Tag: experiences

Summer Creative

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For the past few weeks myself and two colleagues have been in the process of making a work about our experience of being black women. We have been interested in experimenting through movement our black female identity.  During this past semester we took a course called Black Dance Continuum, which considers the black continuum in American dance as it has developed in the United States from the antebellum era to the present. During the course, we noticed the absence of black female choreographers and their stories in the history of black dance. So this summer we have come together to add our experiences to the continuum of black dance. A poem by Danielle Horton, Letter To My Future Daughter, have been words that have guided this process. The link to the poem is below.

Letter to My Future Daughter…

By the end of the summer we hope to complete this process with a video presentation. Here is a first little draft of the process within the studio.

 

‘No matter how far a person can go, the horizon is still way beyond you’ – Zora Neale Hurston

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The end of my first year of graduate school has come to an end and I’m reflecting on the experiences these last ten months have brought me. I began this journey unsure of myself, my abilities, and my place in graduate school. Transitioning from an undergraduate program to a graduate program was a hard shift, but doubts surrounding my age and professional experiences took a tool on me mentally. Luckily, I was blessed with a cohort that was supportive, and we helped each other through this transition into graduate school. Over this first year I’ve accomplished so much and gained confidence in my artistic practice, and gained lifelong friends.

One major hurdle I’ve overcome this year is my fear of public speaking. Unlike undergraduate classes, most classes are discussion based and require verbal interactions. For me, this format was equivalent to me hanging from a cliff by my finger tips. I felt so exposed and vulnerable every class. I was also nervous when it came to discussing theorist such as Foucault, Butler, and Lepecki (still don’t entirely understand it really). But as the semesters progressed and I became more IMG_0181comfortable with the class structure, it was easier to engage in conversation. Along with learning to extract the information that is important and relevant to my interests rather than trying to understand Phenomenology in one week. Along with participating in class discussion, we were required to present creative projects which I enjoyed, but also I had to lead the lecture which I absolutely didn’t enjoy before I experienced it. When preparing to lead the lecture I realized I had knowledge and a unique perspective that I could bring to the material. This assurance in myself allowed me to lead both lectures with confidence (and even get a job well done from my professor!). Having these moments to lead and put my ideas in the forefront assisted me when I was a panelist at the International Association of Blacks in dance conference. When myself and fellow colleagues spoke about our insight into graduate school as black women, I wasn’t nervous at all. Reflecting back, I’m appreciative of the times I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone over the course of this first year. Without that guidance, I wouldn’t have been able to develop my voice in or beyond the classroom.

Over the course of this year I’ve had the opportunity to perform, make, and collaborate with some awesome humans. I began the year in a work made by Crystal Michelle Perkins, Lush Departures, which challenged me physically and mentally the entire process. Working with her reinforced my interest in community building within the making process, as well as my love for rigorous big dancing. My participation in this work led me to be rehearsal director for the excerpt of the work performed at the International Association of Blacks in dance as well as working closely with Crystal (SHE IS GOALS). I was also able to perform a collaborative study from a composition class in the Winter Concert. As well as collaborating with two 2nd year MFA students beginning the process of their thesis projects. My year has been jammed packed, but I’ve enjoyed every opportunity to work creatively with professors and fellow graduate students(also helps me think about what my project may be, yikes!)

With the knowledge I’ve gained in the many facets of this graduate school journey I’ve begun to think more deeply about my research interests. I began my first year heavily focused on the Harlem Renaissance, but now I’m thinking more about the black women/artist place in society and dance. I recently wrote a paper, Reclaiming, Restoring, Reimagining: Cardi B, which was centered around the hyper sexualization of black female bodies in popular culture. I argued that Cardi B uses her body in performance, specifically her music video Money, as a site of personal agency, reclamation of sexuality, and the evolution of black female bodies in popular culture. While writing this paper I realized my passion for the black women, her story, and the ways in which she portrays herself creatively.

