Knowing when to stop

 After half term, I was feeling optimistic and refreshed about my piece and found a new motivation for my work, however, with the deadline looming of demonstrating 5 minutes of my choreography, I became stressed and anxious to perform my piece. Within this process, I always feel guilty when I'm not exploring movement styles or coming up with innovative ways to portray my stimulus. I need to remember that 'knowing when to stop working is just as important as working' (Burrows 2010). There are different ways of being productive and taking a break and reflecting on what I have already achieved is one of them. 

By taking a step back and meticulously going through my material, I found that I was confident with what I had produced so far. Due to me not being in the most creative mindset, I went back to the poem that I talked about in my 'Research' blog by Brain E Pardee. I decided to pick out a stanza of the poem and try to incorporate some words into movement. I chose the third stanza, visualizing what the author was thinking when he wrote the poem. Did he have a story in mind? What use of imagery was he using? I was able to identify a change in the quality of movement, which emulated a more sinister vision. I enjoyed letting my mind escape and wonder willingly without the pressure of using it in my choreography. Looking forward to my choreography, I will use this method again to help revitalise my thoughts and energy for my work. 

(Pardee, 2020)

The section that I created with the poem as an influence:

Throughout that section, even though I was interpreting my movement style with words, I still thought it was important to have my chosen practitioners in mind. I wanted to integrate the idea of linear shapes which Marco Goecke demonstrates within his work' ab [intra]', which I admired in my practitioner study. The execution of shapes from different angles intrigued me, therefore I imitated this in my section. From an audience's perspective, I want to intrigue them by showing my different shapes individually but also making sure it flows seamlessly into the next, even though the speed and dynamics created spontaneity in this section.

Throughout my piece so far, I hadn't used much of the floor, but looking at the third stanza in detail gave me ideas into why it would be the perfect time to start grounding my movements. The verbs, 'degraded' and 'beatings' suggested to me how mentally draining an abusive relationship can be. These verbs voiced to me a sense of giving up and losing hope. By slowing the pace of my movements down, I hope the audience will become more engaged in the story I'm portraying as it's a contrast to my intricate sections. Furthermore, I wanted to have the idea of being in a limited space, therefore you will see some of my movements being repeated, (0:11 and 0:20).  By researching Jonathan Burrows ideas about repetition in dance, I agreed that "limiting the amount of choice you have can be very liberating", (Burrows, 2010). 

By focusing on this poem throughout my choreographic process, I have investigated and embodied the emotions and voices of the protagonist character. Without being pressurized with this section, I found that "The philosophy of what you make, embodied in how you make it, will communicate itself physically",(Burrows, 2010). By knowing when to stop, I have used my time productively by polishing my material so far, but also writing down some questions that I believe the audience would ask. This has aided me in knowing my new area of focus. 

References

Burrows, J., 2010. A Choreographer's Handbook. Oxford: Taylor & Francis Ltd, pp.155-156. [Accessed 17 October 2021].

Burrows, J., 2010. A Choreographer's Handbook. Oxford: Taylor & Francis Ltd, pp.54-57.. [Accessed 17 October 2021].

Pardee, B., 2020. A Girl Who Was Abused For Most Of Her Life, They Don't Know, Abuse Poem. [online] Family Friend Poems. Available at: <https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/they-dont-know-6> [Accessed 17 October 2021].