Saturday

Saturday – Run Through at 11.45

Final day of the workshop.

After morning class, the whole group meets for a run through of the choreographies.
For the first time they get to watch each other’s work.

The biggest difference between today and yesterday is the performativity.
The relation between the dancers, the facial expressions, the eyes, the directions of the focus in the room, is being added to the physical actions.
The use of comics – funny walks, funny eyes and the movement languages, supplies the dancing with a theatrical dimension, creating new expressions.
“Props” or at least the utility of dancers having, as an example, the same length of hair, is being used – as well as the function of long hair being slapped on the floor, creating an extra musicality.
Each dance has its own dynamic, own expression, own way of resolving the task of using the key word “musical structure”.

The energy is very focused this morning, and the run through offers a lot of different chorographical choices and priorities.

The common thing though, is – a part from the specific use of structure in the music – the use of long lines - arms stretching up, to the side, down etc… The use of levels, of space, of mixing and repeating movements, similar timing, similar movements and very much the use of open and closed forms. In general many of the choreographies uses the contrast between sharpness and softness.

The run through is not being commented – no question asked – no critics.

After the run through Kim asks the groups to go through Wednesdays exercise, “The nine nine” as it is called. The expressions on the dancers faces shows a bit of confusion… Wednesday suddenly seems far far away – but as seen before – once at the floor and once the music comes on – this extra level of energy appears – dancers and choreographers counts, talks, rehearses, crawls, jumps – concentrates…

It all comes back to them – and some how it looks more assembled than the first time their were showing it… The actual use of the exercise in the daily work has obviously made it easier for the dancers to work naturally with the counting..

I ask Kim why he chooses to make them repeat the exercise, and he responds that he thinks it is important for the dancers and choreographers to remember were it all started.

After lunch:
Groups are working through their bits – no more counting, instead details are pit pointed in order to increase the perfection of the movement material. The emotional limits are getting tighter.
Dancers having difficulties accepting bits that does not work – Choreographers pulling the last out of the dancers – really focusing on the small parts now – “don’t look there, look here”, “more face”,” more shoulders” etc. The breathing is getting a bit heavy in “sal 2” – everybody trying to get the last out of it.

As one of the choreographers mentions, she tends to forget that this is a working process, a workshop. This means that, like in any other workshops, it is the learning process that should be of biggest importance – not the result – it rarely is so, though… Everyone wants to deliver a nice and fully accomplished result for the showing.

15.30
Gathering, going through the order of today’s show – repeating it again.

16.15
Time to go in and show the results of what they’ve been working on. Dancers are warming up – running around in the room, stretching, rehearsing – breathing – it’s very performance like, and a very nice atmosphere to be in, it ads a good and intense energy!
Once in the performance room, Kim introduces the showing to the audience:
He talks about the importance of music, about how music can overwhelm you – let you in to a universe where it takes over the dancing – leaving it as an accessory.
He explains that the aim with this workshop, has been to work out the relationship between music and dance – not letting the music getting away with everything, and that “The horror of the counting” has been the one strict rule to follow. He refers to the exercises of counting the structure in the music, and to the fact that the only rule has been to obey this structure – the rest - in terms of movement material has been of total freedom.

With this introduction the first choreographer stands up giving a little personal introduction to the work - and then, the show begins.

In the next and final blog, I will be concluding on the past week workshop, closing up by going through some of the questions that the audience got to ask the choreographers after the showing...