Creator: Lauren Graham Collaborators/Dancers: Caitlin Dabron/Felix Palmerston, Brock Fiedler, Jessica Dick, Lucy Hood

Duet a developing material

Caitlin solo Rehearsal 1

Duet b Rehearsal 1

Trio Rehearsal One

Duet Task 1 (a)

Critical Reflection/Analysis

Where it conceptually started from/began? How did this then translate when thinking of the physicality?

Initially I set out with the broad concept of Pain, knowing for certain I did not want to make the movement’s origin too emotional, although with the territory this is natural, rather I emphasized allowing the movement to speak honestly for itself. Physical pain occurs as a reaction, an instinctual response, so I allowed any intuitive material from the dancers to be explored and valued as a potential foundation to create from until it wasn’t (which most times it was the right choice). While through research the concept transformed majorly to explore Neuroplastic Pain and Pain Tolerance all the while paying close attention to the lens of kinesthetic empathy and how any gesture, glance, and movement could read, but also from the real feeling from the creators; the dancers and myself.

 Technological thinking – Isadora graphics, imagery helped explore conceptually

In first exploring Isadora I was unsure how to use it to my best advantage. I knew what I wanted the work to look like in my mind when I related the space with my mind’s story board and compliment this with lighting – and this did come to fruition, however I could not see how project could play an integral role in this. I intended to use projection onto the bodies. After meeting with Elise May and she viewed my work, there were incidentally two parallel white lines on the floor which she found very beneficial to the choreography and thought I had put them there on purpose. That was a turning point for me as the two parallel lines really exposed the relationship between the duets of separate yet coexistent physical and emotional elements of pain. This also shifted my intentions for the work’s concept and relationship between the dancers’ roles and movements. However, this saw me utilize this as projection but also use a scanning action like an x-ray or scanning of the body but using a stencil to make it more visually interesting. In the trio section, the height of pain for the work, when in combination with horizontal scanning on the floor this produced an uncomfortable environment as the audience was so overstimulated.

  How successfully did I pull off as it sits together as a whole?

My first thought when creating this work was that no element is as important as the summation of all parts. Every part must enhance the work. I believe that I achieved this. My specific need for sound, projection, and lighting was to utilize ‘anamnesis’ which is the ‘the involuntary evocative power of sounds reviving memories’. Meaning that the movement reflects the quality of the music however, this shifted as moments of ‘pain’ or ‘internal conflict’ juxtaposed the soft music, the rapid scanning also counterbalanced the soft atmosphere of the music. So in the trio section, the height of pain, the music reflected the pain in the movement and the projection that had been building throughout the entire piece, this then more or less reversed to settle back where the work began. The loss of one element would have shifted the atmosphere, I am not sure what sort of effect this would have had but my guess is it wouldn’t have been as effective.

 Where is there room for development and take place?

This work could be further developed in terms of shifting between inflicting pain versus nurturing the body, it would be interesting to see the effect of this visually and technologically. I wonder how juxtaposition would prove to be beneficial in this case, perhaps marrying the calmness would prove more of an impact to really portray the diverse difference between the two emotions. Another area could be the addition of an outside person being involved as the work was about the facets of one person’s pain, or perhaps putting more emphasis on the emotional side and how that could shift the work to a different place.

 Challenges in some of development process to get the work to where it was?

I found it challenging to work with the stimulus of pain, it did not come easily to me but I was searching for a challenge. The relationships between the dancers themselves and how the audience would see them was something that I knew would naturally formed when viewing the work which I didn’t mind but I didn’t want the couples to be seen as ‘in love’. I think this is why I veered towards ignoring the emotional side when producing majority of the movement, to really allow whatever perceptions came from the movement to be truly from the movement itself.

 Affordable of challenges seeing in a new way a place different never thought of before?

A challenge tech-wise was that there were only two projectors available. This meant my Isadora file have to be designed differently. For this reason, I also decided on floor projection being less due to it warping and front projection being more. This then entailed other changes, lighting shifted to being less important in some sections, allowing the stage to be lit by projection, this was a nice touch and an effect I would not have thought of otherwise.

 A major challenge was when Caitlin, who was very dedicated to the work informed me that she was unable to perform one of the performances; it ended up that she couldn’t perform either. I was lucky that Felix stepped in and learnt the choreography so fast but this lead to numerous challenges. The duet work was made on Caitlin and Brock who are similar heights but this was very different between Brock and Felix, the material shifted and it worked really well. It was also interesting to see the solo work performed by someone different than it was made on, I really felt connected to Felix’s version of the work and the way she timed and felt things in terms of musicality and intention.

Trio Stimulus

Images used as stimulus for trio:

A video that some of the positions were either stimulus or attempted at being replicated:

Synopsis

I wrote this synopsis for myself to make sense of the work and its intentions. 

This is the short description about the work:

Projection and Lighting Cues

Planning for projection and lighting:

This is the document that I sent the stage manager prior to bump in with all of my Lighting and Projection cues with Movement. 

Projection - Isadora

Below are the screenshots from Isadora of my projection

Meeting with Elise May

Elise gave me feedback from the material I had so far - Initial solos, Duet section, and the Trio. We then discussed/brainstormed the Tech side of my work and its integral purpose. 

