Today saw the start of the much awaited August Intensive with Daisy Farris Dance Collective, and what a fantastic first day it was. In the tiny space of Studio Three at GDA, The Collective met for the first time in over a month to begin working on a brand new piece.

The day began with company class taught by the inspirational Hannah Cameron. Her class set us up nicely for the creative tasks throughout the day. The new work is inspired by the work of sculptor, Antony Gormley, whose work focus on the human form. Gormley’s work poses interesting questions about the human body in relation to space. landscape, other figures and the viewer. All these elements present exciting areas of exploration choreographically. Gormley’s figures do not have any specific identity or facial features, but their physicality suggests particular emotions, personalities and comments on social issues. Again. providing inspiration for choreography and movement.

We began by developing individual characters based on some of Gormley’s figures and constructing solo material. The solo’s created were truly unique to each dancer, showing some beautiful ideas and fantastic potential for development. This material was then used to develop duets exploring the idea of different characters interacting a forming different relationships.

The work created today was varied and inspirational and has provided me with a wealth of possibilities for development. I am now really excited to get back into the studio tomorrow and continue with this exciting new work!

In less than a week, Daisy Farris Dance Collective will be reunited in the studio. Since we last danced together people have moved house, started new jobs and theres even been a wedding! I am certainly very excited to have the team back together again soon. However, before beginning the creative process in the studio, time must be given to preparing for this intensive creative period. Seeking inspiration and generating creative ideas can be an exciting and enriching process, but can also prove stressful! When it comes to formulating ideas, there is a fine line between making your ideas articulate and imposing too much structure. There is a temptation to plan everything in advance, especially considering the time limitations. However, as a choreographer, I know that the most inspiring and humbling moments in a creative process are a product of collaboration between myself and the dancers. With this in mind, I need to resist the urge to plan every detail and trust in the fantastic ability of the people I have the pleasure of working with. This is not to say that seeking inspiration is not essential; after all, I need to enter into the process with a series of ideas that will inspire the people around me and a vision that I hope will spark creativity. I am discovering that the job of the artist is knowing how to guide and nurture ideas rather than limiting them to structures. For me, this is certainly a skill that I am learning and developing. I am looking forward to having The Collective back in the studio next week and seeing what exciting discoveries are made!

Keep your eyes peeled for updates throughout the creative process…

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