, the effort of Phase 3 is towards determining a form for the above video use.
June 9 – Began with a closer listen to Hope Lee’s Entends, entends…identifying the basic sectional layout.
1. Lee Entends, 11’58 Trk 4
Work preparation mostly with mind / missed the ending and danced 3’00 into next piece! As usual a bit hurried in the first GO of the day / needs more definition.
SWW Video Archive Phase 3 June 9
Phase 3 – As a result of the restrictions on live performance, and my relationship with Hal and the Cochrane Movie House, I have launched a notion of showing some of these pieces during the pre-screening ads. The idea is to make it a charitable offering and to ask people to donate towards a couple of charities that Hal and I identify. Also, to give an outlet for the SWW creative process so far. This would entail getting costumes from Angela, lighting and space dressing from Steve, video from ??, rehearsal direction from Helen. This does not preclude a live performance version of the pieces as solos, nor the development of a trio.
***Time to make a new file of SWW music.
So having committed to certain pieces of music and themes, the effort of Phase 3 is towards determining a form for the above video use.
June 9 – Began with a closer listen to Hope Lee’s Entends, entends…identifying the basic sectional layout.
1. Lee Entends, 11’58 Trk 4
Work preparation mostly with mind / missed the ending and danced 3’00 into next piece! As usual a bit hurried in the first GO of the day / needs more definition.
For years, I have had The Portent by Harry Somers in my list of favourite pieces. There is a poetic sparseness to the imagery in the text, the instrumentation and voice. The sensual and mysterious elements of summer and nature’s greenery. The text, “There is no stir, not even one leaf, awesome is the summer grove”, suggested a link between the dance subject and the song. Early improvisations with this music encouraged a singular focus, a simple unfolding that became the subject: a flower that is afraid but brave. The music is short, 2’12, so I elected to begin and end the dance – to extend its imagery – from and into silence.
From beneath the soil, up through the stem, out into the reaching leaves, spinning, listening, reaching, blossoming.
There was an immediate sense of unfurling, growth and revelation in my first viewing of the SWW 3, Sunflower. We focused on bringing forward the subtleties of these movement expressions/ qualities such as the accented motion of the hands, and the spiralling motion initiated from the knees/ torso. The weighted motion of the head, arms and knees gave moments of breath/ pause before more unfurling. The articulation of the hands and the interaction of the fabric became more playful as the freedom within the structure of the dance was discovered. Emphasis to the weighted head inside the hood, and the movement of the hood itself showed its importance later in the process. The expressive quality of the hood ultimately made the final reveal of the Sunflower, a stronger poetic image.
Helen Husak
This costume was very much an evolutionary process. Davida had been looking at time lapse videos of seedlings sprouting and growing and I began my process looking at these. After meeting and watching a rehearsal I suggested that increasing her height might be effective in terms of the overall imagery. We wanted a costume that conveyed a suggestion of growth and flowering but that was not a purely literal interpretation. A hood lined with contrast fabric that could unfurl onto the shoulders at the end of the dance was part of the equation.
I chose to work with a crinkle cotton gauze both in a single and double layer version as it could be dyed and after washing has a wonderful organic texture that seemed to suit the piece. The hood would be lined with a golden yellow satin that would catch the light.
The first iteration of the costume had a very full skirt that was held out at the base with a hoop. It did not show enough of the body underneath so some adjustments were necessary. The fabric had a nice crinkle texture and we liked the way it looked but was not a stretch fabric so I ended up creating a fitted stretch base that flared out below the knees to the floor and anchoring the top fabric to this in a way that allowed for movement but was very fitted to the body. This fitted version showed off the dancers form within the costume and the long flowing sleeves allowed for some interesting movement possibilities.
Final costume adjustments involved creating more random and frayed edges on hems to add to the overall organic quality.
