Experiments in Science and Beauty

In the weeks until the Festival gears up, we will be featuring several GCDF dance artists here on the blog. Please join us every Monday and Thursday as we get an intimate, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the artistry, process, and experiences these talented dancers and choreographers from across the country are bringing to this year’s GuelphContemporary Dance Festival. We encourage you to not just read their amazing stories, but to ask questions or engage in conversation about dance in our comments section below.  Get ready to Power Up!

Vancouver-based LINK Dance artistic director and choreographer, Gail Lotenberg, speaks to us today about working on Experiments: Where Logic and Emotion Collide, which presents at our On the Stage, Stage B series on Saturday, June 2, at 8pm.

(Ed note: Gail has just been featured in a podcast interview on Evidance Radio! She is featured right off the top. At minutes 47:46, our own Janet Johnson talks about this year’s festival. Check it out!)

Gail: As the Artistic Director of LINK Dance, I have worked closely with scientists to make dances for many years. In 2008, eight of us (four scientists and four dancers) toured to Toronto to perform our first experiment. A presentation at Luminato Festival, the piece was LINK’s first fusion of dance and science. When we returned to Vancouver, we got to work on our next experiment. Then a year later, we premiered our first full-length production, now officially called, Experiments: Where Logic and Emotion Collide (which appears as an excerpt in the Saturday night show at Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival).

Experiments. Photo by Peter Eastwood.

What I have learned working with scientists over these years is that almost everything you can say about an artist can be said about a scientist. Both are driven by ideas they seek to surface. The rigorous practice of a scientist is the same rigorous practice to create art. But what stands out most of all is our shared passion for discovery.

A famous nineteenth-century thinker, Claude Bernard, once said: “Those who do not know the torment of the unknown cannot have the joy of discovery.” Scientists and artists labor to reveal ideas that form deep within ourselves; this bond has been the lifeblood of this collaboration.

Elegance is a word often applied to dance. But in science elegance is used commonly too. It describes the discovery of a simple truth that lies at the heart of a complex system. Science aims not to describe complexity but instead it seeks to discover the simplicity at the core, which drives the complexity. The search for elegance is the search for truth and, in Physics, scientists call this truth, beauty. Bringing beauty to bear is what leads the human being behind scientific research to tears. And it happens! When I realized the level of emotion that underlies the practice of science, I think I made my most treasured discovery from this multi-year project.

Experiments. Photo by Peter Eastwood.

We are now back to work, refining our production that has its Ontario premiere in 3 weeks. Neither the dancers nor the scientists are more invested in finding the elegant truth at the core of our collaboration. Over our years of working together, we have found a common ground, a shared pursuit and that is what LINK Dance is about: Forging connections through the medium of dance.

Gail Lotenberg. Photo by Tobyn Ross.

Gail Lotenberg is the Artistic Director of LINK Dance. The company tours EXPERIMENTS: Where Logic and Emotion Collide to Ontario from May 25-June 2. 

LINK Dance is a Vancouver-based Contemporary Dance company that creates cross-disciplinary productions, inspired by dialogue. Hosting collaborations with scientists, restorative justice advocates, legal scholars, and the public, these collaborations generate inspiration. At the cutting edge of community-engaged art practice, LINK Dance has toured its projects throughout Canada, to the US and Europe since 2001.

http://www.linkdance.ca
https://twitter.com/#!/LINKdance
https://www.facebook.com/LINKdance

Through the Eyes of our Youth Volunteer Coordinator

Lindsay: Hello everyone in the blogosphere!

I’m happy to be writing my first blog-post as a GCDF staff member and, for that matter, my first blog! I’m the new Volunteer Coordinator, and have had the privilege of working with the fabulous GCDF staff team for a few months now. I’m just graduating from the University of Guelph with a BA in International Development and, looking back, the Dance Festival has been one of the few constants throughout my four years here, first as an audience member, then as a volunteer, and now as a staff member.

