A Reflection on choriographic Tasks/Progresses

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During our first few practical choreography lessons, we reflected on multiple stimuli and explored a number of creative tasks to facilitate movement.  

  

Within the initial practical choreography lesson, we were presented with six unique sources of stimuli in the form of photographs. After being split into groups of six, we were given the opportunity to collaborate, discuss and note the different interpretations of concepts that we could later explore, the emotions these evoked, and movement ideas, words, context, descriptions and questions on each. We then came together as a class to collaborate and further develop our ideas stimuli and discuss the images as a group; this helped me view the various perspectives and topics my classmates saw in the stimuli.   

  


In addition to this, we were divided into groups within the second lesson based on which stimuli we felt most drawn to; then, as a group, we were allowed time to discuss the many different themes. The stimuli I chose is a photograph of a dead tree stump that morphs into an oversized chair with a smaller scaled man is sitting and looking forlorn; the surrounding area is barren and deserted. Personally, I
interpreted this image through the lens of climate change, deforestation, and the element of consumerism with humans manufacturing goods far beyond what we need at the cost of the earth.  




 

 


We also watched a video discussing the dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham, known for his forward-thinking and revolutionary practices. The video's main focus was his innovation of the 'chance choreography method. Within Cunningham's method, movements, placements, repetition, and even music are selected at random through actions such as dice rolling, coin flipping, or a random number generator.  

  

For our next task, we implemented chance choreography to create a motif. Firstly we compiled 16 different actions split into three categories. The first included physical movements such as turns, jumps, and kicks, the second contained actions we could achieve as a group (retrograde, cannon, second party movement initiation), while the third had options of how we'd be moving in relation to the space (floorwork, levels, facing). We then assigned each movement a random number between 1-6; following this, Miss Davis rolled a dice that correlated with an assigned movement and repeated this process until we had an entire phrase. 

 

  

  

I enjoyed having insight into using this technique as it forced me to be aware of and move away from my usual habitual framework and allowed for movement that I wouldn't have necessarily made otherwise. I think it will be a valuable tool to keep in mind as I embark on this project.   




Bibliography:


The Six Sides of Merce Cunningham. (2017) Video. Walker Art Centre, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. [Accessed 26, September 2021]


Mercecunningham.org. 2021. Merce Cunningham - Merce Cunningham Trust. [online] Available at: <https://www.mercecunningham.org/about/merce-cunningham/#:~:text=One%20of%20Merce%20Cunningham%E2%80%99s%20most%20influential%20strategies%20was,Cage%2C%20challenged%20traditional%20notions%20of%20storytelling%20in%20dance> [Accessed 14 October 2021]. 

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