Another fantastic week of research and development for the IN-SITE project.
Monday was spent continuing to investigate ideas further and develop movement material. On Tuesday we were joined by collaborators James and Janette in the studio. We showed all our ideas and material to James so he could document it and have a clearer idea as to the direction we are moving with the work. Seeing the material performed back to back, it was amazing to see how much we had generated in such a short space of time. This also made me realise that perhaps now was the time to stop making new material and try to focus on developing and clarifying the existing ideas. For me, this is the hardest part.
When working with such fantastic dancers the process of generating material can be organic and fluid. I am able to set a dancer a task and then work with them to unpick the movement and transform it into something new. For the non-dancers reading this, you could liken this process to the art of topiary; you plant a seed, watch the plant grow and then shape it into whatever strange and wonderful shape you wish! When there is a strong relationship between a dancer and a choreographer, this collaborative process can produce movement which is rich and personal to both parties. I love this process and can spend a lot of time working in this way. However, by Wednesday I knew I had to begin clarifying existing material so that we could move forward with the process. Wednesday and Thursday were spent re-capping and editing material both in the studio and on site. This is a challenging process as you have to let go of some ideas and stay true to the ones that have clear focus. In doing so I found myself questioning the purpose and intention of each and every aspect of the work…lots of tea was drunk!
Friday was the final day of R&D. We had the entire team on site, including both James and Jannette. This was our chance to see some of the material in the space and on the screen. Having James on site with us opened up even more possibility for the movement due to the range of ways each section can be shot. Myself, Nicola and the dancers could finally get an idea as to how the work would be framed and a glimpse of what the outcome could be…
This has given both myself and Nicola lots of food for thought. Next step= storyboarding!
Between now and the filming date, myself and the dancers will continue to question, refine and edit the movement material to ensure we are moving forward with the best quality possible.