I started dance when I was 4 and started teaching when I was 14, so when I moved to Guelph from rural Ottawa it was important for me to find my way in the dance community here. In my first year, I barely left campus. I took a few classes at the Athletic Centre and joined a hip hop troupe called Rhythm Invasion, which has since disbanded. After moving out of residence, I spent more time in the city and finally got a taste of all that Guelph has to offer. I regret that I allowed myself to get stuck in the campus bubble in my first year here. A friend of mine discovered the Dance Festival and got us tickets, and I’ve been hooked ever since! It really is impressive that a city the size of Guelph has such an enthusiasm and following for dance.

By making connections with people in the dance scene, I was able to find classes that were better suited for me. The dance community in Guelph has proven to be very friendly and supportive, not to mention tight-knit. So I saw a lot of the same smiling faces at classes, workshops, and events, and felt very comfortable in my decision to create a second home for myself in Guelph.

I was asked to be an Artist Host for one of the series at the River Run Centre, and I excitedly agreed—without much knowledge of what I’d actually be required to do! It was a steep learning curve, but it was so fun and so inspiring to be a part of the magic. I will never forget lugging around all of the stereos required for Susie Burpee’s piece, and being able to see the show from the wings of Co-operators Hall. Susie was such a sweetheart, and I remember thinking how lucky we are as a Dance Festival to work with the least diva-like dancers around!

I think it is the energy and camaraderie of the Dance Festival that keeps everyone coming back for more. I was happy to serve as an Artist Host again last year, and it was much easier the second time around! The pieces required significantly less (wo)manpower for setup and take down, so I was able to spend most of my time hanging out with Billy Bell’s Lunge Dance Collective. Watching these young dancers work was incredible – their bodies are such machines! I gained a lot of insight into the creative process by watching some of the technical rehearsals over the last two years, and I recommend volunteer experiences like this to all dancers and dance supporters!

I’m excited to see how the Dance Festival will be different for me this year, now that I’m a staff member. I certainly have a better appreciation for all of the hard work and dedication it takes to pull off all of our programming! I only hope that, through my position, I can support the other staff members and open doors for other young arts enthusiasts. We would love to have you on board! Please check out our website for volunteer opportunities or send me a message at volunteer.gcdf@gmail.com.

Lindsay is the new Volunteer Coordinator with the GCDF, after having volunteered during her time in university as an International Development student. She will be graduating this summer and then taking a year off to work and travel before pursuing a graduate degree. She is hoping to combine her two passions—dance and development—and is thankful for the support she has felt in the Guelph community.

Up in the Air with Femmes du Feu

In the weeks until the Festival gears up, we will be featuring several GCDF dance artists here on the blog. Please join us each week as we get an intimate, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the artistry, process, and experiences these talented dancers and choreographers from across the country are bringing to this year’s GuelphContemporary Dance Festival. We encourage you to not just read their amazing stories, but to ask questions or engage in conversation about dance in our comments section below.  Get ready to Power Up!

Today, Toronto-based Femmes du Feu co-directors, Holly Treddenick and Sabrina Pringle, interview each other. Femmes du Feu performs BoB at the GCDF in Exhibition Park in Guelph on Thursday May 31, 7pm; Saturday June 2, 12pm; and Sunday June 3, 12pm.

Holly: What kind of safety precautions do you take with aerial work and rigging? Are you ever scared?

Sabrina: When we train, we often have mats under us and use each other to spot. That doesn't mean we don't get our fair share of bumps and bruises though! Learning how to rig safely takes time and experience. Rigging requires extensive knowledge of gear and its capabilities, figuring out where your weakest link is and building in redundancies, and a bit of math. I've been learning for a long long time. Actually, I learned to tie my first bowline at 10 years old, sailing at summer camp. 

I think a bit of fear is healthy, it keeps us safe. If I'm doing something that's, let's say, higher than normal, I just remind myself nothing has really changed, if I'm able to do it every time 10 feet off the ground then I can do it 50 or 100 feet off the ground. Also, always keep breathing. If it's a new move I've never done, then I just make Holly go first.

Sabrina and Holly perform BoB. Photo by Peter Benedetti

Sabrina: What's your favorite apparatus and why?

