I recently had the unique challenge of choreographing to so many new elements, I had to throw out the rule book and give in to creation. It was Awesome!!
A composer had provided me the beginning of his composition, so I had about 4 rehearsal’s worth of music to work with. The concert director needed the piece to connect with the overall theme. There was an imaginary set design, and characters from other pieces needed to float throughout the existing number in an artistic way.
Now we’re talkin!
I messaged the composer with an “sos“, who sent the finished copy of his composition. It was exciting to sit with the dancers to hear what he had created for us , and to share thoughts and images it brought on.
The set was incredible, but couldn’t be utilized until tech. Platforms, bridges and scaffolds galore! It really was a dancer’s playground.
In the midst of all this I realized the theme I chose needed an extra kick, and the costumes needed to also tell the story. By having an arm and leg of each dancer’s costume removed, we begin to see pattern and clarity.
And needless to say – it all worked out.
“As we wish so much to travel forward in life, we cannot forget that every experience makes us who we are today. We are completed by the richness of every event, dark or light, and how we choose to ride through them is the real journey.”
~ Nancy Paradis
