Rehearsal at the CAMH
Yesterday we rehearsed at the Contemporary Arts Museum (CAMH). I brought the canvases, new scores-again!, graphite, tape, and the music. I must say, Kristen and Alex, you two are amazing. At each prior rehearsal I’ve come with a revised score. This new score has more than minor changes. We’re talking major changes. They’ve embraced them and contributed thoughtfully and significantly. I do feel the piece is becoming more cohesive, and has a single voice. I’ve tossed out a lot of what we’ve been working. The piece in my mind was getting a bit unruly and I was trying to figure out how to synthesize the material and the direction of the piece. Then I realized the problem was that I was working on two different pieces and forcing them into one. So a major segment of what we’ve been rehearsing is now shelved for the evening length work to be performed in March. I feel like I’ve run the piece through a strainer. I had a bit of separation anxiety when I started to recognize the issue. Self-editing. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since talking to a friend (and Frame dancer). It’s so very hard to do. It’s also so very important to do.
I’m editing the footage for the screen dance portion of the piece. I am very excited about it. And I’m now feeling more confident about its role in the piece as well as the live dance’s role. I knew that would be the struggle all along. And it is. But there’s a clarity the work has gained since chopping out 65% of what we’ve been working on. Don’t worry dancers, it’s not waste; it is its own piece and will be shaped and crafted come January.
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