Earlier today I was asked to define what my "studio research" was. It seemed like something that should've been so simple but yet, it wasn't So I wrote it all out and figured it was worth sharing:
For me thus far, my studio research time has been spent various. At different times, for different pieces, I took different approaches. When working on my solo for Embodied Craft, I focused on smaller movements and how to portray the image. When I began my original solo for Studio Research, I started by playing with a general idea and worked from there. (I like to think of this as creating a word web and diving off from there.) That is a similar approach to what I am doing now. With the new idea of abandonment, I am taking two general approaches and seeing how the two can match in space.
1. I am tackling this idea from the basic level. How can I embody the idea of abandonment? What does that mean for me physically? How can I physically represent this? I have accomplished that in two ways this far: a) by ending a phrase with a small gesture, leaving it be and transitioning into a new phrase; this has proven to be challenging seeing as this can often be misread as lack of transition and b) by repeating an action over and over, ending it, and then walking away from it.
2. I have written a “love letter” to the person I had relationship with and of whom this piece is based on. I took that letter, picked literary phrases and created movement phrases around it. In doing so, I found my first approach to come back into play as well as found new movement.
A huge basis of my movement generation comes from improvisation and trial and error as well. I pick a sentence, or a few words, from the letter. I then recite it in my mind and dance, I repeat this a few times and whatever movements have stuck around I then take and create a solid phrase off of. It takes a while but I have found it quite rewarding.
For me thus far, my studio research time has been spent various. At different times, for different pieces, I took different approaches. When working on my solo for Embodied Craft, I focused on smaller movements and how to portray the image. When I began my original solo for Studio Research, I started by playing with a general idea and worked from there. (I like to think of this as creating a word web and diving off from there.) That is a similar approach to what I am doing now. With the new idea of abandonment, I am taking two general approaches and seeing how the two can match in space.
1. I am tackling this idea from the basic level. How can I embody the idea of abandonment? What does that mean for me physically? How can I physically represent this? I have accomplished that in two ways this far: a) by ending a phrase with a small gesture, leaving it be and transitioning into a new phrase; this has proven to be challenging seeing as this can often be misread as lack of transition and b) by repeating an action over and over, ending it, and then walking away from it.
2. I have written a “love letter” to the person I had relationship with and of whom this piece is based on. I took that letter, picked literary phrases and created movement phrases around it. In doing so, I found my first approach to come back into play as well as found new movement.
A huge basis of my movement generation comes from improvisation and trial and error as well. I pick a sentence, or a few words, from the letter. I then recite it in my mind and dance, I repeat this a few times and whatever movements have stuck around I then take and create a solid phrase off of. It takes a while but I have found it quite rewarding.