Movement Generation for "Rate of Exchange" A score for trios

MOVEMENT GENERATION THREE:

Trios:

As a trio create movement score from this sequence of imagery.  Think of it as a sequence, with some sort of narrative nature (not literal) to the unfolding events:

• ·       Make a pocket
• ·       Discover a hole
• ·       Go through the hole
• ·       Find one of the original gestures from Movement Generation: "What is of value?"
• ·       Pull it out
• ·       Examine it
• Send a whisper, like a shiver, through your group

Movement Generation for "Rate of Exchange": what makes a whole?

MOVEMENT GENERATION TWO:

Working with a partner call them “1” and “2”.  “1” creates a movement image from the A column, “2” responds to that movement with a movement image from the matching B column.  Think of these images as fitting together to create a whole.  Then “2” creates a movement image from the “A” column, and “1” responds with the corresponding image from the “B” column

Proceed through the entire list.

Develop the material so that it may or may not have stillness between what each person “offers” and responds with.  Create a new something to distinguish that you have moved onto a new row.  For instance:  change of facing, change of levels, one exchange happens only as upper body gestures, one exchange is all about fast, dangerous movement through space. 

Share.  Select a limited number of these duets, or assemble a limited number of these duets through all the material generated.  Everyone learns these.

Maybe this chart helps:

Dancers 1 and 2.  Indicated below is which dancer starts, which one responds.  Dancers use the A column as the start, B column for the response.	A	B	Suggested movement challenges that could inform movement choices
1 starts, 2 responds	coat	pocket	Use only isolated body parts
2 starts, 1 responds	Tea cup	saucer	Movement must move from a point A to a point B
1 starts, 2 responds	shelf	Tin on the shelf, filled with ??	As full out and wild, risky movement as possible
2 starts, 1 responds	window	Highway seen through the window	A lift must be involved
1 starts, 2 responds	Counter of a convenience store	Map on the counter, directions marked out	Moments of extreme slowness, attention to details
2 starts, 1 responds	Paper Grocery bag	Receipt at the bottom of the bag	Radical level changes
1 starts, 2 responds	mailbox	letter	Sharp contrast in the movement qualities between 1 and 2 (i.e. sharp/smooth; loose/tight)
2 starts, 1 responds	Screen porch	lawn	Attention to focus, which is always away from where the movement is headed
1 starts, 2 responds	Spare key	Lock on a door	“Spell” at least one word from each column.  “Spell” as in write the word in space, trace on the floor, or on the body.

Movement Generation for "Rate of Exchange" in three posts: "What is an exchange? What is of value?"

MOVEMENT GENERATION:

Prompt:

Something (an object, a tangible "thing") that you have been given (or have given to someone else) that means something to you, that you have taken with you when you move to new places (even if you have lost it over time) because it means something to you.

 In a circle, let everyone tell what their object is, and a little of the story behind it.

Create a gesture for each person’s object.  Create a movement phrase stringing them all together.

Read poem “Fifty-Fifty” by Patricia Clarke.  (Link here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/245682)

In duets, discuss with another person.

Some questions:  What is the relationship between the two people in the poem?  Why are they having an exchange? Can you imagine an exchange like this between yourself and someone?  Is it truly a 50-50 exchange?  What is a give and take?  What connects the “give” in this poem to the “get”?

Come back together as a large group and share reflections

Return to the movement phrase created from the individual gestures.  How can one gesture “make way” for the next one to be received?  Think about this quote: “In addition to saving: give” Play with this as soloists.

As a group - look at the enhanced gestures.  Decide on what might be adapted.

In break out groups – take the movement phrase and turn it from a solo movement phrase into a group movement phrase.  It does not have to be unison.  How can one gesture “decorate” another?  How can the whole group stick themselves together and deliver a single gesture?  How can you incorporate space and level more deeply and intentionally?  What are the opportunities for transitions?  You may use all the gestures, or just some.  You can also repeat key gestures, especially if you want to create a motif that runs through your study. 

Scarcity and Abundance in the Digital Age: Seth Godin

A link to Seth Godin's blog

composition corner

caleb here, for composition ideas and curiosities:

7/16/13 

as a starting point this summer, i am interested in the harp for both recordings and performance, as it seems to possess a range of color, comparable to the piano (possibly making it versatile); has a unique physical presence on or near a stage (which is wonderful to explore visually); and is able to create both singular melodies and dense textures depending on the piece (which makes it a flexible foreground and background instrument).

this is an example of what i'm thinking about when it comes to a highly-affected (e.g. distortion, layering, reverb, etc.) harp recording, from flying lotus (LA):



i'll have to see what kind of contribution the harpists that i know at grinnell can afford—ideally a performance but i'd also make some recordings to play with and layer/affect. perhaps both intermittently would yield the most interesting music!

