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The Nutcracker: Unwrapped

Nichelle (admin) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:25:59 +0000

Hand-torn snow. 7,000 lbs of it.

Houston Ballet’s current version of The Nutcracker, choreographed by Ben Stevenson, premiered in 1987. And ever since, what falls from above in the Land of Snow is what designer, Desmond Heeley always wanted: Crepe paper, because of the way it looks, reflects the light and most importantly, because of the way it falls. Hand-torn because its densely textured surface makes it impossible to cut layers of paper without sticking and clumping.

For the first few years, volunteers from the Houston Ballet Guild and the HB staff donated several days in the weeks before The Nutcracker opened to sit and tear paper into snowflakes, but over the years a new method was developed using spools and special blades. Now a crew of four can tear several layers at once more efficiently over a period of 2 weeks.

About 200 pounds of snow fall during each snow scene, after which (during intermission) the snow is swept up and placed in special boxes to be cleaned. The used snow is carefully sifted and cleaned to be used again in another show. About 30 minutes before curtain on each performance day, the snow bags are refilled with either new or newly cleaned snow that will majestically fall to the stage, to the delight of the Houston Ballet audience.

The Nutcracker Sugar Plum Fairy tutus and Soldier costumes in wardrobe storage.

Repair. Rebuild. Remake. Repaint.

Snow isn’t the only thing that’s reused and recycled in The Nutcracker, which is produced season after season for more performances than other ballet in the Houston Ballet repertoire.

According to HB’s Production Director, Tom Boyd, who has been part of its production team from the start, there have been the expected subtle changes in choreography over the years. But everything else has remained very close to what was originally conceived by Stevenson and Heeley. Even costume fabrics and trims, which literally endure the wear and tear of hundreds of performances, are replaced only with the best possible match to the original design.

Dressing the Cast

When asked which Nutcracker costume is her personal favorite, it seems an easy answer for Houston Ballet’s Wardrobe Manager, Laura Lynch. “The Snow Queen,” she pronounces. “Love that tiara.”

One-hundred and thirty costumes appear in a single Nutcracker performance. But if you break it down to the individual clothing pieces, like collars, petticoats, and more, that the wardrobe department maintains, there are over 650 items, not including tights, facial hair or wigs.

Because The Nutcracker is performed every year, the show’s costumes hang in the back wardrobe room at Wortham Theater Center all year long so that Wardrobe may continually restore and rebuild as necessary in the costume shop at Houston Ballet’s new Center for Dance (the largest professional dance company facility of its kind constructed in the United States).

Sugar Plum's costume tagged by Wardrobe and ready to go. Photo: Casey Ayala/Art Institute of Houston North

The Wardrobe department uses a dancer’s most current measurements to rebuild costumes and depends upon the fitting process to determine if Nutcracker costumes must be rebuilt or altered. Costumes are generally not re-fit on dancers who have performed the role previously, so it may surprise those visiting Wardrobe during Nutcracker preparation that seemingly there’s not much going on with the show. However, the department is always working on other productions as well. This season, you’d see costumes for the one-night-only Jubilee of Dance, photo shoots, Cinderella (opening in February), and academy performances.

How does Wardrobe keep track of all the measurements, alterations, and other costume details?

“LOTS OF ORGANIZATION,” exclaims Lynch. “We use an extensive inventory system to keep track of which costumes belong together. We also have a numbering system in all costumes to assist in charting who wears which costume.”

If you’re producing your own Nutcracker this year, Ms. Lynch has some tips: “Stay on top of keeping things clean. Spot cleaning and hand washing are very important and if left to wait will certainly damage the costumes.” She recommends you have a system in place and “stay the course.”

Making Theatrical Magic

In the second act of HB’s The Nutcracker, flying chef-angels zip across stage. Tom Boyd recalls the origins of this unique feature: “The idea came from the fact that Act 2 is the Land of the Sweets and the designer, Desmond Heeley, was quite interested in answering the question, that a child might ask, ‘Where do all the sweets come from?’ So, Desmond decided there should be bakers and cooks and some of them would be flying. And, if you look at the chandeliers you will see flying cooks on either side. Ben liked the idea so much, he decided to expand the concept with dancers flying to open the Act.”

