Creative processes log: 

Choreographic exploration 1

Schedule 

CE 1

CE 2

CE 3

14/1/2021

20/1/2021

25/1/2021

17/1/2021

21/1/2021

26/1/2021

18/1/2021

22/1/2021

29/1/2021

 

Choreographic experimentations 

Choreographic exploration 2

Choreographic exploration 3

 

Quantitative data 

 

CE 1

CE 2

CE 3

Research time for choreographic tools

 47 min

 35min

 43min

Session preparation time

 S1-15min


S2- 27min


S3- 10min

S1-7min

 

S2-10min

 

S3-5min

 S1- 34min

 

S2-15min

 

S3-5min

 

Movement exploration time

 S1- 28 min


S2- 33min

 S1-22min

 

S2-17min

 

 S1-32min

 

S2-26min

 

Assembling the piece time

 S3- 52min

 S3- 46min

 S3-34min

Total time

 212 min (3hrs 32min)

 142 min (2hrs 22 min)

 189 min (3hrs 15 min)

Number of difficulties encountered

 1

 2

 1

Average time solving difficulties

 30 mins

 18min

 10min

Lenth of final piece 

 1min 30sec  4min 37sec  1min 44sec

25/1/2021- Improvised exploration

This session required  a significant amount of time dedicated to preparation because I had to research the poem and analyse it through the framework of structural linguistics, to find relevant meaning to inspire my movement exploration.  I decided to focus on the ideas of organic freedom, reduced space (in connection with oppression and captivity), rage, adversity, and hope.  To work with imagery across sensory modalities I tried to explore how these notions affect my senses and therefore my movement. I found very interesting contrasts in the material created, and all sections of improvisation felt very different in an emotional sense. 

14/1/2021-   Improvised exploration

I worked with improvisation in response to the sound of the text. I explored  rhythm, melody, and pause as established. I found challenging to detach from the meaning while improvising, as it is something so present in language.  The lyric nature of the text allowed me to find a sense of flow in multiple moments of my improvisation. I felt  this text provides opportunity for continuity, following the melodic aspects of the sound as well. I found difficulty establishing pauses. 

20/1/2021- Improvised exploration

I improvised in a conscientious manner, to generate movement inspired by the shapes of the letters of the poem, and considering concepts from the sources explained in the previous section of this exposition. My first difficulty was in the length of the poem, so I decided to choose a few verses from it only to create this piece. I also found difficulty finding flow and continuity in the improvisation,  as I had to stop to read the verses and start again between the movements. However, I found this method a very effective one to create movement in a short period of time. 

Session 1 

26/1/2021- Selection of choreographic material

I selected from the footage of session 1 the movement material that I felt portrayed better the notions I wanted to explore. I found difficulty in recreating the material, as during the improvisation the movement was performed in connection with certain feelings and sensations of the moment. I decided to keep certain sections of the final solo as a guided/tasked improvisation as I felt it was the best was to personally portray feelings of rage and captivity. 

17/1/2021-  Further explorations and selection of choreographic material 

After observation of the footage from the first session, I decided to change my plans and start this session with improvised exploration, specially to improve in the accuracy of the pauses. This worked well because I was more familiar with the text at this point.  I also explored further the sense of rhythm through the pace of the words, making a conscious choice of using jumps. After experimenting this felt very organic in the most intense sections of the poem's interpretation. Finally, I started selecting movement, choosing and repeating in different ways what I felt was the best interpretation of my somatic response to the sound.  

21/1/2021- Selection of choreographic material 

I set a few movements per letter of the poem.  I based my work in the movements created in the previous session and tried to manipulate the movements created for each letter to have multiple options. Again, I found this method to be very effective, and as I already had the letters in mind finding options to "draw them in space" became easier each time. 

Abbreviations:

  • CE- Choreographic experimentation
  • S-session

 

Session 2

18/1/2021- Setting movement and assembling the piece

During this final session I worked both listening to the poem and looking to the footage from the previous sessions. To keep the sense of somatic musicality I kept working from the sensation of my responses to the sound, even if looking at the footage. When I started to set material I felt that my sense of musicality was enhanced, as I knew what movements to perform next so I was only focused on following the words.  I found much less difficulty with establishing pauses as well. 

22/1/2021- Assembling the piece

I connected the movements that were created in the previous sessions, following the letters of the text in order. I found that even with the few verses that I had selected, the text was too long and I had make it shorter to make manageable for the time I had. Connecting the material and finding continuity was challenging, and I had to do it by repetition. This way of approaching text as inspiration for choreography proved to be highly effective again in terms of movement creation per time, as by the end I had quite a long solo.  However, the material feels too raw and disconnected, both performing it and observing it, and it does not feel like a final product. 

29/1/2021- Assembling the piece 

I connected the selected material in a phrase that intercalates the different concepts from the poem. The aim was to portray the contrast between freedom and captivity by mixing qualities and sensations. The result is a very abstract piece. I find that although I created this piece from the meaning of the text, using a sensory approach led to accentuate qualities over shape, which did not lead to create movement with literal signification. 

Session 3 

Final pieces