Chosen Practitioner

Throughout the research I have accumilated over the past couple of weeks, I have learnt that many victims of abuse end up being psychologically manipulated into believing they can't excel without their partners. The need to make others feels inadequate is a power that is emulated through dictation, but unfortunately, '1 in every 3 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime,' (Gaille, 2013). Women's potential and their desire to promote self-worth and empower their own choices are overlooked by the abusers and therefore, 'the final step in the domestic violence pattern is kill her,' (Steiner, 2013)

       

      (Thin Skin. Marco Goecke. Netherlands Dance Theater.. 2020. )

Along with Steiner's speech that I investigated last week, I have also been assembling ideas from a choreographer called Marco Goecke with his piece called, Thin Skin. I have chosen this choreographer because my strengths in contemporary dance are small, intricate movements that I can perform with precision, so, Goecke's work is similar to my style with his use of convoluted movements. His characteristic, highly independent style "allows the body to speak, cry out and stir," (In rehearsal with Marco Goecke at the Paris Opera, 2019). His rapidity of execution immediately attracted me to his work, as you can see the intention of the stimulus behind his piece as he often plays with interaction from other dancers. Ludovico Pace, (assistant of Marco Goecke), mentions, "each time you see one of his ballets, there's no doubt as to who choreographed it," (In rehearsal with Marco Goecke at the Paris Opera, 2019). Not only is the dancing intensely focused on the body, but Goecke also explores the projection of emotions needed to develop the intensity within his choreography.                                                                    

                                                             Thin Skin by Marco Goecke   (Nozal,2020)

There have been other existing works that have inspired me to think about how I can purposely use my stimulus to evoke a clear and meaningful message to the audience. One of these works includes Rafael Bonechelis, "ab[intra]", which derives from the Latin word, "from within", (sydneydancecompany, Rafael Bonachelas 'ab [intra]', 2018). I am fascinated by the combination between maturity and brightness that is emulated within the small, sharp intricate steps and how the performance is enriched by the movements being closely interwoven with the music. A review from Time Out stated that there were, "moments of sheer wonderment and unexpected emotional catharsis",(ab intra - Sydney Dance Company, n.d.). This work gives a similar meaning to my piece, as I want to exhibit how one emotion can amalgamate with another, which I can portray with my involuted movements. Furthermore, I want to emphasize the different ways of how people cope with the pressure and burden of a secret, which can be explored through the use of different choreographic methods such as The Chance Method. Equally, I can think about how I want to use the space to portray my secret spreading. Starting with a small facial expression, or striking twitch of my hand can then lead to spreading around my whole body. 

                                                                     (Grieg,2018)

Rafael Bonechelis is a choreographer committed to innovation and describes himself as a "movement junkie," (Rafael Bonachela, 2012). The exploration and experimentation of pure movement are evident in all of his works. In addition to his own movement vocabulary, he finds inspiration in the visual arts and popular culture, which gives his work a distinct style. With all of my practitioners in mind, I made some small motifs that related to everything I have learned from Steiner's speech, all the way to the influential movements of both Goecke and Bonechelis. My small motifs are shown below.

I have learnt a lot from my research and believe my small, dynamic motifs show this. My use of intricate, sharp movements along with the repetition of the hand grab at the end, accentuates the imagery of being isolated in the abusive cycle. I consider my movements to have capsulated a snippet of what a victims life might be like and I am intrigued to carry on this creative process, due to my research affecting how I want to structure my choreography. With this in mind, I want to focus on layering movement so my choreography looks lifelike. I want to gradually increase the aggressiveness in my movements, but also have the calm and composed elements which will reflect Steiner's speech. 

References

Dance Consortium. 2012. Rafael Bonachela. [online] Available at: <https://danceconsortium.com/features/choreographer/rafael-bonachela/> [Accessed 18 October 2021].

Gaille, B., 2013. 18 Statistics on Abusive Relationships. [online] BrandonGaille.com. Available at: <https://brandongaille.com/18-statistics-on-abusive-relationships/#:~:text=%2018%20Statistics%20on%20Abusive%20Relationships%20%201,for%20Disease%20Control%2C%20domestic%20violence%20causes...%20More%20> [Accessed 18 October 2021].

In rehearsal with Marco Goecke at the Paris Opera. 2019. [video] Paris.

Thin Skin. Marco Goecke. Netherlands Dance Theater.. 2020. [video] Directed by M. Goecke. Netherlands Dance Theater.

Why domestic violence victims don't leave | Leslie Morgan Steiner. 2013. [video].