Improv Arts

20 Years of Creative Collaboration Celebrated

2012-01-24T20:06:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to invite you to see Sharon Mansur and I present our evening length duet - sightlines -February 18 & 19, 2012 at Dance Place. These performances mark our 20th year of creative collaboration. In that time we've choreographed and performed together, co-directed Quiescence and taught near and far at universities, studios and festivals.

Sharon and I have been "bending, breaking, suspending and arresting audiences' expectations" (Washington CityPaper) since 1992 as"one of DC's exceptional duos" (DanceView).

We recently performed an excerpt of sightlines in Philadelphis where the reviewer states our 20 years of collaboration "is apparent in their familiarity with each other's bodies, weight, physical structures: they have an ease, a command, the freedom to play. One suggests an idea and the other immediately takes it up. There is clear structure here; they shape the space and time of this dance together as they move through it. They are listening: to each other, to the space, to the dance that unfolds beautifully, carefully, exuberantly before us" (thinkingdance).

We promise the evening will hold unexpected delights as we continue our ongoing, creative explorations.

Go Here for more info and to order tickets.

My ocean is never blue - a collaborative version

2009-09-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

My ocean is never blue
with

Arachne Aerial Arts (aerial dance)
Coyaba Dance Theater (West African dance)
Daniel Burkholder/ The PlayGround (post-modern dance)
Devi Dance Theater (Kuchipudi/Classical Indian dance)

My ocean is never blue explores humanity's multi-faceted relationship to water - from the personal to the spiritual, environmental and political - in a new collaborative version with Daniel Burkholder/The PlayGround (post-modern dance), Arachne Aerial Arts (aerial dance), Coyaba Dance Theater (West African dance) and Devi Dance Theater (Kuchipudi/Classical Indian dance). Combining traditional and contemporary dance techniques with live music, spoken word and video, My ocean is never blue is a collage of movement, images, information and sensory input.

My ocean is never blue is "remarkably cohesive... punctuated by many small surprises...a stunning display of ensemble work."

-- The Washington Post

Live Music by

Kenyon Piano Quartet

Jonathan Matis

Sam Turner

October 8 & 9, 2009 @ 8pm

Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

University of Maryland College Park

For tickets go to:

Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center website

or call

301-405-ARTS (2787)

Daniel Burkholder/The PlayGround & Jane Jerardi @ Dance Place

2009-01-28T15:10:00.000-08:00

March 28, 2009 @ 8pm

March 29, 2009 @ 7pm

Dance Place, Washington, DC

www.danceplace.or

DC-area artists Daniel Burkholder and Jane Jerardi generate inventive dance works that engage audiences in unexpected ways by employing improvisation, experimentation and multi-media. Daniel Burkholder's company, The PlayGround, combines the formalism of choreography with the spontaneity of improvisation in My ocean is never blue. Called a "stunning display of ensemble work" by The Washington Post, the work examines our multi-faceted relationship to water, from the personal to the ecological and political. Jane Jerardi's dances move fluidly between media - from dancers captured in videos that are projected on the sides of buildings to intimate personal private performances and site-specific works. With Perspective, she returns to the stage and collects excerpts from several pieces she's created over the past five years. Re-imagined as a series of related dances, they will intersperse projected video with striking gesture and compelling performance, including a new piece to a score by Amy Farina of The Evens. "Jerardi's talent is well established within dance circles; her perfectly capable video installation proves her merits in other genres as well." - Washington Post's Express

Daniel Burkholder/The PlayGround perform in Dance Bethesda

2008-01-22T20:37:00.000-08:00

Daniel Burkholder and Stefanie Quinones Bass will perform together/apart (we go each our way) March 8th as part of the Dance Bethesda celebration. See this award winning work (Outstanding Performance by a Group at the 2006 Metro DC Dance Award and Stefanie was a finalist for Outstanding Performance by an Individual at the 2007 Metro DC Dance Award) along with works by Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company, Aysha Upchurch / Life Rhythm, Move Project, Step Afrika, Maryland Youth Ballet and Ziva’s Spanish Dance Ensemble. Should be a really varied and excellent show!

more details at www.bethesda.org.

Daniel Burkholder & Eigenvalues performing Saturday, 8/11/07

2007-08-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

See Daniel Burkholder/The PlayGround with Eigenvalues perform excerpts from "My ocean is never blue" at Metro DC Dances on August 11th at Carter Barron Amphitheatre. They will be performing both a pre-performance event on the grounds and up on stage during the show. And its FREE!!!!

For more about "My Ocean is Never Blue" access our ongoing blog about the creation and performance process @
http://improvarts.alkem.org/myoceanisneverblue

Details:
*Metro DC Dances
August 11 at 7:30pm at Carter Barron Amphitheatre
Presented by Dance/MetroDC as part of the Metro DC Dance Awards in cooperation with Rock Creek Park/National Park Service
Performances by 2006 Metro DC Dance Award winners:
CityDance Ensemble
Daniel Burkholder/The Playground
Maida Withers Dance Construction Company
Tappers With Attitude Youth Ensemble
VTDance/Vincent E. Thomas
Free!

Hope to see you there!

Daniel Burkholder
Director, The PlayGround
Co-Director, Improv Arts

Blog: http://improvarts.alkem.org/myoceanisneverblue

http://improvarts.alkem.org

www.myspace.com/improvarts

http://people.tribe.net/improvarts

Performance of "My ocean is never blue" @ Dance Place

2007-04-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

The PlayGround @ Dance Place
See "My ocean is never blue" and other repertory
Exploring our personal, environmental and political relationships to water, Daniel Burkholder/The PlayGround presents the theatrical premiere of "My ocean is never blue" April 27-28, 2007 @ Dance Place. Featuring over 18 performers, live music and video projection "My ocean is never blue" focus on one of the most important issues the world today. Also on the program Director Daniel Burkholder will be performing 3 duets: "unmapped" - with musician Jonathan Matis, "together/apart (we go each our way)" with Stefanie Quinones Bass, and "Duet for 3" with his wife, Andrea Burkholder.

For more about "My ocean is never blue" access our ongoing blog about the creation and performance process at
http://improvarts.alkem.org

Daniel Burkholder/The PlayGround @ Dance Place
April 27*-29, 2007
Friday & Saturday @ 8pm, Sunday @ 7pm
Tickets: $7-$20*

To order tickets go to www.danceplace.org
or call 202-269-1600

*Speical Fundraiser for Water for People
Friday, April 27 @ 8pm
Tickets: $20-$25
Water for People helps the most impoverished people worldwide improve their quality of life by supporting sustainable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene projects.

Event Info
Dance Place
3225 8th Street NE
Washington, DC 20016
April 27-29, 2007
www.danceplace.org

Beach Party Fundraiser Bash!

2007-04-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Daniel Burkholder/The PlayGround
invites you to
THE FIRST BEACH PARTY OF THE YEAR!!
Break out your flip-flops, suntan lotion, umbrella, sun hat & towel

This fundraiser will put more than just a bikini on our dancers! The funds raised will contribute towards costuming 18 - yes 18! - dancers in My ocean is never blue premiering at Dance Place on April 27-29.