Holly: It’s really hard to say which apparatus is my favorite. I love the silks for so many reasons. This is where I started my aerial journey, so they always have a feel of home. Silks are also similar to ballet in that they are a great fundamental to all other aerial apparatuses, so I always train with them. I feel very comfortable in the silks and can easily play and improvise.

But my real passion lies in invented apparatuses. There is so much discovering and no pre-existing rules or expectations. Sabrina and I have had a lot of fun dreaming up new apparatuses, altering apparatuses we are already familiar with, and experimenting with different rigging systems.  

Bar none, the apparatus I laugh the most with is bungee!

Holly: Can you tell me about the story for BoB?

Sabrina: BoB is about two women on a sea adventure gone wrong. It's a bit dark but also funny, sometimes very funny. Oh, and you could say it's a bit of a "period piece" because our costumes reflect a time of more... polyester in swimwear and lifejackets that make a person look... small. 

Sabrina: The first time you discovered the costumes for BoB, what were you thinking??

Holly: The bathing suits we wear in BoB I’ve been carrying around in my tickle trunk for more than 10 years. They are treasures from Goodwill By The Pound when it used to be on Jarvis [St. in Toronto]. After class at TDT I used to love going costume hunting there.

The life jackets I found on the side of a lawn on a stroll up the Bruce Peninsula. Obviously I instantly thought “Costumes! I know Sabrina and I need these for sure!” They sat in my basement for a couple years, but I knew the perfect piece would eventually reveal itself!

Holly: How did you learn bungee dance?

Sabrina: In my living room with Holly. 

Sabrina: Can you tell us a story about a rehearsal moment (for Bob)?

Holly: Bungee is such a fun apparatus to work with. Sabrina and I spend our whole rehearsals laughing. This isn’t so much a story as it is a description of the general vibe of our first rehearsal.

We are all rigged up in our harness with the bungee clipped to the back point. We are clipped in just high enough so we’re on our toes, not able to ground our feet, constantly doing a little bouncy tiptoe dance. And we’re stuck to our respective circumferences, suspended from the ceiling. I feel hilarious and a little ridiculous. And then I look to my side at my best friend, and I crack up because she looks like how I feel.

Then we start to improvise. How we would dance together if we were sinking to the ocean floor. Not quite crazy enough? Lets put on some Iron Maiden. More explosive laughter and some really good moves are discovered. “This piece is going to choreograph itself”!

Founded in 2003, Femmes du Feu is co-run by dance artists Holly Treddenick and Sabrina Pringle.  Since its conception, Femmes du Feu has been actively creating and presenting aerial dance works and investigating new ways to combine their dance backgrounds with their aerial skills. This has included not only finding new ways to dance with traditional circus apparatuses like bungee in Impossibility (2007), or silks in Dive (2009), but has more recently branched into invented apparatuses such as the anchor, rope or pole, as in The Plank (2010) or Airship (2011). Femmes du Feu has presented their aerial dance works at various events including At The Wrecking Ball (2007), Hysteria Festival (2009), London/ Toronto/ Winnipeg Fringe Festivals (2009 & 2010), and Rhubarb Festival (2010).
www.femmesdufeu.com

Masculinity, Spirituality, and the Creation of Chorus II

In the weeks until the Festival gears up, we will be featuring several GCDF dance artists here on the blog. Please join us each week as we get an intimate, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the artistry, process, and experiences these talented dancers and choreographers from across the country are bringing to this year’s Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival. We encourage you to not just read their amazing stories, but to ask questions or engage in conversation about dance in our comments section below. Get ready to Power Up!

This is Sasha Kleinplatz, choreographer for Montreal-based company Wants&Needs Danse. Wants&Needs performs with the GCDF at Exhibition Park in Guelph on Thursday May 31, 7pm; Saturday June 2, 12pm; and Sunday June 3, 12pm.

Sasha: Chorus II is a work that is inspired by my childhood of memory of watching my grandfather pray before dinner. I didn't speak or read Hebrew, but I remember feeling a deep sense of meaningfulness in the tone of my grandfather's words, the rise and fall of his voice, and the slight swaying of his body as he spoke. This swaying movement performed during Jewish prayer is called davening, and can be traced back to the Talmud. I have been inspired by this idea of movement as an integral part of prayer; movement that becomes religious in context, and in so being, seeks a connection to some greater power.  