It was interesting because the room we were in had two white parallel lines on the floor which she thought were apart of my work. It made it very interesting especially in the duet section. It was definitely a purposeful accident as the entire section made a lot more sense that way. 

Creating - How and Why

TRIO

The trio was created by the dancer following direction or questions posed by me like, ‘what would happen is...’ or ‘what would it look like if...’, ‘is it possible too’, ‘I want Lucy to go after Brock now’, ‘choke him in a fruit bat’ etc. They also offered me questions and movements. It was a very facilitative process. This section is the height of Pain. The sound and projection aided this atmosphere of discomfort, while some of the movements were familiar to audiences of what their prior pain experience is, there was also familiar movements from prior in the work, but then there was new and sometimes shocking moments. I intended to make this painful for the audience and myself but also painful for the dancers - which it definitely was at times in rehearsal and on stage. 

BROCK’S SOLOS

        BEGINNING SOLO

At the beginning at the work performed simultaneously with Caitlin’s was created by me asking him to put a shirt on and also put pants on too. I requested he interrupted with specific throwing actions which would sometimes compliment Caitlin’s, aesthetically suited, or he offered them to me. 

          PRIOR to TRIO SOLO

Created after the trio, saw prelude actions of the trio - which meant that the trio was all a reflection of what was happening in Caitlin’s body/mind (as Brock’s theoretical role was the ‘body/physicality’). He also repeated some of the movements from Caitlin’s initial solo. 

        POST TRIO

This solo was reflective of what has happened so far and what will happen if Caitlin continued on this negative, naive, ignorant path. Movement was mainly derived from what had already been performed in solos, duets, and the trio section. Some movements were taken further, to expose their true underlying meaning. This was almost a message of defeat but continuing on in this way, proving it to be quite emotionally draining and overwhelming.

BROCK AND CAITLIN END DUET

This is the point of realisation. Caitlin had just watched Brock’s solo, the trio, and Brock’s final solo. She understands what is happening and yearns to care for her body, for Brock, and thus for herself. This duet was created by utilising movements from the entire work so far, reversing roles of Brock and Caitlin in most instances, to show who is supporting who has changed. The idea of ‘blind pain’ was also explored. Giving in all weight so the other person has to hold you entirely. Moments that had previously been seen as painful were now nurturing by Caitlin. It was interesting how intention could shift choreography entirely. 

CAITLIN END SOLO

This also utilised a lot of movements seen already, specifically in her initial solo but also from both of Brock’s solos. While there were some moments of throwing/pain it was in a more respectful way, as if recognising and accepting that it as truth. Still very much taken from her initial solo. Caitlin and I created this together and wrote it in a score after to memorise it. 

Planning Phase 2

Notes on each section, their intentions, and derivatives. 

ideas and stimulus used for Brock’s solo after the trio section:

Duet b (Jess and Lucy) Creating

Through creating new material with me giving suggestions for moments, the dancers offering me movements, accidents, choreography, and material from the two duet tasks that both couples created this duet was made. The trajectory was to stay in the background majorly, travelling from Prompt to Op Prompt of the stage. 

Duet Concept

For Duet b (Lucy and Jess) the duet surrounded the ‘emotional side’ of Pain - Duet a (Brock and Caitlin) explores the more ‘physical side’ of Pain. The concept of having both duets occur simultaneously, with Physical initiating just prior emphasises that Pain is both an Emotional and Physical Experience. Without Emotion there is no pain, without physicality there is no pain, it must be both and this is the reason pain cannot be measured - due to everyone’s prior experience and perceptions with both elements. In terms of projection when I decided to use two parallel lines during this section it was beneficial as the entire purpose was to show the relationship and coexistence between these two facets of pain. Without one the other is useless, the parallel lines highlighted this perfectly while also providing a focal point for viewers to use so their gaze could be at either duet or at the lines to see both in relation to one another at once. 

Duet a was also created by teaching a duet that Brock and I created, amongst some movements from taking, and new movements from my questions or statements/phrases. Brock and Caitlin also offered their instincts and thoughts.

Solo Tasking

Initially I was unsure of what exactly I wanted to derive material from for the opening solo. I knew I wanted to play with Pain Tolerance and the phrase on the pain scale when ‘Pain interrupts daily life and activities’, as neuroplastic pain does. We toyed with mundane everyday tasks but weren’t sold on any of them. So I asked Caitlin to take her shirt off and put it back on, something very simple and done very often. We created the phrase together from her movements of putting her shirt on, we also used putting pants on and fixing her hair but mainly utilising the shirt phrase. From there we created a score where I would say ‘okay make this a thrown away movement’, or ‘make these movements quicker’, ‘this is the same phrase now but bigger, ‘can you make that a turn?’, ‘can it be the same movement but lower/higher’, etc. Adding in throwing motions interrupting more and more until it was all throwing, these ‘throws’ are the concept of neuroplastic pain shifting and interrupting the body’s natural course. We created an unwritten score that we later wrote down to make sense of it and remember it for future.