Too Big: Project for 2013-14

 “Too Big” is a project meant to use the arts to spur a national dialogue about the economy, access, and opportunity.  Satellites have been created on campuses across the country. I will be exploring ideas with Big If in Atlanta, and the Dance Ensemble/Activate in Grinnell. 

Read more about "Too Big" under the "Stories" tab above.  

Here are some images that have come to mind:

- The wolf is at the door.
Perhaps title is "Tell the Wolf I'm Home".  Idea being that we can't run away from the economy, so maybe we should just invite him in.

- Image: Economist pontificating  away, dancer following, has a bouquet of roses.  more and more desperately trying to give him flowers.  they are shredding they are falling apart. so is the dancer.  Simultaneously, a boy and a girl ("Hansel and Gretel" reminiscent) leaving a trail of bread crumbs.  Same desperation.  Evoke notions of "Bread and Roses".

- Choreography material: create word=movement for "money" adages

- Community dance + text Workshop prompts:
- What is of value to you?  What is the currency you trade in, and how do you trade it?
- On a scale of 1-10, how taboo is talking about money in your family?
- Money/finanacial advice you've been given : the wild, the wacky, the wonderful
- Your relationship to money

Scarcity/Abundance: Its all about the lens. Seth Godin's blog has been very inspiring for this.

Big If dance.theatre

Thanks all. What a great day. I totally love these Sundays and wish for them to just go on and on into perpetuity. We missed those of you who were in travels elsewhere and glad for those of us who traveled the journey of today's excursion.
Our Process today. We started with a download/debrief/update of the state of things with the Emory/CCE relationship. And I presented a proposal for August 3. It is inspired by this: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/324/5925/332.2.full

Inspired by that: I want to get three scientists to give us their download. (We've got two - David Lynn and Martha Grover - from whom I have articles, and lectures, and some discussion) I would like them in addition to the weightier stuff, also provide a one sentence summary. Just like the scientists did for their collaborators in the linked example.

We will then create three short dances (which for the sake of August 3 will be videos). Each dance/video goes with one of the scientists' research. Mannie will be filming and editing the dances to work for video.

At the event on August 3.
The audience will be given a handout which outlines the experiment. It also has a summary of the three scientists' researches. Then the audience will watch each of the three video dances. (Each video will be relatively short.) After viewing, the audience is asked to match dance video to research. As they are trying to decide, all three videos will play, simultaneolsy so that the audience can remember what was in each one. The screen will be divided into three areas so we can look at each one as we choose. The videos will loop so that you can reference as needed. (Maybe the theme from Jeopardy will be playing at this point...) Then three volunteers are asked to tell why they think a certain dance goes with a certain piece of research. They must "defend" their decisions. After an audience member has made and defended their decision, "I think Video A goes with research #3 because.....) the audience, if they have a different opinion gets to state their defense.
The ultimate purpose of this experiment is to use art as a way to talk through a different metaphor when thinking about the science.
Mannie will be videotaping our process, discussions with scientists (if we can schedule) and also the event itself, especially the audience part of the interaction. I am hoping to get Dr. Cherilynn Morrow to be our facilitator for the discussion.
The second part of this experiment is to repeat the exact same thing but for an audience of "general public" at my studio. Then we can compare the two different audiences. Of course, ideally would be to do this several times - what would it be like to do it for: an undergrad course at Emory, Ga Tech or GSU? For a grad course? For an Emory dance or theatre class? And for different configurations of "general public"?
I'm suddenly very excited.....
I think our method of creating material - the three x three improv is also providing a rich way of getting at material. I liked our process today:

Version 1: Read the science text before dancing and then try and keep it in mind while improv unfolds.
Problem: There seems to be a general consensus that we loose track of the science text, possibly because we aren't completely immersed in a full understanding of it.

Version 2: Everyone was assigned a key word from the text. This word was to guide movement choices. The words were: polymer (Taylor), copy (Nicole), mutate (Damita), response (Corissa), encoded information (J). My job was to participate in the improv, but in some way that on the third round I could read the text aloud as a layer for the improv.
Problem: The limitation/restriction that the word placed on imagination and bold choices perhaps because of the parameter of having to repeat/remember and the word becomes parameter #2 and we need more time to practice working like this.

Version 3: I read (a new) text from the essay by Tirard, Morange, and Lazcano that David gave us. Dancers were to respond to the text as they heard it. "Illustrating" it in a way, but then the second and third time of the improv I didn't read the text and the dance had to unfold on its own terms, memory, mutations and adaptations.

Happy 4th of July.