Chorus 11 by Celia Spenard-Ko

I decided to choreograph on male dancers because I wanted to work with people who could embody both my grandfather's gravitas and physical strength—he is built and carries himself like a circus strongman. In this work I was interested in the juxtaposition of an incredibly strong and adept body, which is expressing something deeply personal.    As a choreographer I have always been drawn toward contradictions, particularly in the realm of gender. In my last choreography, I created an all-girl fight club.  In Chorus II I have tried to tap into the vulnerable side of the athletic masculine body. 

As we created Chorus II, the dancers, musician Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, and I discussed the idea of prayer as a way of sending one's energy into the universe as an actual attempt to express fears, desires, and hopes in a way that can become almost transformative for those praying. This idea of trying to physically not just express but manifest one's heart's desires became a main inspiration for the movement vocabulary and quality of the work itself.

I have felt so lucky to work with a group of dancers who have wholeheartedly embraced both the physical and emotional challenges of this choreography. All of the performers have played an integral part in the creation of Chorus II, I am so grateful for their work and dedication, and can't wait to share it with the Guelph dance community!

Sasha In the Trees by Marie-Michele Atkinson

Sasha Kleinplatz is a contemporary dance choreographer living and working in Montreal. As a graduate of the Concordia University Dance Program, she began creating work in 2002.  Since then she has developed and choreographed a total of 15 works involving some 40 interpreters and other artistic collaborators. Along with partner Andrew Tay, Sasha created the Montreal choreographic events Piss in the Pool, Short&Sweet and Involved. She will debut her new full-length choreography, Chorus II, at the Montreal, Arts Interculturels in March 2013.

www.wantsandneeds.ca

Susan Lee from Fall On Your Feet Collective: Magic in the Moment—Evocation in the Park

In the weeks until the Festival gears up, we will be featuring several GCDF dance artists here on the blog. Please join us each week as we get an intimate, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the artistry, process, and experiences these talented dancers and choreographers from across the country are bringing to this year’s Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival. We encourage you to not just read their amazing tales, but to ask questions or engage in conversation about dance in our comments section below. 

This is Susan Lee, choreographer for Fall on Your Feet Collective, which performs with the GCDF at Exhibition Park in Guelph on Thursday May 31, 7pm; Saturday June 2, 12pm; and Sunday June 3, 12pm.

Susan: I’m SO delighted to be presenting my work Evocation- gentle rain falling with Guelph’s Fall on Your Feet Collective at this year’s In the Park Series. Not only will I be creating and dancing with the highly talented artists of FOYF, the opportunity to re-imagine a work originally created for the stage in the natural environment of Exhibition Park is very exciting.

As a dance maker, I love improvised dance. There is something incredibly magical in seeing dance artists create in the moment—there’s a sense of live-ness and spontaneity that is like no other performing or creative experience. As a dance maker I also love structure in a dance—shaping ideas to design a moving experience for an audience. Evocation- gentle rain falling is a structured improvisation. Its form lies in between an open improvisation and a set choreography.  The dancers are directed in terms of quality of movement, direction through space, timing of events, but the actual movements performed by the dancers are created in the moment. This allows the performers to contribute to that delicate moment of creation in a very individual way.  It’s sort of like writing a sonnet—there’s a form to be followed, but within that form there are endless possibilities of expression.

There have been a number of iterations of Evocation- from a workshop setting in Halifax, a performance by students at York University, to a performance by professionals at the Enwave Theatre with live music. Setting this dance in Exhibition Park will be a fresh and invigorating experience. Of course, there are challenges along the way. How does a piece live in a different setting than the one it was originally created for? What site will work? How will it be seen? Nature will be my lighting and set designer—how will this all fit together? I think the theme of the work—a meditation on the eternal oneness of the source of all things—is entirely in keeping with this new outdoor setting.  And the brightly coloured, flowing costumes will look fantastic amongst the verdant green of the park. The music, by Mark Duggan, composed on Indonesian instruments, has both a resonance and a delicacy that will help create a unique and magical performance.