Monday April 9, 2007 7-9:30pm
The Reef - downstairs in 'lush'
2446 18th St NW
Washington DC

Fundraiser Cover sliding scale $5-25
And a portion of each cash sale goes towards My ocean is never blue.

Special Guest MC Lobster Boy (of the LobsterBoy Revue)
Musical lifeguards - Def Jetson and DJ High C

Beach Cocktails including the 'Ocean Is Blue'!

Silent auction
· photos from local artists Enoch Chan and Michael Wichita
· photos from Philly photographer JJ Tiziou
· sculpture by New York based crochet artist Agata Olek
· private yoga session
· a Feldenkrais session
· a Pilates package
· 2 tickets to the LobsterBoy revue
· 2 tickets to My ocean is never blue at Dance Place
· and much much more!

Live auction for grand prize!

Prize for Best Beach Wear - so dress to the gills!

Special Surprises!!! (Don't worry you won't get sand in your shorts!)

Preview performance by the company (dancing girls...and boy)

*Remember to hit an ATM because a portion of your cash sales will go directly to the PlayGround!

We'll be wading for you!

If you have questions contact us at improvarts@mac.com or 301-996-3797.

Hope to see you there!

Daniel Burkholder, the company members, the Big Group and Board of Directors of Improv Arts!

Chris Black and Low End String Quartet - March 18

2007-03-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

Improv Arts, Inc. presents:

Fiddling on the Fat Strings
featuring Chris Black and The Low End String Quartet

Who: Chris Black (from Austin, Texas), and the Low End String Quartet
When: Sunday, March 18, 2007, 9:00pm, $7
Where: Warehouse Next Door, 1017 7th Street NW, Washington DC 20001

“Bass! how low can you go?”
-- Chuck D

The bass violin goes by many names: Contrabass, Double Bass, Stand-up Bass, etc. Call it whatever you like, the important thing is that it sounds so damn good. Spend an evening with a few basses, and some of their smaller-stringed cousins.

Chris Black has played nearly every instrument you don't blow into with nearly every conflagration of degenerate sound junkies within shouting distance, starting out as upright bassist for Shoulders back in the early 90's. From there, he hopped continents and sat in with Parisian rockers Les Wampas for a couple of records and tours before returning to Texas to pursue his love of gambling. In 2000 he met Graham Reynolds of the Golden Arm Trio, and toured around the country as upright bassist and guitarist for that hair-raising improvisational eutastrophe.

“Jericho” is Chris Black's first solo release, and was recorded in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms in Austin and Los Angeles with upright basses, banjos, guitars, accordions, kick drums, fiddles, pianos, saw blades, brake drums, tambourines and maracas acquired by chance, in situ, ad hoc, and Amen.

He's now in the midst of a national tour promoting the record. For his live solo show, Chris plays with an upright bass, overdriven acoustic guitar, banjo, and an assortment of other instruments. He loops the music live and on the fly, creating sounds and rhythms to sing against. It is boomy, dark, abused and simple. His songs are soaked in booze, sadness, and redemption.

Opening the show, will be the debut performance of the Low End String Quartet, an ensemble formed by composer / guitarist Jonathan Matis. The instrumentation differs from the standard string quartet model, adding a bass, dropping a violin, and swapping a guitar where the viola should be. This “new and improved” string quartet lineup is much better suited to clubs and bars than the classical model, and better equipped for rumbling your ribcage.

The group is staffed by a diverse bunch: jazz bassist Dan Barbiero; classical (although quite eclectic) cellist Jodi Beder; Matis on guitar, bringing his mixed bag of avant-rock, jazz, and post-classical influences; and another classical veteran, Andrea Vercoe on violin. They intend to rock.

DCIC in-store, Feb. 23

2007-02-15T18:55:00.001-08:00

Save the date...

Come experience DCIC and celebrate the release of our new CD, MEME + VARIATIONS - Live recordings from 2005-2006 part of Sachimay Records' "Interventions" series.

It's a full length album of DCIC's quartet lineup, recorded in various places such as rehearsals, live shows, and a radio broadcast.

It's only $5. You can read more (and order a copy) from our site or from Sachimay Records. Seriously, it's only $5. How cool is that?

RSVP for the in-store and "share" this event with your friends via upcoming.org...

Office space

2007-02-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

We moved into our new office this week.

Daniel: Isn't it great!!!
Jon: Um, yeah?

We still have some work to do...

The internet access is working now. Wish I could say the same for the heat... But seriously, it's a big step for us and we're looking forward to getting settled and kicking it in Mount Rainier.

Upcoming Show: Feb. 1

2007-01-25T07:56:00.001-08:00

Improv Arts, Inc. presents:

Stability is Overrated:
lowercase sounds from Boston, with unpredictable counterparts from DC

Who: Tim Feeney and Vic Rawlings, DC Improvisers Collective, and The Caution Curves
When: Thursday, February 1, 2007, 9:00pm, $7 (your best entertainment value)
Where: Warehouse Next Door, 1017 7th Street NW, Washington DC 20001

Tim Feeney and Vic Rawlings work within Boston's "lowercase" improvising community, a group of musicians interested in unstable sounds and silences, exploring austere combinations of sound and the otherworldly ripple effects that pulse through a silent space and alert ears.

Vic Rawlings (pictured above) performs using prepared/ amplified cello, and circuitry. He is active as an improviser and instrument builder. His performances focus on the metamusical potential of unstable sounds and silences. He has developed instruments that are specific to this compositional aesthetic. As an instrument builder he specializes in modifications of existing instruments and has developed extensive cello preparations. He also continually develops an electronic instrument from extant exposed circuitry, producing, in effect, a modular analog synthesizer with a highly unstable interface. This electronic instrument is paired with a flexible array of exposed speaker elements, chosen for their often unpredictable and idiosyncratic acoustic qualities.

He performs as a soloist and as a member of undr quartet, The BSC, and in duo and trio ensembles with Michael Bullock, Greg Kelley, Bhob Rainey, Sean Meehan, Jason Lescalleet, James Coleman, Liz Tonne, Tatsuya Nakatani, and Howard Stelzer, among others. Collaborators have included such diverse musicians as Eddie Prevost (AMM), Donald Miller (Borbetomagus), Daniel Carter (Other Dimensions in Music), Laurence Cook, Jaap Blonk, Masashi Harada, and Stephen Drury.

Tim Feeney seeks to explore and examine the timbral possibilites inherent in everyday found and built objects. He treats his percussion set-up as a friction instrument, using bows, scrapers, and rosined drumheads as implements and sympathetic resonators to capture and amplify frequencies that go unheard when an object is struck with a mallet. He supplements his acoustic console with an electronic instrument activated from a laptop or no-input mixer, which synthesizes and alters the spectral characteristics of sounds from pure sine tones to speaker pops and white noise.

As an improviser, Tim works with such Boston artists as thereminist James Coleman, and the trio ONDA, with whom he has performed at such experimental spaces as the Knitting Factory New York, The Red Room in Baltimore, Boston’s Zeitgeist Gallery, the new Firehouse 12 in New Haven, Connecticut, and Chicago’s 3030. With saxophonist Jack Wright, Tim appeared on the inaugural Counter Fit Festival in Rochester, New York, and participated in the August 2005 No Net workshop in Philadelphia.

