Thursday, December 30, 2010
Why I want to attend Sarah Lawrence
I don’t want to be like anyone else, I want to explore dance and expand my identity as a dancer and choreographer in order to better share my thoughts. I have always worked to create my own thoughts and never rely on what I’m told or the world’s standards.
I want to study not only the human body, but also the mind and spirit that drive it. The body is a reaction to psychological and exterior factors. There are forces inside and out that affect every aspect of our lives. It is the forces and effects that fascinate me as a dancer and choreographer.
Sarah Lawrence is not a place to perfect technique in order to create carbon copy students. It offers a place to explore, discover, and grow; not just as a dancer and choreographer but also as a human. Sarah Lawrence also provides a cerebral study of dance. I attended California Polytechnic University as an out of state student (6.8% of students) in one of the most rigorous business programs in the country. I want to continue to use every bit of my brain, a marriage between right and left halves. Pure physicality cannot exist alone; it requires impetus from the psyche and/or spirit. All elements need to be engaged to create a true piece of art.
I see Sarah Lawrence as a chance to live in a new environment and experience a much different community from those in Idaho and California. While I have lived in France I have never been east of Salt Lake City in the United States. I am excited about Sarah Lawrence’s proximity to New York to see shows on and off Broadway, visit MoMA, and experience a diverse area, something I have dreamed of since I was young. I also want to experience the natural beauty of the northeast. I draw a lot of inspiration from my surroundings and Sarah Lawrence provides a new and unique setting for me to learn and explore.
Why I want to pursue Graduate studies
Dance is the door to exploring, molding, and defining my identity. Throughout my life I have challenged myself to take every opportunity available to sculpt my character. The human personality and soul from afar are a simple shape, after looking more closely and studying it, more unique and intricate facets of the object appear from the single dimension to become a complex multi-dimensional object. Dance is a tool for studying and learning more facets to the human spirit. There are infinite possibilities and facets to discover about yourself and the world.
I am currently intrigued by the idea of site-specific dance, the ability of space to effect the movement. I want to experiment with the effect of dance in a space with the audience there to experience the interaction. Dance in a space created for a camera and dance on stage affected by a space caught on camera. The dynamics of the interaction between an unusual space, dancer(s), and media needs further exploration.
Living in a tiny apartment in France I began creating site-specific works in different parts of my living space. While I had done site-specific improvisations before, the audience was usually there to view the pieces. This was the first time I had created work for a camera and I found the challenge inspiring.
I want a creative and cerebral study of dance. I want to take my library of knowledge and apply it to every aspect of my life. Everything is a web connected together: technique, music, lighting, anatomy; they are all facets of an idea. In this ever-changing world it is important to be more than a specialist. Every area of study is applicable to another, musicality can inform movement, which can be influenced by light, and influenced by another human’s desires or needs.
Dance in its purest form is relatable to everyone, even in a miniscule way. Dance is based upon pure human emotion and experience. Intertwined with the use of movement, dance becomes an investigation between the human mind and body guided by the spirit. I use the world around me as a source of inspiration to explore relationships between myself and the world, things, people and rhythms in it.
I have never fully immersed myself in dance; it has always been a secondary activity to school. I’m ready to make dance the focus of my life and to be challenged in an academic study of the art.
Autobiography
Climb, twirl, paint, imagine. I was born and raised in Boise, Idaho in a Basque-American family; I knew I was unusual from day 1. Born to be different and strike my own path in life. I was free to pursue my passions and express myself in many forms, from studying Egyptology at 10 to choreographing at 17. Through my own studies and explorations I slowly began to shape my identity.
When I turned 15 I started dancing with the Oinkari Basque Dancers, a professional Basque folk dance group, and the heart of my Basque family, my Amuma (grandmother) passed away. I had always been Basque, it was in my blood, I ate the food, and I had been to a several festivals. It wasn’t until I had lost a part of my Basque identity, my Amuma, that I found my own identity. I gained a loyalty to my Basque heritage that I had never felt before. I danced for my Amuma because in life she had never seen me dance, but I hoped in death she was watching me dance and was proud.
The next year I was advised by a former dance teacher to try a modern dance class from her friend, Matt Hope. From the first day he had us rolling on the floor and moving in a less than attractive manner. There was something that clicked with me, the athleticism and abstract movement felt right on my body. I had never danced “ugly” before or thought more about how to move than the lines created by the body. Matt pushed us to think about what it felt like and not what it looked like. He faced us away from the mirrors, had us on our hands, shifting weight, dancing like I had never danced before. Matt opened my door of opportunity by introducing me to Leah Clark and the Balance Dance Company, a pre -professional modern company.
Balance Dance Company supported dancers in developing and cultivating their skills as choreographers. For my junior and senior years, I created works for the Ballet Idaho Choreography Competition for youth choreographers. The first year was a solo piece that I later set as a trio for my final Balance show. The second year I created a quartet that was based on my rebellion to the traditions of the choreography competition. I wanted to create a dance that was all about breaking the rules and creating your own path. The piece contrasted from the rest of the competition in utilizing rock music by The Raconteurs and a physical, modern style of movement. It wasn’t a pretty piece but it had a clear voice and complete thought, and won first place. With the help of Balance and the choreography competition I learned about myself and my perspective on life.
In high school I spent a large portion of my time at school with my arms elbow deep in clay using the human form as my inspiration. I was encouraged by my pottery instructor to sculpt in my own way and create outside of the conventional forms. My first advanced sculpture series was based on the human form wrapped in a blanket of clay, leaving only a shell to suggest an invisible body creating the shape. Upon those shells I painted aspects of human nature from childhood memories, religion, love, and family. Another series I sculpted based on a human head starting with just the skull and adding until it was a complete head. I was never interested in making cups or flowers or things. I wanted to capture the human body, mind and spirit with a little clay and paint. I feel the same about choreographing.
When I moved to California for college, I had a plan to be in the school company and get a degree in International Business, then work for an art gallery or museum. However I didn’t fit the model of the school company and instead, landed in my dance teacher’s modern company in San Luis Obispo, one of the best things to ever happen. In working with Variable Velocity, I learned about Bartenieff fundamentals, gyrokinesis, Bill Evans’ mind-body integration, and a list a mile long. Before I met Jude Clark Warnisher, one of the directors of Variable Velocity, I had never heard of a sacrum, let alone knew how to use it. After three years with the company my sacrum is my best friend.
In September 2009, I packed two large duffle bags and boarded a plane to France where I lived and studied for 4 months. I lived in a small apartment building dedicated to 200 international students of Rouen Business School. Living abroad connected me with my European roots and allowed me to experience many cultures and a different way of life.
I had traveled to Europe several times before, but this was the first time I had to do everything myself. My favorite part of life in France was waking up each morning, opening my huge window and doing a 20 minute yoga, Pilates, or ballet work out before starting my day. This ritual became the basis for what would change my life. I decided one day to create a dance and then make a film in my tiny apartment which I posted on my French travel blog. I continued to make site-specific dance pieces while living in France.
When I returned to the U.S. I decided to continue blogging and focused on dance and my site-specific work in the new blog, MovementTronic: Chertudi Dance Adventure. I have worked vigorously on the blog and I also have been teaching the beginning modern Variable Velocity class, observing and assisting in Nipomo High School’s dance department. When I am not dancing I am at someone else’s rehearsals and classes. Dance and I have become one. I know the only path for me is dance.
