Gallery

In the creative process of making the gallery, the cast and I explored how various mediums of art and design can inspire/affect our movement improvisation. Through conversation about the meaning behind each artwork, each dancer found inspiration that guided their movement. Prompts in the rehearsal process included looking into textures, brush strokes, colors, perception, and imagining stepping into the world of each piece of visual art.

 

Literary Inspiration 

Poetry creates unique rhythms and emotional guidance for movement improvisation. Perception and meaning is individual and creates textures and imagery for movement guidance. In this first section of the improvised score, dancers found that spoken word combined with instrumental music pushed them out of their comfort zones and sparked new ideas for movement generation. 

 

Movement Journaling 

This section showcases authentic movement practice, which is a form of dance therapy created by Mary Starks Whitehouse. This practice typically involves a mover and witness making observations. We bring this into the work by using the audience as a witness, as the dancers use movement as a form of healing. By tuning into what each dancer is feeling, authentic movement is found. This section of the score guides dancers to follow movement impulses and use dance improvisation as a form of journaling/ self reflection.

 

Community Support 

The last section explores the support and community built by the cast in this process together. Contact improvisation, created by Steve Paxton, is also utilized as a method of finding full trust in one another. We found community in rehearsals through ensemble building, active listening, improvisational games, and finding connections through movement scores.