As an interpreter, Tim has appeared at venues including the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and his work has been featured on WNYC Radio’s “New Sounds.” A member of Boston’s Callithumpian Consort, Tim has performed on the Musica Nova series at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany, and at New York’s club Tonic, as part of its 50th birthday celebration for John Zorn. As a founding member of the percussion quartet So, Tim appeared in concerts and masterclasses at Columbia University, Harvard University, and Williams College, as well as the 2001 Bang on a Can Marathon. He is a co-founder of the duo Non-Zero, with saxophonist Brian Sacawa, which in its inaugural season performed world premieres of seven new works.

The DC Improvisers Collective (DCIC) is a trio exploring the intersection of jazz, contemporary composition and experimental music. Their current lineup features Ben Azzara (drums), Jonathan Matis (guitar), and Mike Sebastian (reeds). These musicians come together from diverse backgrounds, bringing experience from performing in rock bands and jazz groups, as well as post-classical composition. With ears wide open, they craft intricate compositions on the fly. Although the common metaphor for group improvisation often seems to be conversation, this metaphor fails to capture the true real-time, simultaneous collaboration that fuels the work. Equal parts tightrope act and group meditation, the ensemble explores the fertile territory of surprise just beyond the boundary where words fail.

"The Caution Curves hits the face like an unnervingly passionate kiss, intoxicating from both its immediate sensuality and the calm intensity that incites it. A trio of Rebecca Mills, Tristana Fiscella, and Amanda Huron, The Caution Curves sound like and ESG splintered into prismatic tribalism, hallucinatory vocal-chord urgency, and enigmatic guitar and electronic filigree. Theirs is an improv that explores the brain-morphing space of subtle textural conversations over creeping percussive patterns rather than the force of propulsive manic thrust, creating a roomy disorientation that is sensitive, visceral, and introspective: an organic sound both warmly and suspiciously inviting."
- Bret McCabe, The Baltimore City Paper, March 2006

Dance, Awareness and Feldenkrais

2007-01-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

Dance, Awareness & Feldenkrais®
Daniel Burkholder, GCFP

In 2001, after studying, teaching and creating dance for 20-odd years I was ready to find a new direction for my exploration of movement. I was suffering from chronic injuries, dissatisfaction with traditional technique classes, and I wanted to expand my understanding of how the body moved. I began to explore numerous somatic modalities, including The Alexander Technique, Body Mind Centering and Laban Movement Analysis. But, one day while I was lying on a mat, doing the articulate movements of The Feldenkrais Method®, I found the technique that I needed to explore. Through its subtle and powerful movements I found relief from discomfort, a dynamic way to expand my movement skills and tangible, practical information on the functional organization of the body.
Developed by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, the method, unlike traditional movement techniques, doesn't teach specific movements to learn and master. Instead it offers dancers a method to learn how to increase their awareness and efficiency while moving. Most dancers have habitual tendencies when moving – it may be unconsciously lifting the chin, unnecessarily contracting muscles, or tucking the pelvis. I had a tendency to clench my jaw which led to chronic discomfort in my neck and shoulders, but through The Feldenkrais Method I found efficient ways to organize myself that led to relief from this pattern of discomfort. As a result I no longer get neck and shoulder pain and have more freedom in my upper torso. Developing increased awareness led me to understand how I was organizing myself and then allow new patterns to emerge. As Dr. Feldenkrais stated, “You can't do what you want to do until you know what you are doing.”
Increasing awareness is also a key to improving and expanding a dancer's technical accomplishments. As the dancer becomes more aware of how she is organizing her body she is able to accomplish technical feats with more ease and control. For example, a dancer may wish to increase her proficiency in turning – to turn more times, or more consistently, but she always shortens her left side as she lifts her right leg into passé. This unevenness in the torso throws her off balance and she is stuck only doing one or two turns through brute force. Her teacher can tell her over and over again to lengthen her left side, but if she can't feel it, it won't change. If the dancer had more precise awareness of herself, she would be conscious of her inbalance and easily lengthen the left side. By working with The Feldenkrais Method, dancers develop more accurate awareness so that they can organize themselves with more clarity.
By practicing The Feldenkrais Method dancers will also find that they suffer from less frequent and less severe injuries. Much of the pain that dancers live with comes from inefficient technical habits repeated over and over for many years. Dancers who are suffering from these ongoing discomforts often assume that “that's just the way it is”. But, once these habits are recognized, more efficient patters become available for the dancer, and their long suffering discomfort easily fades away.
To study The Feldenkrais Method the dancer has two choices; to study one-on-one with a practitioner or, to study in a group class setting. Which way the dancer approaches the method depends on his personality, needs and opportunities. Ideally, to get the best results, students study in both the individual and group settings.
Dr. Feldenkrais first developed one-on-one sessions, Functional Integration®, in which a practitioner meets privately with a student to design lessons that address the individual’s goals. The Feldenkrais practitioner will work with the student, who is often lying on a low padded table, by gently touching and guiding him through movement. The practitioner will help the student find increased range of motion, release unnecessary tension, as well as integrating the differents parts of the body into an efficient whole. The practitioner will work with the student lying on his back, as well as on his side, in sitting and in standing. Changing the student’s position assists the student in finding clarity in his organization. Functional Integration is ideal for those individuals who have specific issues or discomfort that they would like to examine.
Out of his work with individuals, Dr. Feldenkrais created Awareness Through Movement® lessons that are taught to groups of people. These classes are lead by a teacher who verbally guides students through a sequence of gentle movements that are unique and easy to learn. By doing unusual movement patterns the students discover their movement habits and simultaneously find more efficient choices. Dr. Feldenkrais designed over 1,000 lessons to address every joint, muscle and function of the body. The 30 - 60 minute lessons take place in an open room with carpet or on soft mats. Often the classes are taught in a series that address specific topics, areas of the body, or populations - like dancers.
The Feldenkrais Method offers dancers the opportunity to fine-tune their bodies, creating a solid personal foundation by eliminating unnecessary habitual patterns before they become major problems. The method allows dancers to avoid common repetitive types of injuries, recover from traumatic injuries, expand their technical proficiency, and find greater ease in their movement. The method has been invaluable to me as a dancer and my body feels better now, at 38, than it did 10 years ago. While it doesn't replace taking dance class, working out or staying in shape, it does make all of these activities easier, more beneficial and more enjoyable.

Further "unmapped" Reflections

2006-08-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

It has been almost two weeks since Jonathan and I began our 24-hour odyssey. It has that feeling of being very long ago, in a different place, in a different world. That mental state we went into was so very different than the everyday mindset of getting things done, accomplishments, beginnings and endings. Not to say that we weren't doing those things, but it was in such a non-everyday kind of mode. For 24-hours we were only doing, basically, three things: getting ready to perform, performing, and recovering from performing. And, these 3 things were compacted into hour after hour. It is only now, in a way, that I can step back from that experience and see how different I was in those hours.