According to Tom, the dancers rehearse the basic positions and timing in the studio as part of the regular rehearsals for many weeks prior to moving into the Wortham. When the flying rig apparatus has been installed in the theater, the dancers are called to be fit in their harnesses and work with a flight coach until they feel comfortable being in the harness and off the ground. Then, they rehearse the flying sequence to piano music with all the flyers, the flight coach, the stagehands (each flyer requires 3 each), stage managers, and artistic staff needed during the actual show. Throughout the entire run of The Nutcracker, the flying sequence is also rehearsed onstage during Intermission for the comfort and safety of the dancers and crew alike.

The Nutcracker set design by Desmond Heeley.

Though flying takes a great deal of coordination, it is the extremely complicated transition from the Battle Scene to the Snow Scene that Boyd describes as the most technically challenging. “The house scenery has to move off and fly out, with the enormous tree, and in its place is revealed the Land of Snow. This transition involves the entire stage crew, with 7 people pulling lines on the fly-rail, and 11 people moving scenery off-stage. Both stage managers are involved in calling cues, timing the moves to the music and the entire company of dancers are either running offstage, running onstage, or quick-changing costumes to be onstage.” All in a matter of seconds.

What are the essentials for staying organized and keeping The Nutcracker running smoothly?

“It helps to have very good archived records of how the show hangs, what is involved from scene to scene, how many people are required to do what,” says Boyd, “but, the most important element of all is to have highly skilled, dedicated, experienced people putting it all together. And, we are fortunate to have an outstanding production staff, stage crew, and wardrobe staff who all know that we have a duty to present this amazing company of brilliant dancers with the highest production value possible, whether it’s The Nutcracker or any other performance.”

So you want to be a…

During the 1980′s Boyd made the leap from dancing to managing productions and scenic design. If you’re planning to make a similar leap, Boyd says to pay attention to all that is going on around you. “Our audience sees only the tip of the iceberg when attending a performance, but as members of an arts organization we have the opportunity to understand and be involved with the entire infrastructure,” he explains.

“Find out what the other departments do, how they contribute to the final product. Any single performance and audience experience is the result of hundreds of people doing so many different things. Not only could you encounter interesting career options, you have an opportunity to capitalize on the experience you already have.”

Similarly, Laura Lynch, says the path to becoming Wardrobe Manager for a large ballet company requires experience. Lots of it, working in all aspects of Wardrobe. “I have a theater degree and have been working professionally in costuming for 27 years,” divulges Lynch. “I’ve done everything from stitching, patterning, cutting, dying, crafting, painting, shop supervising, freelance design, traveling with Broadway productions to community theater. To rise to the top hard work, good work ethic and a passion for what you do are necessary.”

In addition to supervising in HB’s wardrobe and costume shop, she has also designed costumes. If you’re a dancer with a passion for ballet fashion, Lynch says, “Research! Everything, from fashion to theater.” She explains that exploring museums and art history are two great ways to research and learn, and that paintings offer an enormous wealth of fashions throughout history. “Get involved and keep learning new skills,” Lynch encourages.

Of course, what Nutcracker feature would be complete without a few stories from those who’ve seen it all?

I couldn’t help but ask Boyd about something a little mouse told me: That HB used to stage an elaborate “Nutty” Nutcracker for audiences at the close of the run.

“The Nutty Nutcracker was a tradition for a number of years,” explains Boyd. “It was a way to close out a very long season of The Nutcracker performances, and to let the dancers and audience have some fun within a very traditional framework.”

“I think my fondest memory was when Drosselmeyer brought out his trunk of dancing dolls to entertain the children, and pulled out Lauren Anderson dressed as Tina Turner doing her signature song, ‘Proud Mary’,” he recalls. “That one was so popular, she made several cameo appearances in subsequent shows, even when it made no sense, just for the fun of it.”

Last year on Dance Advantage, corps member Madison Morris, shared her favorite wardrobe malfunctions involving rats. Lynch recalls a year when one of the rats’ ears came unglued and was barely hanging on to the head. “Lots of flopping about… luckily the rat was done for that show and we were able to re-glue for the next show.”

Boyd says so many things happen behind the scenes, most if not all unseen by the audience, that it’s hard to pick one thing that he can look back on and laugh at. “The ones I remember weren’t funny when they happened, and unfortunately, they really aren’t funny in retrospect. Oh, I guess they are just a little bit. But, each little hiccup in the otherwise smooth running of a show, is a reminder that there is an enormous level of detail that needs to be constantly monitored in a show like this and one can never, ever take it for granted or think you can phone it in.”