Lastly, I am really happy to be re-connecting with the Guelph dance community and the chance to collaborate with the like-minded artists of the Fall on Your Feet Collective. The sense of support in the Guelph Dance community is tremendous—it’s like being wrapped up in a huge love blanket.

We’ll be starting rehearsals soon…The adventure is about to begin…

Susan Lee is a Toronto-based dance artist with a longstanding interest in interdisciplinary collaboration and improvisation in performance. Susan’s professional career spans over twenty years, performing in numerous works by established Canadian choreographers across Canada, the US, Europe and Asia. She is very pleased to set her structured improvisation Evocation– gentle rain falling on Guelph’s Fall on Your Feet Dance Collective. This collective explores collaborative, improvisational movement ideas and practices and provides improvisational performance opportunities in and around Guelph. Collective members are Janet Johnson, Catrina Von Radecki, Georgia Simms, Kelly Steadman, Lynette Segal and Tanya Williams.

Video credits:

Performers: Yvonne Ng, Sara Coffin, Louis Laberge-Cote, Holly Small, Jessica Runge, Susanne Chui, Jacinte Armstrong, Maxine Heppner, Bee Pallomina

Musicians: Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan, Artistic Director Blair Mckay

Choreographer: Susan Lee

Composer: Mark Duggan

Performed at the Enwave Theatre, Toronto November 2006

Tanya Williams Examines Contact Improvisation

Tanya: Back in the year 2000, I came here to take in the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival when the festival itself was still fledgling. I unwittingly wandered into the main stage series and saw Karen and Allen Kaeja performing Broken Saucer choreographed by Claudia Moore. Seeing this piece opened up a whole new world to me that set me on a course that has been life-changing. I had never seen contact improvisation before. I imagine that their piece was set choreography that had emerged from contact improvisation among other processes. The soaring lifts were, of course, spectacular, but there was something else, a quality of listening and responsiveness within the turbulence and ecstasy of the mysterious unknown of relationship. It was that embodiment of what I actually wanted in relationship, which found me declaring to my friend as I left the theatre: “Whatever that is, I have to do that.” The next day I was hunting down a contact improvisation teacher in Guelph and organizing classes at the studio I had in Kitchener.

Contact improvisation arises from a few core principles: 1) Take care of yourself, while 2) having an extended sense of self. This sets up a creative tension from which emerges a complex dance where the dancers are both free, and response-able (able to respond to whatever happens). If I attend to my needs while in an interdependent relationship with you and trust that you are doing the same, the dance is alive with a fundamental trust in our awareness to navigate the unfolding unknown.

This year I had the opportunity to work with choreographer, Karen Kaeja. What I learned when I worked with Karen was how she brought these principles into the process of creating choreography. She regarded the dancers with a deep trust in what we bring, and what we don’t even know yet that we bring, infusing the space with an appetite for the unknown, navigating through curiosity and experimentation. I have the sense that when she is watching us “try stuff out”, she is as curious about her own responses, trusting her intuition to juice up whatever she sees, and trusts what her imagination might cough up to further build on that. There is no fear of muddling about in the ether. As in contact improvisation, often the most awkward moments are where the treasures lie, and if we relax into that trust, it will reveal itself. I discovered the quality of reverence for the mystery of relationship, which had captured my heart over a decade before, can swell at the core of creating choreography, as much as it can in my most enlivening contact dances.