So, how does that experience effect me now? I've been asked that question a number of times, and I don't know how to quite answer it. There is a sense of accomplishment, or almost, I can't believe I did it. And it feels like Jonathan and I can perform anywhere at any time and really be present, go deep and, basically, kick ass. But, there is something else - something less obvious. It is a sense or feeling that is resting just outside of my consciousness, I'm not even sure of what it is yet. Maybe it is a bigger sense of freedom, of self-expression, of my ability to create. Maybe it is an expanded sense of what I am capable of, of what is possible. It could be more spaciousness, more openness. Maybe it is a stronger sense of groundedness - bigger earth, bigger sky. It could be deeper trust, stronger conviction and wider wonderment. It is exciting. It is joyful.

I'm so ready to go further, to go to "What's next?"

unmapped - performance journal

2006-08-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here is the journal that we kept during our performance run. For each hour one of us (DB = Daniel & JM = Jonathan) wrote a short description and thoughts about that performance. For each hour we selected, at random, a short phrase from a number of books to serve as a kind of jumping off point, or an inspiration - or, as we called it, our "compass". We hope you enjoy the journey, which is, of course, so different than the physical journey we went on.....

9pm, Hour 1: "to be isolated: every object"

DB: So, we just did the first hour - and we were barely ready - we could only get in the theater one hour before the show and it was a rush to get ready. We didn't even, really, have time to warm up. So, we kind of eased into this show. But, then, of course, I started doing crazy breakin-type moves that was hard on my knees. At one moment I thought, "I must be nuts to be doing this without even warming up." But, we got through it and it seemed interesting to both of us and the audience was really responsive. We'll see what happens next hour.

10pm, Hour 2: "a paralyzed hobo poet"

JM: Well, we certainly have kept our promise to make it different each time (so far). This hour's "compass" certainly had many possibilities. We didn't get to explore much of the "paralysis" side of things, but at a few points I stood in one place and made gestures mostly with hands/arms. During a section where we were both dancing, we had a nice contact duet as the sound slowly faded away. Also felt very nice to get back into our roles at the end... when we knew we had at least five minutes to go I went back to the guitar and let the looped material die away - leaving room for live playing only. Started that section with noisy stuff (hobo poet) and then found one chord to stretch out for a nice long time (paralyzed). Two down. Twenty-two to go...

11pm, Hour 3: "a distance of nine or ten"

DB: OK, so the hours have started to blur a little already. Is it hour 3 or 4? Yikes. This time we actually were funny. I started to count out loud, "1,2,3...9," and it became a little "bit" - hopefully in the best way something can become a "bit." Without getting too slap-sticky we took the phrase we were working on and added some whimsy to it - not something Jonathan and I do very often so it was nice to find that this hour. Another thing I noticed, especially towards the beginning was how some of the movements from the earlier hours were seeping into this hour. I started to revisit themes and specific movements. I hate to think I'm repeating myself - actually it feels more like weaving the different ideas through one another.

12am, Hour 4: "all night and won't let us sleep"

JM: It's getting a little tougher. I was happy with some of the music this time - opening was fairly strong, I think. I found the "compass" a bit hard to use Â didn't really get past the surface of it. Daniel's solo was in silence - he went and turned off all the audio, which made for a sudden change. So I left the stage. He did a great job with it - I threw him a real curveball. Starting to feel some fatigue (this is nuthin', I'm sure... but just first signs). Also now I'm feeling fresh out of ideas. Next hour will be much more challenging, I think. This one, I had a hard time picking up movement ideas from Daniel - not sure why this was harder.

1am, Hour 5: "parts of the earth, about languages"

DB: Well, that was challenging. I think Jonathan and I were disagreeing a little about the music. Jonathan kept it spacey and I tried to pick it up a little, but it seemed he was resisting a little. Maybe that wasn't his experience, but I felt the music was really pulling me down. The other thing I noticed this time was that we have gotten into a rhythm of starting in our roles, go into passing the guitar and then me leaving for Jonathan to have his solo. I feel like I get done with that section, and a little tired of dancing, so I leave. We need to find other options. And one really sweet thing - there is a couple on a date and they have watched every hour so far.

2am, Hour 6: "A strange, masochistic affair"

JM: As promised by the "compass" this one was intense. Lots of suffering, wrestling, angst, etc. Show opened with the bar staff taking the trash out the stage door - which is in the audience area at this particular theater... Starting things off noisy and kinda f-d up. We open each show in "our roles" and we're now trying to find some new ways out of that. We found one so far.
I made some looped material, moved out into the stage, and then we both danced.

3am, Hour 7: a white camellia blossom

DB: Quiet. Gentle. Complete opposite of last hour. Stillness. Silence. Long period of time with gentle repetition of motif. Easy does it. Maybe our tiredness is coming on, but also that expanse of nighttime is setting in. That time of night when it seems endless. The darkness is complete, most people are away in their homes. There is a quietness to the world when you can hear yourself breathe. Very simple. Beautiful. 5 people in the audience.

4am, Hour 8: "something dear and rich"

JM: This one was a hard nut to crack... but we got there eventually. Started with lots of floor work - I played the guitar on the stool, then a while on my knees. Daniel joined me, after lots of time on the floor himself. I wiggled my foot repeatedly - like Wickett [ed. note: that's my dog] wagging his tail (dear, not so rich). Daniel did a high-energy solo - rest of show was fairly mellow. We did quite a bit of duo dancing, but almost no contact.

5am, Hour 9: "and then you notice"

DB: This was a very interesting hour. The "compass" led me to try and either get Jonathan to notice me or notice something outside of me - an object or direction. I also began noticing the things that I was noticing - even, myself and my movement. It led me to do quick, sudden movement with pauses - almost as if I did a movement, then noticed it, and then moved again. There was also another moment that was striking - when I was downstage with my back to the audience playing the guitar and Jonathan had a totally rocking solo - of course, he describes it as "flailing."

6am, Hour 10: "Most of us don't breathe"

JM: I thought this one would be clearer than it was. My feet are starting to hurt a little bit, and my balance is not so good. Some technical problems with the guitar rig - had to reset audio during my solo. Some nice duo moments - but mostly just me imitating Daniel. Sure hope I think of some new ways to move.

7am, Hour 11: "holding it in my hands"

DB: Well, I think we learned something important this run - to perform where you are at. Meaning, be present. Meaning, don't try and bust a move if you ain't got no moves left, and I'll tell you at 7am and the 11th performance in a row, we don't have many moves left to bust. Of course, we both know this - I talk about it all the time with my company and classes that I teach. But, I guess you need to learn these things again and again - and, apparently, at 7am is a good time to learn a thing or two. The whole piece was gentle, slow, but totally present - not sleepy, or distracted. Really great! Of course, our only audience member was our volunteer (Jen) who was working in the Box Office.

8am, Hour 12: "drifting sand"

JM: Another low energy - but very focused run. I opened with some droning guitar loops which introduced an indian / middle eastern feel then started playing a faux-middle-eastern kind of melody on top. That turned into a lengthy and self-indulgent guitar solo as I tried to transform the middle eastern feel into blues (slide + distortion). Meanwhile Daniel was doing some very nice and elegant drifting on the floor. Eventually we got up off the floor. Eventually I joined in with the dancing... turned out nicely I think.

9am, Hour 13: "it seems as if it would never stop."