He does relay one instance of flying gone wrong: “The flying cooks are supposed to meet at center and hold hands until they are flown off to their respective sides of the stage,” he says. ” Well in this performance, the stagehand in charge of traveling the flyers to their marks went so far past his mark that instead of stopping at center stage, the dancer from stage left went past the one from stage right, and they spun around each other getting their flying cables hopelessly entangled. So, they were just stuck together center-stage, 15 feet above the floor, staring at each other.”

Oh no, what then?

“When the stage manager realized they were not going to untangle themselves, he instructed both sets of crew operating the flying rig to travel the flyers off stage right until they were in the wings.” To a round of cheers from the audience, of course.

Featuring breathtaking scenery and costumes by Tony Award-winning designer Desmond Heeley, Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker is ideal for introducing children to the power and beauty of classical dance, and a delightful way for the entire family to ring in the holiday season. Thirty-three performances run November 25 – December 27, 2011 in the Brown Theater at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. For tickets call 1-800-828-ARTS, or visit www.houstonballet.org.

More of The Nutcracker Behind-the Scenes:

Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker By the Numbers

CultureMap goes Art & About and wants to know…

Team Sugar or Team Snow?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ermOlzjFAZE

Nancy Wozny, aka Culture Sis, aka dancehunter, and Joel Luks, aka Culture Bro, go behind the scenes at the Houston Ballet to learn why Ben Stevenson’s version has been a hit for 24 years.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Costumes Etc., Dance Companies, Dance Styles, Featured, Interviews, News and Events, Performing | Who's talking about this article?

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The Costume “Blackout” Keeps Choreography Center Stage

Heather Vaughan-Southard — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:30:00 +0000

It never seems to fail.

Whenever I introduce a new composition assignment that leads to a performance opportunity, about 30 seconds in to the discussion, students stop talking about their choreography and start talking about costuming.

"Blackout"

I have now reached a place that I finish my introductory sentence with, “and this will be created in ‘blackout’ “ which means we’ll present these works in black leotards and pants. If in the end I feel the students have sufficiently navigated the creative process and their dances do speak for themselves, I lift the restriction and allow them to costume their dances.

I chose the phrase “blackout” to reference the cutting of lights after a piece, a moment filled with closure and potential for the next creation.

My point is that I want students to momentarily forget everything that they’ve created before, and start with a blank slate. A black out brings us back to neutral – a place of honest investigation and motivation. Hopefully.

It is important that young choreographers dress the movement before dressing the body to ensure their composition is doing the communicating.

Other Neutral Spaces(...)

Continue reading "The Costume “Blackout” Keeps Choreography Center Stage"

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© Heather Vaughan-Southard for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Costumes Etc., For Classroom, K-12, Performing, Teaching | Who's talking about this article?

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Halloween: Costumes, Props and Makeup Inspiration

Stacey Pepper Schwartz — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:20:26 +0000

I love Halloween but not because of the candy. Just driving around town watching ghosts hanging from trees spinning and swinging in the wind makes me giddy. The flow of a vampire’s cape, the flop of big clown feet and the sheer beauty of a green faced witch makes me want to jump and shout! There is no better time to explore costumes, props and make-up with children then during the Halloween season. Since we all learn from our experiences, Halloween can be a great jumping off point because most kids will be experiencing some form of dress-up and your job as a teacher is to take their budding experience and run with it!

Materials are endless, and examples are everywhere. Creating a mood or feeling can always be accentuated with the addition of props, costumes and make-up. Young kids love this and they are never too young to explore these elements. Focusing the Halloween energy on the art of dance is a great way to harness Halloween hyperness! And you might see your students demonstrate new ways of moving and creating as well.

Exploring Fabric

Bring in some old sheets, or buy some inexpensive fabric at your local fabric store. Leave it in the center of the room and when the students come in see what they discover about the material. Let this be a child directed activity so instead of you telling them what to do see what they discover.

Some questions to prompt them:

How can you make the fabric move?

Is it heavy or light?

How many children can make the material move? Can it move with just one child? Can the entire class work together to make it move?

Is it easier to make it move fast or slow?

Can you make it move around the room?

What else can you do with the fabric?

How can it cover you? Can you stick different body parts out of the fabric?

Can you move the material with different body parts?

If you have the availability of a video camera take some video of them so they can watch the fabric “come to life” and have a dance of its own. (If not, pictures would be great.)