   

TANYA WILLIAMS is a context artist with a passion for dancing with systems… in community, on the land, and in the body. She regularly teaches contact improvisation and contemporary dance and has been facilitating and performing for 19 years. She is a co-founder of the Ontario Regional Contact Jam, Friends of the Floor Dance-Theatre, Embodied Cognition Collective, Fall On Your Feet Dance Lab, and The Living Room Context learning community for the embodiment of ecological thought. She currently resides in the living experiment: Household as Ecology. She is hosting a weekend workshop with internationally acclaimed Contact Improvisation teacher, Martin Keogh, in Kitchener on April 27-29^th.  Information available at www.tanyawilliams.ca

Video Post: Allen Kaeja at the GCDF Arts Explosion Camp

Last week, award-winning choreographer and filmmaker and co-artistic director of Kaeja d'Dance, Allen Kaeja, was a guest teacher at the GCDF's Arts Explosion Camp. He talks here about what it was like to work with the Dance Focus group––campers from 10-13 years-old with at least two years of dance experience.

Don't miss Allen's work at the upcoming festival in June where Kaeja d'Dance presents Armour/Amour.

Shannon Kingsbury Behind the Scenes

As part two in our two-part story of the symbiotic relationship between musician and choreographer, Shannon Kingsbury adds her thoughts—and music—to Sue Smith’s post (below) about working with choreographer Karen Kaeja on the GCDF commissioned piece, Crave to Tell. 

Shannon: It's a crisp February morning and I am at Temple Studios with the Fall On Your Feet Dance Collective and choreographer Karen Kaeja. Karen is creating a piece for the troupe and Sue Smith and I will be writing the accompanying musical score. Today I have come to observe the dance rehearsal to give some context for the music composition. Sue is out of town so I am the lone singer in a room full of gorgeous women dancers. I feel like a voyeur.

We are sitting casually in a circle with notebooks and pens. The theme of the piece to be is “Secrets”.  Karen has a sentence for us to complete: “The most secret place inside of me is..........”

Scribble scribble go the pens. We share our answers. Karen urges us onto our feet to give physical form to our words. I'm not sure what to do. Karen coaxes me to join the dancers. Yikes! The instructions are clear: we are each to create a movement inspired by “the most secret place inside of me”, and then learn each others’ movements sequentially, creating a series.

And GO! Karen creeps along the floor like a wounded crab. The rest of us replicate. Tanya wraps her arms around herself, her right hand guiding her chin upwards. We add Tanya's chin lift onto Karen's crab. Kelly's slender frame spins and withdraws into itself. 3 movements. Now, my turn.

Gulp.

I try not to analyze or agonize since there doesn't seem to be any way out of this! With my secret word in the fore of my mind, I feel my body lunge forward, palm extending out beyond my parameters and then reaching sharply back behind me. The dancers copy. Exhilarating!

Georgia corkscrews down into a “thinking man” position, Lynette clasps her knee to her chest, Janet's wrist flicks and Karen adds a final swirl. I do my best to keep up with the lithe & fluid bodies around me as we move in tandem. I wonder how it is that I can remember thousands of lyrics and musical motifs and yet have trouble with the sequence of 8 relatively simple movements? The dancers cheer me on with their eyes and smiles.

I feel stiff and winded and ask to sit on the side and observe. They are amazing to me—the five of them moving like a flock of birds with Karen at the helm calling out the direction of their flight. The motion of their bodies, the swish of their clothes, the sound of their breath and pattering feet has a hypnotic effect and my lids grow heavy. The dancers become my dream muses and the next thing I know the clock has drifted ahead and they are gathered around me again, sitting casually on the floor as we began.

           

Did I dream it all?

           

Again we take to the pages of our notebooks, this time to complete the sentence “I crave to tell.........” This assignment takes more time than the first. Brows furrow, eyes seem to glaze over with memory. Pens alternate between energetic spurts and thoughtful pauses. We do not share our answers.

Karen instructs the dancers to choose a few words from their writings. She counsels me to observe and listen from the outside. She directs them into a heap on the floor, bodies completely relaxed and breathing as one. “Now, randomly speak your words.”

I grab my pen and record it all down through the lens of my lingering drowsiness. Sometimes their words overlap. Sometimes they assume each other’s words. Sometimes they even finish each other's words. There is a randomly beautiful rhythm and cadence to what arises, even a hint of melody:

“Laugh. Wait. Lie. Truth. Up. Up. Up. Crave. Choices. Causing. Wishing. Heartache. Heart. Wishing. Damage. Oblivious. Up. Up. Up. Living. Wait. Oblivious. Wait. Live. Truth. Laugh. Heart. My Heart. Ache. Causing. Heart. Choices. Causing. Oblivious. Heartache. Damn. Dawn. Laugh. Live.”