DB: Wow that was different than the last couple. The "compass" really brought out repetition for both Jonathan and I. I started doing pivot turns at the beginning and just kept doing them for 3-4 minutes. It seems, for good reason, that they would never stop. This repetition also brought on intensity and some kind of conflict between Jonathan and I. At one point I rolled Jonathan downstage so part of his limbs were hanging off the stage and I pressed down hard on his ribs. After awhile (don't have a sense of how long it was, but for a good amount of time) I released his chest and he took this huge inhale - it was great to see his ribs move so much. Of course, he promptly started rolling me across the stage and we were off manipulating one another. These elements of repetition and manipulation certainly made me wonder when it would stop - hopefully the audience didn't feel that way, well, all three people....

10am, Hour 14: "For a drink of star"

JM: Went pretty well... but we raced through the opening sections and found ourselves with a good 10 minutes left to go after we were kinda done. But all things considered it was still nice.

11am, Hour 15: "before the word was written"

DB: Oh my, we went hard that time. We had our biggest audience since last night and the energy in the room really inspired us to push the physicality of it very high. At one point I was standing at the back of the stage with my head resting on a pole while Jonathan played his guitar and there was sweat pooling at my feet. It felt like the ancient aspect of this "compass" brought out some ancient feelings, emotions, and movements. I had this reoccurring earthy, bent knee dance that felt like I was dancing an ancient dance. The music became very percussive and driving. I think I might have used up all my remaining energy.

12pm, Hour 16: "Clink! Clink!"

JM: That was a tough one. Hour 15 was draining. This one didn't seem to find it's focus - it was all over the place. Well, we just kinda made it through that one. Not sure that it really held together or developed over time.

1pm, Hour 17: "Spring comes"

DB: This is hard. This is really hard. I thought 5 and 6 o'clock in the morning was hard, but this is very hard. Where do we get the energy to do 7 more? I have NO idea. I'm beat, Jonathan's beat. Trying to keep focus is difficult - it feels like we're just sleep-walking through it - just repeating, not connecting, no energy - yuck! What to do? I have no idea.

The question comes up, at this point, what do we owe the audience? - they know it is hour 17, or the next hour, 18 - what do they expect? What is acceptable? How do we judge these performances - when we're so tired...

2pm, Hour 18: "trying to grasp at a straw"

JM: Ah much better. Much more focused - thanks in part to Mr. Miller [the "compass" came from Henry Miller], and in part to Mr. DB. A pre-show conversation about "what we owe the audience" clarified for ourselves that its ok to be exhausted, we have to accept that - but still create a coherent, meaningful work. I think we got close this time. Odd form - some sections were very short (my solo, thanks a lot Daniel) but overall I think it went well. Not bad audience - 10 or so, which for mid-afternoon seems good. Hate to admit it, but I think we do perform better when there's an audience - then when there's only one or two people in the house. Actually, we did some nice work when it was just us and the lightboard operator earlier this morning, so maybe more complicated than that...

took a shower and two advil. feel much better now.

3pm, Hour 19: "I am finding joy"

DB: Oh my, we are now officially completely loopy. The "compass" we selected (at random) certainly encouraged me to get a little slap sticky - but it was fun, it was freeing in a way. I did these funny little hops that made me feel like I was in Devo. I jumped for joy a number of times. I did a little skipping dance that made me smile. And, eventually Jonathan joined me in my loopy freedom. The audience laughed along with us - good time.

4pm, Hour 20: "electricity and compressed air"

JM: We are loopy now... lots of horsin' around and play fighting. Some good music in there too, I hope. Opened the piece with noise from the wireless transmitter (to evoke "electricity"). Good distinct sections this time through. I guess we're learning to cope with exhaustion!

5pm, Hour 21: "the strategy of the bundle"

DB: Another really quiet one. It felt like almost nothing happened - we didn't make it through all the sections - the beginning was really long, maybe at a few moments a little lost, but mostly following a slow long development. In some ways playing the guitar together didn't make sense to me this time - we did it, but it seemed a little forced or odd. I think we should give ourselves permission to leave out sections - which we do - but that option should be made more explicit. Three more hours - a blink, a lifetime...

6pm, Hour 22: "so elegant, so refined"

JM: mmm. Elegant and refined. In our case: slow, gestural, and not so much standing up. A few comic contact moments - rolling like a log head to toe, etc. in addition to Daniel's nice graceful and elegant solo.

7pm, Hour 23: "something other than your scrawl"

DB: Lots of gestural work - lots of faux-writing - on the floor, on the guitar strings, in the air, on each other. So often this type of gestural stuff gets slap-sticky, and sure enough, we were slap-sticky in a very strange way. Not in the way of Chevy Chase or the Marx Brothers, but in a post-modern, not the kind of the audience realizes that it's funny type of way. I had fun, and I think Jonathan had fun Â wasn't our most profound artistic statement.

8pm, Hour 24: "a dream I had over and over"

DB: Well, this hour's "compass" is certainly appropriate - at this point it certainly seems dream-like, and I can't believe we've just done it for the last time - the 24th time - over and over. Everyone was asking us if we were going to do anything special for this last hour - was this going to be special? The only thing that we said to each other before going on that was different was to try and not hurt one another. We didn't -so, that was good. But, the adrenaline of the last performance did pump us up and we used up every last bit of energy we had left. I had a big, full bodied, athletic solo that lasted, maybe, 90 seconds - at the end of which I completely collapsed on the ground. Jonathan entered, slowly playing this single note over and over. At the end of the work we were scooting across the stage, passing the guitar back and forth. We kept going right out into the audience until we were sitting in the middle of them, looking around. After a long-ish pause, I said, "Well, that was interesting, wasn't it?" And that was the end of the piece, of the 24 hours.

Frist Post-24 Post

2006-07-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, Jonathan and I did survive our 24-hour performance. We performed each hour without fail - and we only had one hour where we had no audience, but, yes, we still performed. The whole arch of the 24-hours is still fuzzy and hard to get a handle on - it is SO much information! I, and I think Jonathan, can talk about and analyze certain hours, but the whole is still hard to talk about. So, here are some impressions - even though exactly what hour things happened is not clear either...:

During one of the first hours we got into this counting game - "1, 2, 3....9) - that turned into a little "bit" that was funny. We're not usually funny - we're pretty straight up abstract post-modern dance/music guys - but, this turned into a pretty delightful performance - I mocked tap dancing and rolled my eyes at Jonathan - ever the straight man.

We had a couple stay with us from 9pm on Friday until 5am Saturday - yep, 8 straight shows. And another guy stayed from midnight until 6am. It was pretty amazing - for a number of hours they were the only 3 people present -thank goodness they were there! After a while we offered them some cookies.

Some time in the early morning - say 6am - we had a really wonderful, quiet performance. We didn't even break a sweat, but it felt really present, soft, careful (in a really good way).

At our "commissioning club brunch" we completely killed it, and ourselves. I was sweating so hard that I had to blink to keep the sweat out of my eyes. Very intense - felt ancient, deep, cathartic. And it completely whipped our butts - the next couple of hours were really hard.

