Study of 'Personal Movement Style' - an independent choreography research project

The term of ‘style’ for this research is an individual expression characterized by a dancer personality and quality inside the technical trained dancing body.

My research is based on an investigation of the proposition that each dancer has their own movement quality which can be seen even within a particular dancing style. Arguably quality is personal and specific to each person even when they perform learned movement. I consider style to be something that can be learnt and embodied through practice, especially when it is focused on one specific dance or movement style. Dance styles require certain movement qualities; but there are some qualities that appear to me to be personal and I am going to investigate the idea of how ‘new personal movement style’ produced in this research.

London, 25 May 2007

The Invisible Moment

photo by Dian Rosita

Examining ‘documentation of the creative process’ as a mode to read the choreography

This essay investigates the creative process by a choreographer which usually is "invisible" and queries how it is documented. An invisible process which generally unknown by the audiences and then becomes visible if it is well informed or performed and packaged into a good form or media of documentation. How the documentation could expose in a well articulated way so it can give a good impression and adequate points of view of the choreographer its dance work. That documentation of creative process can also be seen as the final product. It’s a product within the product itself - a "cycle of process" in the creativity of a dance work. It is a cycle to see ‘process and performance’ as an eternal rotation of creativity.

Seeing and reading a documentation of creative process may help the viewers to understand and appreciate the choreography. Investigating the documentation of creative process, I will refer to Susan Leigh Foster’s (1986) model of choreographic analysis. Considering how these elements of documenting can support the audience in reading and understanding the dance. Does it also create ‘meaning’?

Dance is an event that exists as a form of performing art, presented and received by the audience when it happens. Dance is present. The identity of a dance is established when that dance is being performed. As an "event", that dance becomes the end-product when it is accepted and perceived by an audience. A dance work is not "completed" until it has observed by an audience. As the final work presented, the audience has the right to "interpret" it, and then it belongs to the public. The choreographer will have to accept this as the final result.

Meanwhile, the process of the creation of a dance work happens before the "product" is performed. This part of the creative process is usually invisible, where research and the formulation of an idea or concept by the choreographer are being done. This creative process is done through intensive practice. This journey leads to the process of selecting the materials up to the refinement of the idea which then leads to the "real" performances. This whole process is a journey of the choreographer's creativity and involves collaboration with dancers. It is a creative process which is invisible and mostly not exposed to the public.

Observing the creative process of the choreographer in creating his/her work could open new opportunities and possibilities to present and introduce the profile of the choreographer besides through his ‘masterpiece’ or finished dance work. It can also open the viewer’s eyes to the creativity of the choreographer which is normally invisible and gives an insight view and critical perspective toward the dance besides the information and description on the program note. These will develop the sense of appreciation from the audience while looking at the dance.

Dance turns out to be a ‘finished product’ because of the limited budget and time to meet a performance deadline. To create an art work, the reason of funding and timing is considered as a must. The funding body or commission needs to see the work to be performed or presented to public. They need to have and see the result, which means to have the ‘finished product’ and meeting the deadline. The artist has also an obligation as well as a moral responsibility towards the funding body to show or perform his/her works. Thus, choreographers should meet these requirements to perform their dances; however it does not mean that their creativity is blocked. As John Adams (1999), an American composer writes:
‘Can’t I come up with a better idea? But I have to just go ahead, and this is why I always work with a deadline. If I didn’t have that date, not too far in the future, a crisis of confidence might overwhelm me, and I’d simply stop’. (Adams in McCuthan, 1999: p67).

In the process of making a dance, the choreographer should decide that the work is finished and being performed, so it can be said the dance is a ‘finished product’, except if the performance is described to be a ‘work in progress’. Therefore the audience will see and value that performance differently. The existence of a dance work normally is perceived as an end product by the viewers. Seeing a documentation of the creative process as an end product or putting the creative process as part of the performance, such as lecture demonstration (performance) or lecture concert, process becomes a ‘product’ as well. Through this kind of ‘documentation’ or ‘performance’ by having the explanation of ‘the creative process’, is that help or guide or open the possibility for the audience to ‘understand’ the work? What is the effect by giving the ‘frame’ of information of creative process to the viewers? By ‘knowing how’ or ‘knowing the creative process’ of choreographers for the audience, does it help and give benefits for the choreographer as well as the audience?

Susan Leigh Foster (1986) identifies five conventions for the viewers to read and create a meaning from choreography.

‘Once familiar with movement, the viewer can apprehend the choreographic codes and conventions that give the dance its significance. By focusing on these conventions in a particular dance, the viewer comes to understand not only what the dance means but also how it creates its meaning’ (Foster, 1986: p.59).