A shiver runs down my spine at the conclusion of this spontaneous musical score unknowingly being born. I can hardly wait to share it with Sue.

Shannon Kingsbury is a singer, songwriter, harpist and music educator whose eclectic

performance career has ranged from film soundtrack to stage to studio. Along with Sue Smith,

Shannon is Co-Artistic Director of Ondine Chorus, vocal ensemble, and SKSS Productions,

creating unique multi-discipline performance arts shows in support of environmental and

social causes.

www.shannonkingsbury.com

Sue Smith on Creating Music for Dance

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.

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.

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. 

www.suesmith.ca

Robert Kingsbury for Women’s Voices

We welcome Robert Kingsbury to describe the process of creating his piece Can Be Is Hiding for tonight's performance of Women's Voices.

 

Robert: I was a little bit surprised when I was asked to be a part of the Women's Voices show this year. All the proceeds from this show go to Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis. I saw the show last year and was impressed with the strong lineup of choreography offered by local women. In contemplating what I felt might be right for this event, I immediately enlisted the help of a female acquaintance. Katie Ewald is a dancer with a strong background in conceptual work. She moved to Guelph with her husband to raise their son. I had been interested in connecting with Katie so I decided to make this piece a bit of a “get to know you”.

Katie went to an influential choreographic school in Belgium called PARTS and has worked for choreographers Daniel Leveille and Ame Henderson. She teaches a gentle Pilates class at Temple Studios on Wednesday evenings. During our first rehearsal, I have never had anyone ask for so much clarity. Katie wanted to authentically explore the tasks set out by my research. This is part of the rigour of some contemporary forms of dance and choreography. How much time in the process is invested into sensory research, what are the specific intentions of the work, and do the performers have a precise understanding of their role. I was challenged to answer why I want to present my work to audiences instead of just doing it for my own experience. I eventually realized that in the process of performing I am challenged to be receptive, which allows me to grow. I believe that the possibility of witnessing this is of value to the audience.

During rehearsals we talked about what was going on in our lives, how we were feeling. I realized that every moment that we shared was somehow going toward what would be created. We indulged in my sensory mapping improvisations, where the attention of the body is kept in specific visual or felt places for prolonged durations. After our first rehearsal, I was happy to hear that Katie's neck was feeling better than usual. A recurring injury that comes and goes eventually evolved the nature of our performance into something very specific.

One of the things that we talked about was the desire to dedicate yourself to deep research, yet finding this difficult when the available funding is limited. We agreed that compensation in different forms might allow us to feel more willing to be involved. Within the next week Katie asked me if I'd do some babysitting or vacuuming. I happily played with her son on several occasions, allowing her some time to relax or get organized. From our discussions and this mutual exchange I feel a shared sense of value in the process we've had. We created a space for community, friendship, and the mutual expression of our desires onstage and in life. This happened because we kept a specific intention for the work. The goal was for whatever happened to be mutually satisfying for each of us. For me this meant learning to be receptive in every moment both to myself and to someone else. This has become the gift that I would like to share with Guelph.

Working equally in dance, music for the stage, and choreography, Robert has had the pleasure of participating in many artistic collaborations. In his work he produces audio, film, and movement to create a sense of embodied performance installation. A graduate of York University's Fine Arts department, Robert is honoured to be part of Guelph's rich community of artists.

Tonight in celebration of International Women’s Day, the Guelph Fab 5 is proud to present Women’s Voices. This fabulous event will take place at 7pm at John F. Ross, E.L. Fox Auditorium, 21 Meyer Drive, Guelph. Tickets can be purchased at the door and all proceeds will go to Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis. After the show, we invite you to join us for a reception.  

Karen Kaeja on Creating Her Latest Work

Karen Kaeja is currently at work creating Crave to Tell, a piece commissioned by the GCDF for the upcoming Women’s Voices performance.

