I realized that by the time I finish this piece, the whole thing, not just the zillion ideas I have for pieces of the piece..... It could be (if it's anything like the time frame I spent on "The Annunciation") after Alexandra graduates from college.
But that said:
Rehearsal notes for today: We worked for the first part of the time to really get better at the Richard Bull improvisation. To get that "muscle" working. The structure: Timer set for 3 minutes. enter the space when you are ready. interact. when the time is up. exit. Timer is re-set. Enter the space and try to repeat exactly what you did. When time is up. exit. Timer is re-set once again. Enter the space and try again to repeat exactly what you did.
On the third one: new layerings from the outside. In this case: text.
We talked about the dilemmas. Do you always try to repeat version 1, or on the third round do you try to repeat the changes that happened in version 2 and they become the new baseline that you try and repeat? Talked about this in terms of evolution. If you let go of version 1, and try to repeat version 2 there is a possibility that someone was relying on some part of the version 1 and if you take that out, you might be taking out a whole eco-system. OOOps - there go all the frogs.
I loved Damita's comment. We were all trying to talk about what cues/signals etc we used to help us remember what we had done. Damita commented that she "tried to remember things of substance" Jennifer asked, wryly "And how do you determine what has substance?" Damita replied, "Sadly, it was inanimate objects... oh, and Simon."
I really want us as a group, divedance, to get really good at this improv structure. I think it could be very interesting to share the structure with the audience and then try and do the improv and get exact replications of what came before. Let the audience be watching to see if we can. I am intrigued as to how that changes how an audience looks at what they are looking at. I then want to have a conversation with the audience framed with such questions as: "How did what just happened connect to ideas about chemical evolution?" And then let the discussion between artists and scientists unfold. Thank you Richard Bull for this structure.
After a break a smaller group stayed and we worked with the script I am developing. A blend of narrative from "The Magician's Elephant" with David Lynn's lecture on Supramolecular Assembly and Koshland's "Pillars of Life" (PICERAS)
As for what/when the first performance? For the Chemical Evolution gathering in July I see the improv with discussion and the scene we are working on from the script. Perhaps also setting it up as a workshop with scientists - the way the TWISTS (Theatre Workshop in Science Technology and Society) workshops happened at Virginia Tech in relation to the Living Darwin project.
And meanwhile I am also working on a touring show for grades 2-5 to come out of this. Something about: "What is an idea and where do ideas come from?" Certainly can't ask "what is life and how did life start?" Not in U.S of A public schools....... But can I make a piece that triggers 8 year old's imagination in such a way that as they continue science (and other studies) through their school career they realize the delight in asking the "what if?" "could it be?" and "why not?" questions.
Chip continues to explore the "What is Life?" "What is Art?" "What is Music?" idea and how a conversation evolves around that. He wonders if scientists at work on their research projects are always asking the big question, "What is Life and how do you go from non-living to living?" or is that just a given and their more specific question is their focus. Do we as artists ponder the"what is art?" throughout and intentionally as we are making work? I would say - depends. I think I am often asking: what is dance? I am not sure I care if the answer is - no, but I do worry.
And then there is the Emory Dance Company piece for the Fall - where I would like to explore these ideas with a cast made up of double majors in Dance and Science.
That's all. For now.
Thanks for everyone who shows up.
Love
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