Make-Up

This time of year, kid’s make-up is readily available. It comes in sticks (almost like crayons) or in little plastic containers with a brush (very similar to a paint brush.) When doing make-up on students make sure you get the permission of the parents beforehand and that the students are not wearing their favorite outfits! Cold cream, tissues, and water are a must. And a mirror for the kids to see the final results! Maybe you will find that a parent is a talented face painter and will help out with the transformations. You do not need to be an artist to create masterpieces on the children – just a few well placed whiskers or wrinkles will do the trick! You might want to keep to a theme like animals or have the children pick what they want. Then have them create a dance based on the movements of their characters.

Before the dance ask the students:

What is your character?

How does your character get around? Walk, crawl, fly, slither, leap, etc.

Do they move quickly or slowly?

Do they take up a lot of space or a little space?

Do they like to be near other animals or creatures?

What is there mood? Happy, sad, scared, angry?

Pick out different pieces of music and have the class vote on which music they want to dance to. Maybe all similar creatures should dance together or it might be interesting to have opposites dance together!

Pull out that video camera or camera again. You will be amazed at how the children’s movements will change when they are creating a character and are not being themselves. It definitely helps for children who are inhibited.

These activities might take more than one class to complete. There is no rule that each lesson should take one class period. You might do the make-up one day (taking pictures of each child at the end) and the next week explore the movements with the pictures as a reminder of the wonderful characters that were developed. You might see that the class wants more than one day to explore that fabric or that they want to revisit the lesson after seeing the video of themselves. Lessons can be repeated and should be because kids learn from repetition.

Halloween time is exciting for children and with a little focus and extra preparation it can open up creative possibilities. It can a starting off point for your students to let their imaginations fly like a magic broomstick soaring around the moon!

More Kid Concepts...

What kinds of activities do you do with your classes on Halloween?

What are other ways you can encourage acting and character exploration?

What are some other kinds of Halloween props that you’ve used or would like to try?

© Stacey Pepper Schwartz for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Blog, For Classroom, Other Dance Forms, Teaching | Who's talking about this article?

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Excavating the Archives – Don’t Miss These Posts!

Nichelle (admin) — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:00:41 +0000

I hereby declare Fridays links day on Dance Advantage!

One of my goals at Dance Advantage is to connect readers to other places and spaces online so that you don’t have to search high and low for great resources yourself! Generally Fridays will be a day to point you elsewhere in this world wide web. However, because it is the nature of blogs to feature the latest posts and entries, older posts can get buried. So, I thought I’d kick things off by “kinecting” you to some older posts within Dance Advantage that you may have missed!

(Bonus! All of these posts contain links to other sites! — Talk about Kinected!)

Costume Crisis – What to do when dance costume companies fail you at recital time

Fostering Artistry in Young or Beginning Dancers - First steps: Ask a child to be creative.

DanceMom.com – A forum for dance parents

Dancing With Conscience – Dancers and dance organizations that are making a difference

Art or Not? Musings on Dance, Art, and Entertainment

Eye of the Beholder – This one is just for fun! Do you know which way the dancer is spinning?

Two Heads Are Better Than One - More wonderful online resources! Deb Vogel and Lisa Howell join forces.

Reflection and Journaling for Dancers – Types of journals and the usefulness of keeping a “dance diary”

Classic Confusion – Sorting out labels in dance like classical, modern, and contemporary.

Bullying in Dance Class - Do girls bully? You bet! Don’t miss the resources and info in this one!

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | Category: Blog | Who's talking about this article?

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Guest Post: Am I Pretty? Exploring How Costumes Can Make The Dancer

Guest Contributors — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:32:26 +0000

The following is a guest post by Halyma [aka Tracey, designer, TAV Creations]. She is a belly dancer and costumer, however, she offers pointers and considerations on costuming, color, and expressing oneself through their own creations which can be applied to all other dance styles. She is encouraging even for those hopeless with a needle and thread (like me!). Hopefully her ideas will inspire you to try budget-friendly homemade (or hand-decorated) costumes for your next dance performance.

A Bit About My Background

I have been sewing since I was about 12 years old. With a mom who taught me, and a grandmother who had been making me fun stuff since I was really young, I loved the entire concept of making things. I was into every craft I could get my hands on, often the only child in the class who was allowed to use the real scissors when working on school projects! I was also taller than everyone else, and that extra physical capability served me well, as my hands would have been a bit bigger too!