The five broad categories of choreographic conventions are: the frame, the mode of representation, the style, the vocabulary and the syntax. Foster helps the viewers to understand how to read dance and create a meaning from choreography. The knowledge of five conventions are mainly provided and easily understood for the general public or audience. For the experienced choreographer, those five conventions are employed for reflection and reference toward his/her choreography. In the dance production, the choreographer’s creative process unconsciously implements those five conventions. Choreographer gives information in a specific “framing” to the viewers, uses movement vocabulary as well as creating style into the dance. This is a process that is made for the audience, so they can read and understand the dance. Reading or seeing the creative process through observation and documentation will also help the viewer to read and understand the choreography, so the documentation of the creative process is also important for them. Besides to understand the dance, experiencing (witnessing) the creative process will open up the strategy, skills as well as knowledge of ‘knowing how’ for the others choreographers.

Middlesex University, London 10 May 2007

Rambert Dance Company

Anatomica # 3 – Andre Gingras

Warga London mendapatkan kesempatan menyaksikan koreography Andre Gingras di Sadler’s Wells yang ditarikan oleh Rambert Dance Company.

Keseragaman manusia diawal koreography ini menampilkan gerak segar nan minimalis, repetitive dan percussive menghadirkan suatu misteri perilaku manusia. 18 penari memakai costume wanita dengan tas dan wig yg serupa bergerak dan melangkah mengikuti irama musik yang didesign oleh Joseph Hyde.

Awal yg memikat tidak berarti membuat 'content' karya tari ini bermutu. Gerak yang kemudian berkembang menjadi besar, liar dan aggressive mengisi panggung yang ditata dengan tumpukan matras di sudut kanan belakang panggung. Para penari melempar diri, melompat, ber’akrobatik’ ria dan menari dengan struktur gerak yang berpola seperti ‘class work’. Suguhan gerak yang terlalu ‘dihambur-hamburkan’ menciptakan suasana yang membosankan tanpa suatu ‘intention’ yang jelas. Variasi gerak menjadikan penampilan karya ini bak 'etalase gerak' yang cocok untuk penonton ber 'window shopping'. Menyentuh permukaan tanpa pendalaman makna, materi yang ada menjadi suatu ketersiaan belaka.

Penggalan beberapa gesture yang sempat mencuri perhatian, seperti membuka mata dan memperlihatkan bagian tubuh tertentu tidak dimanfaatkan dengan seksama oleh sang pencipta. Adegan ini berlalu begitu saja, malah terkesan menjadi tempelan yang dipaksakan untuk meredam hamburan gerak yang bombastis. Usaha memikat melalui kombinasi gerak tak berhasil sempurna karena ‘wasting movement without critical thinking’. It has become a ‘macdonaldization of movement’. More is less…..

London, 22 May 07

Australian Dance Theatre - HELD

HELD, grabbing the moment….

HELD, karya Gerry Stewart dengan photographer Lois Greenfield menampilkan ‘moment’ gerak yang diabdikan dalam satu jepretan kamera.

Moment yang di ‘grab’ adalah suatu gerak yang biasanya tak bisa ‘suspended’, suatu gerak yang melayang sebelum tubuh penari menyentuh lantai. Moment diudara yang sengaja dibikin expressive untuk kolaborasi tari dan photo ini.

Motivasi gerak diarahkan untuk konsumsi ‘photographer’ dengan suatu performance yang sangat ‘athletic’ – kuat, sigap dan cermat.

Gerak banyak terulang untuk di’abadi’kan, dan ‘intimacy’ antara gerak dan focus kamera berusaha diperlihatkan dengan angle dan focus pada beberapa bagian tubuh penari.

Tampilan photos menjadi suatu ‘memoar’ penting, sebuah moment ketika berada diudara.

Sadler's Wells, 20 Feb 07

NDT2

DANCE is a Mystery!!

Tampil memukau dengan tehnik ‘prima’, NDT2 menampilkan mahakarya dari Jiri Kylian, Ohad Naharin dan Lighfoot Leon di Sadler's Well, London.

Karya tari menjadi suatu misteri yang melebihi kata dan gambar. Suatu bentuk seni yang ‘reflect into humanity’, menjadikannya suatu misteri yang menjadi ‘daya khayal’ seniman dalam berkarya.

NDT2 menampilkan keindahan misteri tari dengan sangat sempurna. Perpaduan tehnik gerak dan intepretasi yang memukau membuat tari ‘berbicara’ dengan multi dimensi .

