We asked Sue Smith to tell us about her experience working with choreographer Karen Kaeja and fellow vocal artist Shannon Kingsbury on Crave to Tell, the piece the GCDF commissioned for Women's Voices.
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| Sue Smith |
Sue: Working with Karen Kaeja is a most inspiring process. Working with Shannon Kingsbury is a delight. Together, the three
of us are collaborating to weave together music and dance—newly found,
original, moving, held, telling.
When the three us met up on a cold December morning, Karen
introduced us to her concept for the piece—the exploration of secrets.
She asked us, “What secrets do you crave to tell?”
Think about that for a minute and you will likely find
yourself on an intense personal journey. We talked about the impact of
secrets on our lives, generational secrets, how secrets were revealed, when we
shared secrets, when we were implored not to tell—and thereby put into the
arduous position of carrying a burden of knowledge. Being alone with a
secret. Oh, the responsibility. Oh, the emotional work. Oh,
the musical work; the privilege of taking these ideas and transforming them
into musical expressions.
The exploration of the theme was a gold mine of sorts,
eliciting many ideas and avenues for musical expression. Along the way,
Shannon and I composed musical elements and created structures for
improvisation, knowing we would be working with an “orchestra” of 5 female
voices. Singing with Louisa Kratka, Monique Vischrschraper, and
Mosa McNeilly, our rehearsals have been a combination of learning set
pieces written by Shannon and me as well as improvisational explorations in
which the uniqueness of each voice intermingles, responds, cajoles, soothes,
harmonizes and blends with the group, creating one-of-a-kind moments and
bringing forth music that could never have been born from a page or a solitary
composer; a deeply satisfying musical communication.
The process of creating music for dance is fluid and
conversational. Having worked with Karen previously on the scores for
“Wedding Threads”, “Cold Beneath Me” and “Hangman”, I was confident in
our process together. Karen creates a magnificent yet delicately held
container in which to work—and into which she welcomes the fire of ideas and
possibility. Shannon and I observed, created, responded, and contributed
ideas, music, and voice, which Karen took into her process with the dancers.
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| Shannon Kingsbury and Sue Smith at work |
The back and forth of: “Look at this; listen to this;
I LOVE IT!; try this; what about silence?; more energy required
here; I LOVE IT; a softer approach here; watch for the moving yoga
tree, wait for Kelly’s hand”, intermingle as the ideas grow and take
shape and colour. Witnessing the dancers moving to our newly created
musical pieces is a marvel—I think I am the luckiest person in the world to be
able to do this work.
The absolute inspiration of observing Karen and the dancers
at work gives me energy for months to come. Working with Shannon is
always an enriching musical experience empowered by wonderful commitment and
the ever-present twinkle in her eye. The dedication, artistry and
communication that fill the studio during rehearsal is an elixir that moves us
all.
Sue Smith is a singer,
musician, composer, and dancer and has performed on stage, on camera, and in
the studio as a soloist and collaborator. 27 years ago Sue had the good
sense to co-found Hillside Festival and is the founder,
Artistic Director, and General Manager of the Season Singers. She
has scored several pieces for Karen Kaeja, and has performed with Robert
Kingsbury. She is a dedicated music educator, maintaining a vibrant teaching
studio in Guelph and Toronto.
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Dance outside the box here!