In the middle of the afternoon - after some rough shows - we re dedicated ourselves to being present, to not try too hard, to fully accept that we were completely exhausted. To perform there, not from somewhere where we aren't.

Last hour was great. Of course we stepped up the energy and used every bit we had left. Used up every bit of awareness and presence that we had left. Going off stage it felt done. I certainly had nothing left to give. I can't image doing one more hour, but then again at hour 8 and hour 12 and hour 20 I felt that way as well...

In the next couple of days we'll be posting the journal that we kept during the performance - after each show one of us wrote a short blurb about the hour - should be interesting.

Last Chance

2006-07-20T04:59:00.000-07:00

Last night Jonathan and I had our final rehearsal for "unmapped". It wasn't a very long, nor late rehearsal, but it felt good to push alittle bit more before we head into technical rehearsal and the show.

We began by revisiting some of the duet improvisational structures to remind us of keeping that connection, of deepening that communication and continually expanding our possibilities together. The first exercise that we did was a simple finger-to-finger following game - both people touch index fingers (ala "E.T"), close their eyes, and then follow what the other person is doing. Now, I know it sounds like nothing would happen if both people follow and no one leads, but, actually, alot happens when you can be sensitive enough to your partner's movement. It is almost impossible to be still - certainly impossible to be still for more than a couple of seconds. As soon as one person shifts their weight alittle bit, or lets their arm relax slightly, or takes a breath, there is movement and something to follow. And then the following becomes the leading and you're off. It is an exercise we've done a number of times because it really helps you focus and center. The next exercise we did I recently learned from Carol Swann in California - it consist of one person making contact with their partner in a very specific way - squeezing, or lots of fast little taps all over the body, or long brushing movements - then the person who was just touched moves in reaction to the touch. This tactile input is a great way to get out of habitual ways of moving - to shift the quality of your movement. The final exercise we did had one person moving and the other person pushing into their partner with different amounts of force. When the moving person felt the force they had options to push back, resist or to yield to the push. Again, another way of getting out of habitual ways of moving because you are getting this constant tactile input that changes what you're doing. It is also another way to connect between dancers - it is almost like an experiment, 'if I push this hard, how will he respond?'

I think taking some time with these small exercises was really good for us, I think it set us up for a really wonderful run of the piece. During the run it felt like both Jonathan and I really made some clear, direct choices that seemed to flow directly from what we were doing. At one point we were on opposites side of the stage, just after we had been passing the guitar back and forth between us, and as I turned to face Jonathan he was bending over playing the guitar - at that moment it just seemed clear that he was going to have a solo so I went back to the stool and sat down and watched him play for alittle while. Later in the piece Jonathan really saved me as I went into my solo - I was playing the guitar as it was lying on the stool and I just made some not-so-great choices with the sound, but he was at the control box and was able to manipulate what I was playing into this really lovely loop that felt very supportive as I went into my dancing solo - thank goodness he was there or I would have been stuck with some junk to dance with! The run ended with Jonathan dancing and I playing the guitar - I think the warm up exercises really helped because he seemed to be dancing very fully and intentionally. And, afterwards he said that what I played was really good as well - that was nice to hear. : )

Tomorrow morning we go into the technical rehearsal, then I come home and take a nap and then head back the theater and start this crazy thing. If you're around it would be great to see you there, if you're not, wish us luck...

But a Ticket!

2006-07-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

As you know, Jonathan Matis and I are putting on a big show this weekend. we'll be getting down and performing improvised dance and music for 24 hours. Crazy.

It's part of the Fringe Festival and it's going to be a wild time. If you haven't been keeping up please read the posts below or you click-thru to our spiffy web page that has loads of info about the show – including an interview with the two of us, photos, and more.

http://improvarts.alkem.org/unmapped

The schedule and ticketing is a little confusing – so here's how it's going to work:

The show starts at 9pm on Friday night. Each performance will last between 30 and 45 minutes. Then we get a little break. Then we do it again – starting at the top of every hour. So there's another show at 10pm., another one at 11pm, and so on – you get the idea. That means there's a show at 6am on Saturday, and at 7am, and so on – all day long! So I'm SURE there's a time when you can come see the show. Come see us late-night when the bars close on Friday night. Come see us at sunrise on Saturday morning. See us at lunchtime Saturday. See us at tea time Saturday. Whenever. There's a show time that's right for you!

If you want to see any show during hours 1 through 23 – just buy one ticket and come back as often as you'd like – to any show during the 1st 23 hours. If you want to see the final show, when we're delirious and insane, you have to buy a special ticket for 8pm on Saturday night.

The performance is on the main stage at the Warehouse Theater. 1021 7th Street, NW, Washington DC. Easy to get to by metro: Mt. Vernon Square / Convention Center stop is a block away. Gallery Place is a short walk.

Now about the tickets… You can buy tickets at the door before each performance. Or, you can buy tickets in advance at the Fringe Festival Box office (conveniently located at Warehouse Theater), or you can be totally high-tech and buy tickets online.

The Fringe festival is doing all the ticketing and our 24 hour performance doesn't fit their system too well… so here's what you do to buy them online:

click here to get to our page in the online ticketing system:
http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/show/122042

then click the big red button that says "buy tickets online"

then – for any shows starting between 9pm on Friday and 7pm on Saturday, choose "9pm on Friday, July 21." That ticket is good for any shows during hours 1 through 23.

If you want to buy advance tickets for the final show, click on the "8pm on Saturday, July 22."

It's strange that the ticketing website only shows two shows… but we don't have any control over how that's set up. So we hope that's not too confusing… and please help spread the word. The Fringe Guide also doesn't really list our show clearly as every hour, on the hour – but now that you understand you can help eradicate confusion and send lots of people our way (please). We really gotta sell a lot of tickets to break even on this show…

Thanks so much for reading all this – we can't wait to see you at the show!

Daniel Burkholder
Director, The PlayGround
Co-Director, Improv Arts

Blog: http://improvarts.blogspot.com/

http://improvarts.alkem.org
www.myspace.com/improvarts
http://people.tribe.net/improvarts

Late Nights

2006-07-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night Jonathan and I had a late night rehearsal - not as late as it will be when we perform, but certainly later than we normally rehearse. Our first run of the work started at 10:30pm and we were in the studio until almost 1:30am. It was good to feel what it is like to start a run of the work that late. The effort to get the energy up, focused, and to stay present throughout the work is different than it is at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. There is only you to keep your energy up, the rest of the city is going to sleep and there aren't other people in the studio, or alot of traffic on the street, it is just you and studio. In some ways that creates a nice spaciousness - no competition - but, also a certain aloneness.

We ran the work 3 times and each time was very different. The first time there were other people rehearsing in the studio next door - some hip hoppers - so, that was alittle strange competing with hip hop music. It brought out alittle breakin' in my dancing - very strange, odd breakin' - which I think was fine. Our work is alittle out there and anything that makes it alittle more out there works. Since we're really going into each run of the work with all possibilities possible, there is really nothing off limits. Of course, we need to make sure whatever we do fits in with the development of the work. But, alittle odd breakin' works just fine... if it works just fine, that is...