Angela Dale
Website: www.fabricadabra.ca
Email: angela@fabricadabra.ca
Instagram: @fabricadabracreations
Hashtag: #fabricadabracreations
SWW Video Archive Phase 2 – May 20, 2020
Reflections on going forward from May 18 – silence or music, single image in silence, phrasing in silence
1. Try one image…and adding, in silence
View and Impression – I think the vocabulary needs to be more distinct in each idea and between ideas, hair pull should have been more stretched out in time-too rushed, animal fist walk came thru at ending instead of hand rolling and at a good pace, head needs to be more off centre.
Second viewing – with AGB – thought of examining every aspect of the chrysalis – giving each yet more time, Note** watch for phrase lengths, they tend to be similar, the arrivals and departures too tend towards an adagio attack, in development let some come much more quickly, end more sharply etc, possible thinking of this order as a structure as a sequence of five songs for example, 8’27 into quelling sinking too abrupt, didn’t let what was happening before live, question at 9’00 = what is the difference between finishing the quelling sinking with the hands down, energy draining to the floor and finishing quelling sinking only with the body down and the hands up at the temples ie. the beginning of the next idea, 9’23 stretch out of squat with hair pull much too quick and easy, also Wrist Drop appears before animal and it should be given more time 10’35, animal walk at that pace is very compelling, needs more space and time, and final subtle pulse of double fists in squat gives the stillness an inner life. Good.
4. Somers, Portent
A short final trial in musical counterpoint
Be where you are..
Second Viewing – with AGB sense an affinity with Somers – the musicality of this relationship is part of SWW as is the musicality of 1. And 3. Wherein I allow the dance time to lead.
’03 – 0’20 – two sequential crescendos of a single violin note
DANCE – pushing through the earth with the back of neck, with very slow rising in hips
‘16 – ’20 – Clarinet single note with the violin
DANCE – a few seconds after clarinet throw crossed wrists forward, begin small sway, throw the wrists to opposing leaf position just before voice enters
’20 – ’36 (’16) (1) T h e r e i s (2) n (3) o s t i (4) r
DANCE – execute 4 different rhythmic spins with four different hand expressions
‘32+ violin single note
’37 – clarinet & violin single notes
DANCE – exactly on the clarinet entry shift to lower arm gestures at level of knees
’42 – ’44 – N o – o t (2 syllables)
DANCE – swing forearms out more and out a bit away from legs
’46 – ’48 – E v – e n
DANCE – using palms to express leaf patterns curling towards body, and away in some horizontal/oppositional expressions , slowing down the iterations to a hanging over,
’50 – ’55 O n e
DANCE – with elbows lifted
’57 – 1’01 – L e a f
DANCE – release tension from arms, slow exaggerated pulse breath
1’01 – 1’08 – single violin note reiterated
DANCE – use a few wrist actions to open the arms and lift body a tiny bit
1’09 – 1’11 – 5 note Piano arpeggio
DANCE – head still down, gently, slowly pull arms to low side, leaning a bit left
DANCE in silence skate action the dropped wrist arms to the front, right higher
1’15 – 1’24 (‘9) A w e s o m e ( 7 tones)
DANCE – arriving at front and float shape a bit to right, to begin a soft upper body rhythmic rock on s o m e, begin side to side tipping with force a few times and connecting to
1’25 – 1’28 – I s
DANCE – swing right back to deeper wrist drop arm with spine deeply caved, pull left wrist down and right wrist up over to right to begin..
1’30 – 1’33 – T h – h e (2 tones)
DANCE – execute another rhythmic pattern with tipping, bending elbows by bringing hands alternately to throat, getting momentum going
1’36 – 1’45 – (‘9) S u m (4 tones)
DANCE – continue and subside
1’45- 1’ 46 – m e r
DANCE – on m e r express both leaves down at chest level to prepare blossom lift
1’49 – 1’54 (‘6) G r o v e (3 tones)
DANCE – on G r o v e execute first a quick gesture to both hands on face, lifting head, then slower accent to lift face and spread the blossom, spread hands away from body
1’50 – 2’02 (’12) – violin single note
DANCE – reiterate elbow bending and hand alternating to throat with focus out follow with quick side to side rocking accent, and float to suspension