Jiri Kylian, dengan karyanya SLEEPLESS diiringi ‘new composition’ musik oleh Dirk Haubrich berdasarkan W.A Mozart, Adagio in C minor ditarikan oleh 6 penari. Adegan awal dan akhir yang serupa menjadikannya suatu ‘perputaran’ abadi mengenai insomnia dan mimpi. Dengan ruangan yang dibagi dua melalui layar elastis, perpindahan penari dari ‘visible’ menuju ‘invisible’ memberi kesan misteri dari ‘sleepless’.

Dengan 15 penari, Ohad Naharin menampilkan excerpts dari beberapa karyanya: Mabul, Virus, Black Milk dan Telophaza dan diberi judul SPIT. Satu baris penari dengan costume berwarna kulit dan hitam bergerak secara ‘mechanic’ membuka tarian dan diikuti dengan duet serta adegan ‘ritual’ lima penari pria dengan iringan music folklore dari Arab, Isreal, Greece dan Vivaldi. Koreography ini diakhiri dengan ‘confession’ seorang penari menggunakan spoken text dan bergerak seolah ‘sign language'.

SLEIGHT OF HAND menampilkan 8 penari yang menari dengan berbagai character yang berbeda. Sepasang penari menjadi sosok raksasa didepan pintu gerbang tempat keluar masuk penari dari belakang dan depan panggung. Seorang penari pria menjadi tokoh utama didampingi oleh sepasang dan 3 penari lelaki berpakaian jubah hitam. Gerak yg dinamis diiringi music dari Phillip Glass menciptakan suasana yg gelap penuh dengan mystery.

Sadler’s Wells, 9 May 2007

SACRED MONSTER - Akram Khan dan Sylvie Guillem

Tari dan musik ‘kathak’ oleh Akram Khan ditampilkan dengan canda yang intelektual termasuk bercerita tentang ‘proses creative’ nya. Banyak kata dan gerak yang dipadu sehingga memberi kesan ‘performance’ menjadi ‘lecture demonstration’.

Sylvie Guillem tampil mempesona dengan tehnik prima yang terpadu dalam balutan koreography Lin Hwai-Min. 'Sacred Monsters' menjadi paduan 'hitam - putih', 'pria - wanita', dan 'gerak - kata'.

Panggung yang diisi bersama 'musicians' menutupi besarnya panggung. Paduan antara Khan dan Guillem, mempertemukan kualitas timur dan barat, dengan mutu dan tehnik gerak yang berbeda, mereka bersatu, ‘joint forces’ untuk membuka peluang dan saling mengisi. Gerak yang tercipta oleh penari kelas dunia ini harusnya ‘membahana’. Panggung tak sesak, tapi kecerdasan kadang tak menarik untuk disimak.

sadler's wells, 17 apr 07

HET NATIONALE BALLET - Amsterdam

Menampilkan empat choreography yang menunjukkan keragaman serta kemampuan tehnik dari ‘ballet company’ Belanda.

‘DUETS’, karya Merce Cunningham dengan music John Cage – Improvisations no 3, menghadirkan suatu ragam ‘pas de deux’ yang segar sebagai tarian pembuka. ‘Simplicity’ dalam concept, ‘wealth’ dalam gerak dan ‘perfect’ dalam eksekusi gerak memperlihatkan ‘maturity’ sebuah koreography.

‘KAMMERBALLET’, karya Hans van Manen menciptakan dimensi tari lain dengan ‘plot’ yang tersusun akurat membangun suatu ‘narasi’ yang apik. Dengan bantuan bangku kecil serta design ‘lighting’ yang ‘pas’, tarian ini sempurna mengolah element gerak dengan element theatrical nya.

‘SINCE’ ditarikan oleh 8 penari yang terasa ‘sepi’ dalam panggung yang luas. Panggung dibagi menjadi 2 bagian yang terpisah dengan layar transparent putih. Kandungan gerak yang ‘fluid’ terasa ‘juicy’ dalam komposisi yang tak beraturan. Karya ini diciptakan oleh Annabella Lopez Ochoa.

‘HALLELUJAH JUNCTION’ menjadi tarian penutup, diciptakan oleh Ted Bransen dan ditarikan oleh 20 penari. Suatu ‘finale’ yang tak mencapai ‘klimax’, dimana ensamble banyak mengulang ‘phrase gerak’ sehingga terasa kurang materi gerak dalam suatu visual dan audio stimuli demi mencapai ‘2 senses of orgasm’. Music John Adams yang ditampilkan oleh 2 pianists tidak serasi untuk menghadirkan gejolak dalam suatu perayaan. ‘Big casts’ tidak berarti mudah menciptakan ‘big impact’

Amsterdam, 6 April 2007