We have a couple of more rehearsals over the next week to get ready for the performance next Friday (July 21-22, 2006), including a 5 hour rehearsal on Sunday. Hopefully having a longer rehearsal will give us some more insights for the upcoming performance.

We're in the home stretch now....

unmapping unmapped

2006-07-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

Since my last post regarding "unmapped" I've spent a week in the Bay Area attending and teaching at the West Coast Contact Improvisation Festival (www.wccif.com), which was wonderful! I was doing Contact Improvisation from 9:30am until almost 1am every day. Exhilarating and exhausting!

But, now I've gotten back and Jonathan and I have had two rehearsals and are moving along. On one of my many hour-ed flights across the country I realized that what Jonathan and I have been doing is mapping our territory. What I mean is, that in our exploration to expand out existing roles, to break down our assumptions about who we are as performers, we've been creating another kind of map. Yes, an expanded map, but a map, never the less. And it seems to me that now is the time to throw that aside and truly step into the unknown with each run of the work. It is as if we have been exploring the territory that we will inhibit and creating a map of possibilities - now we know the territory enough so we can throw away the map and deepen our exploration. Additionally, Jonathan that the idea that we should start each performance in our traditional roles (he playing guitar and me dancing), to give the audience a reference point for when we venture out into the new possibilities. He agreed with me, I agreed with him. So, now we are starting in our new roles and then.... we'll see what happens each time.

The one thing that we haven't changed is that we are still going to have a word, or phrase, or photo to serve as a starting point for each performance. Since it will point our way through the performance - influencing our movement, sound and interaction choices - we are calling it our "compass". That then means that we are starting each performance only knowing what our compass is and that we start in our traditional roles. The rest is left to the improvisational moment.

Podcast about unmapped

2006-07-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

Jonathan and I have recorded a podcast about our upcoming 24-hour performance - "unmapped" - that will happen as part of the Capital Fringe Festival.

If you want to find out more about this performance you can listen to the podcast at

http://improvarts.alkem.org/unmapped .

Good Questions

2006-06-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

Recently, after reading some of my previous blog entries, I was asked some great questions by "Shems" about this work. So, I'm going to take a moment to respond to them. Here is part of her response,

"It sounds like a fairly demanding project you are working on. As an artist, I can't help but ask, how do you keep from getting lost in the abstactness of the practice of making your art? Also do you ever have moments when you suddenly can't take yourself seriously? and not to be too inquisitive, although it seems too late for that, do you ever feel obligated to include some kind of hook to sell the project to the public? I ask this last question, because if I understood the description correctly, you will be performing your piece, every hour on the hour for 24 hours and I'm wondering why you would want to do that? What does it add in value to the artistic merit of the project?"

Yea, she certainly goes right to the heart of the matter. I'm not going to answer them in the order she asked, but will jump around alittle bit.

Firstly, I don't really think of a "hook" to sell the project to the public when beginning a new work. The idea for doing the work for 24 hours came directly out of the exploration of what this work is exploring - pushing ourselves in new direction, to new edges, to new discoveries. For a couple of years I've been interested in doing a 24 hour performance as an exploration in endurance and how that can lead to transformation. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to go for the 24 hours because the work seems to welcome it as does the venue and context - being in the Capital Fringe Festival. It feels like a good fit. Now, saying that, yea, it is a good "hook" and it is the one that pops out at everyone. Most people respond by saying something to the effect like, "are you nuts?" It gets them thinking, and wondering why the hell we'd want to do that. Hopefully at that point it will bring them into the performance and see that the 24 hours is not the main focus of our exploration, but a by-product, if you will, of this journey. I do think we could do this work without doing it so many times in a row, but it does add a sense of commitment to being in this performance/world in a significant way.

In regard to the abstractness of the work, I would say that that is a concern, but not a major concern. When Jonathan and I take the time to focus on what we are doing - and this includes the structure - the inner life of the work is present. We do work with different source material (words, phrases, photos) to cultivate connection between us and a larger context outside the parameters of the piece. I think both Jonathan and I work from structure alot of time, so it feels very natural. For many people this seems too abstract and they want to focus on the "personal" or "emotional" connection in the work. I experience structure as both personal and emotional. By establishing a clear structure I am more able to let go into my emotional/intuitive self without going into an indulgent or self-centered performance mode. At the same time we have been working with asking ourselves the question, "What's next?", as a way to keep pushing ourselves further and deeper into the work. I think this is an acknowledgement of our desire to stay, or even increase, that connection to the emotional/intuitive, maybe even, spiritual self. I would say that structure and discussions about structure are not a means to abstract the work, but a way to find the space for the personal selves to have more room, to be safe to expose oneself, to be vulnerable.

And, I would say, that Jonathan and I rarely take ourselves very seriously. But, we do take our work seriously. It is the way we make sense of the world, the way we communicate with our community, the way we delve into ourselves and our potential. And, we have a pretty good sense of humor regarding just how odd most people find what we do.

A Light Grasp

2006-06-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

It was a couple of days ago that Jonathan and I last rehearsed. We rehearsed in a much smaller dance studio than we had been and I think that's good since our stage isn't going to be very big. Jonathan said he liked it because there was less pressure to move around the space as much - he was somewhat able to let go of worrying about using space because there was less of it. If you've been reading this blog at all you'll know that we've been working on linking structure to content. We've been curious as to the role of structure in defining meaning and how content (in the form of ideas, images, word phrases) can support structure. This week we also began to layer, what we're calling, characteristics on top of our structure/content. Meaning, we're pre-deciding some facet of a certain section - for example, before we begin a run of the work we know that when we get to Jonathan's solo it will be very minimal, or when we are both playing the guitar it will be a call & response form. Some of the characteristics we worked with are:
- call & response
- minimal
- shifting intensities
- soft dynamics (sustained, light, indirect)
- high density
- simultaneous independence

This creates a certain problem, as it limits the ongoing flow of development that we are working with. The challenge of it is that in a certain run of the work we establish a specific rhythm or relationship; when we then come to a section that has a pre-decided characteristic that is not congruent with what we are doing, what do we do? How do we keep what we've set up and been working on, but also shift into this new landscape? I think this goes a lot to intention and awareness. If we hold that our intention is to stay with what we are doing, without holding on too tight, we can open to the possibility of the new characteristic. It is as if we have a light grasp on what we are doing - not holding so tight it can't change, mutate, or evolve, but not so loose that we just drop it as soon as we're distracted. If is almost a clicheÃ?ÃÂ© of improvisational performance that it is almost distractingly a stream of conscious type of performing. While this is ok in some/many instances, I think it is actually quite lazy in many cases. It is difficult to remember the past, be clear with your inspiration (meaning/content), stay within the boundaries of the structure and fully be awake in the present moment of performing. Obviously, sometimes you can't be in all of that at once, sometimes you're more in one or the other, but, overall, you need to have access to all those elements to create focused, provocative performances. This is our challenge, and even more so with this piece I think because Jonathan and I are breaking apart our normal roles and learning what each other does as well. So, in some ways I think these pre-determined characteristics are helpful in jolting us into the present moment, to remind us to keep coming back, again and again, to exploring this new territory that we're climbing through.