Budget conscious, and creative, I made a lot of my own clothes in high school. I was so used to our good sewing machine at home, that I actually refused to use the cheaper machines at the school, only cutting my home-ec projects out there, and taking them home to sew them. I had a note…!

From early on, I loved making costumes. I also wanted to be a dancer, but never really pushed for any kind of lessons as a child, so i suspect that is what has allowed me a happier approach to dance as an adult. The costumes I would make were, in general, either sci-fi related [older brother got me hooked on Sunday morning Star Trek] or pretty. Togas with beautiful draping, 50′s poodle skirts, and one shouldered dresses were some of my favorite teen creations.

Then I Fell For Belly Dancing…

Moving on to post-design school and many years of bridal couture working with another designer, while serving my own clients on my own time… I began to take belly dance classes. I had already explored ballroom, and loved it, but having no partner limits your adventures there, so belly dance caught me in its sparkly web and there I remain!

Talk about your pretty costumes! What can be more feminine than draping of chiffon, sequins and beads glittering over you, and every asset accented with form and color?

I love hand beading, and there is something wonderful about adding your own embellishments to a plain piece to make it your own. Much time is spent taking “found pieces” and making them into something new – upcycling might be the term these days! I have worked with sequined dresses from a second hand store, jewelry from decades past or that discount shop, and some purchased coin belts or fringe to make elegant and flattering pieces for clients.

What if you don’t sew? There are some seriously capable dancers out there who have such skill with a glue gun that a sewing needle has never touched their delicate fingers. I have been amazed at how beautiful their costumes look on stage, seen from a distance. Up close, they may be a bit rough for my taste, but since a dancer is usually moving and mesmerizing her audience, imperfections usually go unnoticed.

Visual First Impressions

Your costume is the first expression of your dance, before you even start to move. Color and texture are very important to costumes – this should go without saying, but an interesting journey is taken by many belly dance students when they choose their first pieces. Black.

I was also a victim of this mysterious myth: Black makes you look slimmer in regular clothes, so it should work the same way in belly dance pieces right? Well, not always.

If you are at all on the paler shade of flesh tones, and are planning a bare midriff, the covered parts will look smaller, but everything else, belly, arms, head stands out in sharp contrast, and will actually look a bit larger in comparison.

When dancing in a dark club or on a stage with a black backdrop, from a distance, this contrast can have the effect of disembodied parts…kind of funky, but maybe not. You are hoping to show off your skill of hip movements, but no one can really see them clearly since they are the same color as the back drop. Using black mesh as a midriff cover can be helpful in the slimming area, but flesh tone can work just as well.

Costuming Based on Dance Style

When you think about belly dance, you will have your own filters as to what images it invokes. It depends on what you mean when you say belly dance. If you think of the sultry Arabic cabaret-style dancers with glitter, sequins and glass beads, choose a colour you love and one that loves you!

Alternatively, with the vastly popular trend towards American Tribal Style dance and it’s fusion descendants, black cotton has become a staple of this garment industry and accents of rich colors are added with wool tassels, mirrors and coins to add dimension. And while some dancers are seeking to lighten the visual load of these heavy black costumes, there is a general look that attracts the eyes of many new dancers.

Folkloric costuming has some limitations in following the cultural references required to maintain accuracy, but there can be some fun variations as styles meld and flow. Bringing a Ghawazee tunic/vest and bedleh set into the new millennium can involve foil dot and satin with a funky hat!

Make Your Costume an Extension of Yourself!

Colors have their own psychology and messages to send, so explore that, as well as what you feel comfortable in and have fun with it! Obviously if you are in a larger production that requires matching costumes, your own personality may not get to express itself, but if you can, mix it up and have some fun! When we are engaged for demos at local events, I love to let everyone fall into a colour scheme with their own creative interpretations, and it usually looks great!

[Note from Nichelle - this is a great tip for recital dances, showings, or informal performances! When you want a cohesiveness without a matchy-matchy look, consider assorted pieces within the same color scheme, of similar fabric, or general design.]

A Few Guidelines For Looking Great in Performance

My speciality is cabaret belly dance, but I have also made pieces for other dance forms and there are so many similarities that the same rules apply.

Test drive your complete costume before you perform in it – including all accessories!

Safety pins are your friend.

Good quality fabric shows, even on stage

Take a photo of yourself in your costume on stage/from the expected distance when you can- this allows you some reference to change things up as needed.

