I like being a tree in your odd little forest

Tuesday Aug 31 I taught the Beginning Modern class for Variable Velocity. On Tuesday I was thinking about the class and that I wanted to use it to work on ideas and play around with material for Nipomo High School.

I know that I am interested in the idea of layers, levels, and as usual dynamic opposition. That led me to the idea of a forest and the layers of a natural forest with tall trees, bushes, grasses, critters, the wind, etc all working together to create this environment with so much life, energy and movement.

I am considering using this Zoe Keating song because I only get 3-4 mins to show a complete thought which is very difficult (think about taking gone with the wind and condensing it to a paragraph)

However as I started thinking about the movement I found myself very stuck... I had choreographers block. I couldn't shake it my body wouldn't flow, my mind wouldn't open, and for the life of me I couldn't visualize anything.

So I went for a walk, possibly the best thing I could do. I went out I found some trees, the wind was mighty that day and the sun was bright. I breathed the air and soaked in the sun and had this Balmorhea song on repeat on my ipod. I had found the music but not the story yet.

It took me almost 3 hours to bang out some semblance of a phrase... that frankly I'm not a huge fan of and I plan on scrapping 90% of it. There are bits of it that I like and lots that I don't but that is the nice part of setting the movement on these dancers before the Nipomo kids. If Mac, Caren and I can't make it work, then no one can.

So here is the phrase that consists of all forest things, starts with grass then trees and moves to wind and critters and those bushes and ends with a falling leaf.

take a look, tell me what you think, and look for a drastic change next tuesday!

VV Beginning combo 8-31-10 from Lauren Chertudi on Vimeo.

The dancers are rock stars working so hard to make this look and feel decent. I had no specific timing or counts and no real definite structure to movement quality.

VV Beginning Combo *dancers only* 8-31-10 from Lauren Chertudi on Vimeo.

A Shift of Energy

Week 3 baby!

Ok so this tuesday (yesterday July 27) I taught the Variable Velocity beginning modern dance class. There were only 3 students this week and 2 are Variable dancers so I decided for the warm up I would un-structure it and go for more of a one on one detailed warm up. Since it is so rare to get really specific instruction on things like different types of roll downs.

I also wanted to teach the same combo to the students however I wanted to change it up a bit. So I changed the music and overall tone of the piece.

here is me doing the original version to the Chase McBride music

July dance combo from Lauren Chertudi on Vimeo.

I changed the music to a song I have been unhealthily obsessed with

Crystal Castles "Empathy"

here is 2 runs in a row of the combo with me in it (it was really fast and tough)

Beginning Modern Combo week 3 (7-27-10) from Lauren Chertudi on Vimeo.

Then I had the dancers take the movement and not think about timing or the order and just go, here's what happened

Beginning Modern Dance *Dancers only week 3 from Lauren Chertudi on Vimeo.

I love seeing the differences between the the two versions. The movement is exactly the same, the only difference is the timing and dynamics. Gah! fascinating, this is the core of my work (at this stage in my life) and I love seeing how movement can change so much with little differences.

compare this week to

Week 1

Week 2

tonight Mee Heng Low Noodle House with Tanya, it's Jazz night which is my favorite

Beginning Modern Center combo

Last night I taught the beginning modern dance class for Variable Velocity. After a short crisis of identity last week, it felt so good to teach and the dancers are AMAZING in the class. To be cliche I felt extremely fulfilled just to be there and to teach and of course to witness them perform the phrase. The phrase was based on the idea of opposition and dynamics.

I added video with both myself in it and just the dancers, as a typical choreographer I actually prefer the video without me in it. I was breathless watching it and I'm really excited to teach it again next tuesday.

I LOVE DANCE (sorry, I felt that was necessary)

Music by Chase McBride "Wild Child"

VV class combo dancers only from Lauren Chertudi on Vimeo.

VV beginning class combo from Lauren Chertudi on Vimeo.

SUMMER

I just moved and my new place doesn't have internet yet but look for some new videos and work coming your way in the next couple months! soooo many ideas not enough time

also an explanation of the Jerome Robbins video is on the way