Structure finding content

2006-06-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

Today Jonathan and I started with some movement improvisation structures that I learned earlier this week in a workshop with Chris Aiken (he was in town working with the Dance Exchange and I got an opportunity to join for part of it). The structure is very much like the game "statue" - where one person moves the other person into a position. But, in this exercise the person being moved reacts to the movement initiations on a scale from 0 - 10. Responding at level 0 would mean that when the person is moved they stop when the manipulation stops. And, at the other end of the scale, the person takes the initiation and lets that lead them into a longer phrase of movement. The exercise is really a practice of different ways to respond to someone touching and moving you. I think it was very useful for Jonathan and I as it gave us another way to be in contact with one another. Hence, extending our range of partner dancing.

We then returned to our exploration of form/structure for "unmapped". The first random order of sections was very challenging and was not really fulfilling. We started in the space passing the guitar back and forth and that proved to be difficult. Starting that way didn't really supply a reason why we were passing the guitar - it seemed completely out of the blue, unconnected. As we went on through the improvisation we found more material and the improv felt stronger, but it still wasn't fully satisfying. The second run we did - with a different random order of sections - we added a starting point, an initiation. I have a book of photography of the body, from medical photos to athletes to erotica - and we used a photo from that book. It was a picture of two hands kind of wrapped around each other - I believe they were an older woman's hands - very wrinkled, almost narled. The photo is intimate, intense, somewhat disturbing. The improv we created from that image was, I think, also very intense. It also seemed intimate - lots of close dancing, kind of rough with one another at times. We ended up doing lots of hand gestures, repetition and in contact a fair amount - including some partnering similar to our earlier exercise. It was so much more satisfying, as it felt like there was depth and an inner life to the work.

In our first run of the work being in each section was challenging, but transitions between sections was also challenging. During the second run the sections made more sense since we had a context that they all related to. Just having that simple image to keep coming back to was a very powerful organizing point. In the past we had used words or phrases, so it was also nice that we did it without words. It, again, feels like it pushed us into new territory, into new discoveries.

Structure, Structure, Structure

2006-06-01T06:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in rehearsal Jonathan and I discussed how to structure our duet. I think this gets to a central question in creating art - especially, maybe mostly, improvisational work. How do you decide on a structure? What does "structure" even mean? Is it important? There is certainly a case to be made to have a set structure for every work. This would mean that even though we are not setting particulars there is a place where we always begin, move through and end. For example, we could set that we always start at the back of the stage with both of us playing the guitar, this slowly transitions into both of us moving around the stage and then ends with Jonathan playing the guitar and me dancing. The other extreme of this is to set nothing - really just both choose where to start as we're walking on stage and then begin and see what happens. Yesterday we discussed something in between - that for each performance we would randomly choose the order of the sections, but we would go through those sections in a particular order for that performance. The next question that comes up out of this discussion is, how does the order of the section effect the meaning of the performance - for both us as performers and, certainly, the audience. If you set the structure than you can be sure of a certain flow of the piece, but if you leave it open, or change it each time, that changes the arc. In fact it calls into question the whole idea of the dramatic arc.

Most times when seeing a performance - especially dance or theater - we are use to following a dramatic arc. Usually something happens, something changes from the beginning to the end. We have conflict, or development, or some kind of progression. We also know, either consciously or intuitively, that that arc was chosen and set by the creator of the work. We can trust that the structure was intentional and specific. But, if there is no predetermined structure, or the structure is determined for each performance by chance, what does that imply to meaning? This is an age-old post-modern question, but we're in the mix of it right now and trying to wrestle with these options. During this last rehearsal we randomly created a structure (using a computer) and tried it and was quite satisfied with the structure. But, what happens if the computer creates a structure that we don't "like", or feels "inorganic"? We will continue to explore random generated structure for the next couple of rehearsals and see what happens.

Rehearsal 5/24

2006-05-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jonathan and I had rehearsal for "unmapped" in the afternoon. Once we had all the equipment set up we began with a long improv session. We started in our, what you might call, traditional roles - he playing the guitar, me dancing. We had not been starting this way for a while - we've both been playing the guitar to start. It was very interesting starting that way again, almost a relief in a way. I really enjoyed just "dancing" by myself for a while. I did alot of big movement, moving through space, kind of complicated gestural stuff. I also think that Jonathan really enjoyed playing the guitar without me - he didn't have to deal with my limitations as a musician, or the choice I make when we're playing together (I may be wrong about this - I may be projecting...).
We also began to notice and record some of our habitual choices. For example, when we are both moving together we tend to imitate each other's movement choices. When we are passing the guitar back and forth, as Jonathan noted, we tend to do this fake-out move where we almost take/give the guitar, but then we don't. By naming these habits I hope we can notice when we are doing them as we're improvising and then find different choices. I don't mean to totally throw out the habits we recognize, but to increase the number of options we have available to us as we're improvising.
We also made a list of the number of possible groupings between Jonathan, I and the guitar. They were:
1. Jonathan playing the guitar, Daniel dancing
2. Both playing the guitar
3. Both dancing
4. Daniel playing the guitar, Jonathan dancing
5. creating a repetitive sequence on the guitar (using an echo/looping devise) that gradually fades to silence
There were a number of sub-options for each of these, but that is the general gist of it. We then practiced just doing one of these options - instead of switching back and forth. I think we both thought this was a great practice to deepen each one of these possibilities. We have been worried, or working on, the whole length of the piece (40 minutes) and have set aside the details alittle bit. I think we need to go back and dig alittle deeper.
When making a work - whether it is set or improvised - I think you are constantly going back and forth between pushing the edges wider, and digging deeper. You want to make sure it is encompassing the whole of what it is, though it can't encompass everything. You don't want to be too narrow, yet you don't want to be so shallow that it has no meaning. So, you go back and forth between exploring the work's width and depth.

Newest Work - unmapped

2006-05-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

I have been developing a new improvisational based work with a musician - Jonathan Matis - to be performed as part of the first Capital Fringe Festival this July - and we will be performing the work on the hour, every hour, for 24 hours - (yikes!). The work - "unmapped" - is an exploration of blurring the lines between dance and music and dancer and musician. Jonathan and I begin both playing a prepared guitar that is running through a computer. We begin by creating a sound score with the computer repeating what we play and then layering over those sounds. We play the guitar with an assortment of low tech objects - chop sticks, paint brush, metal slide, vibrator - to create a very percussive dense sound. From this beginning we begin to add movement by responding to each other, moving out into space, using the guitar as a prop - passing it back and forth - so that sometimes we are both moving, sometimes one is moving and the other is playing, and sometimes we are both playing. All of the music and movement is improvised, but we do have some structures and some sourcing material. We know we start out playing the guitar together, then we take it into movement, then we go into our more traditional roles - Jonathan playing and I'm moving. We've also been working with word phrases as a beginning place to improvise from. Most of the phrases have been randomly chosen from books - the idea being to get us out of our habitual patterns. It has been interesting and challenging as many of the phrases have not been places we would have normally started from. Phrases such as "blades of fire", or "side of the wealthy", or "globe men" are a challenge to find music and movement from. We've also been surprising ourselves with what comes out of working with these phrases. This is going to continue to be a very interesting work to explore - in rehearsal, and certainly once we get to performance.