Karen: There are no two better places to be than in the studio and in Guelph. I am truly in my element here. I love the pre-rehearsal anticipation. Each day that my wheels slick the pavement from Toronto to Quebec Street I feel the excitement begin to percolate through my body as if it is attuning to the calling of the work (preparation happens in the most unusual ways!). I walk up the stairs into the studio and it’s like a charge of lighting drops in, the fire ignites.

On the first day while the dancers were shifting through their stretching and warming and settling, I observed them. I get so much information from all of these nuances and initial interactions. Our initial time together fuels my continuum. I am not a choreographer with a routine of how I hit the deck. Each creation is a new possibility and I really do not know where it might go or what it might end up being. Sometimes I come in with a seed of curiosity that I will be inspired from but it may not stick and I secretly hope it does not. This allows me the freedom to follow a thread or many threads until the work finds its voice. In some way there ends up being an indirect link to my initial imaginings.

Shannon, Sue and I got together in Toronto before embarking on rehearsals with FOYF. I exposed my focus this year, which is based on secrets, and we were off to the races. It was a fully fueled conversation and enough to last for hours and hours of exploration.

My current inquiry of secrets kept and secrets shared is what I am stimulated by in this work. It is too tall an order for a short process such as this but it could become a long chapter of work in my life. All the pieces I am making this year share an element of this indirectly. The pressure to pair down the vastness of the exploration kept haunting me while I tried to be open to intuitive meanderings. My goal was to create a work that fits the dancers, one that is really of them and for them. Curious to discover in the body how and where secrets lay, how they affect our behaviour and how they shape our lives, witnessing such treasures of mystery and enchantment bring subtle and bold points of departure. I asked the dancers to only bring in secrets that they were ready and interested in sharing, and nothing that they could not depart with. We created a safe space to be with each other in the process, I hope! Some of the secrets became physical or vocal source material.

FOYF members have an obviously strong connection and this helped me understand its potential right away. I have treasured the amount of input and full on commitment the dancers have given me. I am a lucky woman!

Collaborating with Sue and Shannon has been beyond a dream. It has been an extremely ‘cooking’ relationship, very inspiring. Last night we began a creative session at 9:45pm and when we were too tired to go on at 12:15am, I suggested a little idea of mixing some of the dancers words in sung phrases and they could not help themselves but to go at it. They are a truly amazing team and boundless in ideas and tenacity. I love this way of working – incubating in the oven together.

Questions I ask to myself these days during creative process are: How do I mine something to become uncomfortable? How do I deal with my discomfort? How does the dancer’s discomfort or excitement affect my next choice? How do I fuel it with smell, taste, touch, and an everyday life palette of feelings, exactitude, perseverance and incubated expression? These questions may or may not be transmitted or dealt with, but they linger during my current existence.

I take pleasure in the intuitive and unknown nature of that which can never be exactly repeated. I never feel like I progress, but I feel different each time I create.

Being familiar with Guelph, through many visits and inclusions in the festival, I feel very welcome here. I have a long time friendship and professional relationship with many artists in the community here. I really feel like it is a 2nd home to me artistically and beyond!

Karen Kaeja of Kaeja d’Dance is a 2009 Dora performance nominee. She is included in The Canadian Encyclopedia, The Canadian Who's Who, and Theatre Dance Encyclopedia in Canada and has won performance awards from Moving Pictures, the Paul D. Fleck Fellowship as one of Canada’s innovative artists of excellence, with nominations for the 10th Annual American Choreography Awards and the 2006 Banff World Television Awards. Noted in NOW magazine as “one of the country’s best dance artists”, her career as a performer, teacher, and creator spans ten countries and exceeds 17 internationally award-winning dance films at over 400 festivals.

On Thursday, March 8^th, 2012, and in celebration of International Women’s Day, the Guelph Fab 5 is proud to present Women’s Voices. This fabulous event will take place at 7pm at John F. Ross, E.L. Fox Auditorium, 21 Meyer Drive, Guelph. Tickets can be purchased at the door and all proceeds will go to Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis. After the show, we invite you to join us for a reception.