Get good shoes that look nice while offering good support. If you go barefoot, decorate your feet.

And make sure you feel pretty – or strong, or exotic, or whatever will make you feel great about yourself – it will show in your performance!

Halyma [ aka Tracey, of TAV Creations] has been dancing since her teen years, performing and teaching belly dance since 1998. She has been sewing since the age of 12 and runs TAV Creations, a custom sewing and design business from her home studio in Ottawa, Canada. Getting into belly dance encouraged her expansion from mainly bridal wear into belly dance wear, so that she could find more creative ways to embellish with beads and sequins! You can find her online all over the place: www.TAV-Creations.com, www.Halyma.com, follow her on www.Twitter.com/halyma as well as Facebook and Myspace!

© Guest Contributors for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Dance Bag, Dancethropology, Performing | Who's talking about this article?

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Costume Crisis

Nichelle (admin) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:01:04 +0000

I recently read a post at Citystreams about a color guard uniform order gone wrong. It was an all-too-familiar account that I know many dance studios face year after year as recitals approach. Costume companies are a hot topic on dance message boards each spring.

Humans all make mistakes. However, if a costume company has made a mistake and customer service has failed to recognize or meet your needs when time is of the essence, it is hard to know what to do. Interestingly enough, a reader at Citystreams (who also happens to be a Customer Relations Manager) posted some great advice for dealing with problems of this kind.

Please read her entire response here. Below is my paraphrasing of her advice.

Call the company and demand to speak with the manager (or higher). Do not hang up until your request is granted or, if you must end the call, be persistent and continue to call back.

Write a letter that clearly states your problem and overnight it to the attention of the company president (be sure to keep a copy). Add photos of your students wearing the costumes if they don’t fit. You could probably also include photos of poorly constructed or damaged costumes if this suits your case.

Keep all documentation of the order, shipping details, and keep a record of each interaction with company representatives (don’t forget to get names).

Suggest that the company take care of your problem by the performance date or you will take legal action. Make sure you follow through on any threats, however.

Do what you have to make sure your dancers are costumed for their performance. If you need to have the costumes altered or if you’ve had to find replacements in a hurry, keep all receipts.

Spread the word that you’ve had problems with this company, particularly if your issue is not resolved. Report them to the Better Business Bureau.

I think some key points here are that studio owners must stay organized when dealing with costume companies. Most studios order from multiple companies. It is easy to make mistakes or misread catalogs and information can get lost in the shuffle. It can be very confusing when you’re also preparing other aspects of a performance so keep excellent records for each costume ordered. Don’t wait until something goes wrong to make sure you have all the documentation needed to support your case.

Do any of you have suggestions to add that may help others when facing a costume crisis?

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Studio Admin, Teaching | Who's talking about this article?

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Using Photographs as Inspiration for Choreography

Nichelle (admin) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:23:06 +0000

Whether you are a teacher looking for new recital dance ideas, or a budding student choreographer, we could all use a little inspiration from time to time. Photographs are a great way to get the creative juices flowing. Here is how one choreographer tied his existing dance to photographs, making both come alive. This is certainly one way to give your choreography new dimension. However, as I read the article, I began contemplating ways one could use photography as a starting point. These could also be great exercises for those participating in or instructing a composition/choroegraphy workshop.

Compile a series or grouping of photographs and put them in order (randomly or deliberately) and re-create the photo with dancers in a tableaux. Then decide how to move between them.

Choose personal photographs (from childhood or a special time in your life) and use them to bring you back to that time period, set the mood for the dance, or become characters in your narrative/story.

Choose a single photograph that speaks to you. The colors and style of the photograph can inspire lighting or costuming. Even if there are no people in the photograph, your dancers and their movement can evoke the emotions or feeling of the image. You can even project the photo on your backdrop.

Here’s another unique idea, using photographers as the subject of choreography.

There are lots of possibilities. Perhaps old Hollywood glamour photos will inspire black and white costuming and lighting effects to simulate flashbulbs. Perhaps a wide landscape photo will inspire large, open movement with broad and sweeping music. Historical photos could help re-enact moments from our nation’s past. An entire program or your next recital could be filled with dances that are inspired by photographs/photography. Remember, there are no limits other than your imagination and no wrong way of using the photograph(s) as a jumping off point.

What are some of your ideas for using photography as a starting point for choreography?

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Choreographing | Who's talking about this article?

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