As I continue these next two years of graduate school I’m excited to continue to transform as a human and artists. This first year alone has shown me that there are no limits to my success, and I dictate my future. With the next year of grad school new challenges will appear such as project proposals, funding, and just general stress of life. However, being able to see the progress I’v already made, and having the support of faculty, my cohort family, friends, and my partner, the possibilities are limitless.

IABD EXPERIENCE

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The last week of January I was fortunate to the attend the International Association of Blacks in Dance conference in Dayton, Ohio. The conference consisted of masterclasses, panel discussions, and performances ranging from middle school students to professional companies. Myself and three of my colleagues presented a panel called ‘Schoolin’ Life,’ a discussion about navigating Graduate School at predominately white institutions (PWI). We each spoke about our individual research goals and past and present projects. Individuals in the audience asked us questions allowing us to share our personal encounters to give context to the life of Black Graduate students at a PWI. I was grateful to be able to share and give advice to people of color who want to join the community of Black scholars.

Also while attending the conference myself and several BFA students performed in the collegiate concert. It was exciting to be dancing for a theatre full of people supporting and cheering you on the entire piece. This performance opportunity was also a chance for me to be the rehearsal director for the work, while also creating a deeper sense of community between myself and the undergraduate students.

Overall, attending IABD filled me mentally, spiritually, and physically. Interacting, networking, and performing with my Black family in dance encouraged and strengthened my love for this beautiful art form. I’m excited to visit this conference for many years to come.

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I , Too, Sing America: The Harlem Renaissance at 100

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Today my best friend and I visited the Columbus Museum of Art to view the special exhibition on the Harlem Renaissance. I myself was super excited because of my extreme interest in this specific time period and the hope and development it created for Black people after the Civil War. The name of the exhibit ” I, Too, Sing America” is from the opening line of a Langston Hughes poem I, Too. In this poem he announces the place of himself and Black Americans as citizens and creative people in this country. The exhibit itself navigates the creative activities that began in Harlem and spread across the United States in the coming years. The exhibit also focuses on Columbus specifically during the Harlem Renaissance and how that artistic movement in the north influenced the mid-western creative scene.

During my visit I came across some valuable books, artists, and activists that will assist in the development of my MFA project. I’ve been filled with so many ideas and I’m looking forward to my continued research into this beautiful time for the Black American. Here are some highlights of my trip! Enjoy!

P.S. THE MUSEUM HAS FREE ADMISSION EVERY SUNDAY!

https://www.columbusmuseum.org

 

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Local Dance Showcase

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Last night I had the pleasure of attending a lecture/performance demonstration at the Lincoln Theatre. Assistant Professors Crystal Michelle Perkins and Dr. Nyama McCarthy-Brown gave us an inside look into their research areas and the influences of identity, life experiences, spirituality, community involvement, and race interact with their creative and scholarship practices. The night began with both women performing a small duet together. Seeing them both perform in their movement styles allowed me to see a new layer of them that isn’t always seen in the classroom/studio setting. Both women moved with grace and drew me into the intimate duet.

After the duet finished Dr. McCarthy-Brown showed a small video about the creative work she does with her son that speaks to the themes of being a single Black mother raising a Black son. Her work focuses closely on her relationship with her son and the exploration his life growing up as a Black man in America. The scholarship side of Dr. McCarthy-Brown’s research is about inclusive pedagogy for a diverse world. She read an excerpt from her book speaking to the personal experiences she faced in the dance studio and how they shaped her outlook to learning dance. I thoroughly enjoyed how open and vulnerable she made herself in order to speak on these topics. In my opinion, someone showing that they have dealt with certain problems makes it easier for others to connect with them. Dr. McCarthy-Brown allowed us into her life experiences and creative process so we could understand the intentions and meanings behind her research.

IMG_2820Next Professor Perkins presented two excerpts of choreographic work she created for Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Along with video presentations of the work, she had two company members demonstrate some of the movement to give us background information on specific gestures, hand positions, and musical choices. I’ve been working with Professor Perkins this semester for the 50th Anniversary Dance Concert at The Ohio State University, so we’ve conversed about some of the African diaspora influences in her work. However, being able to see the physical representations of it through the company members and the films shown I was able to clearly see those references and how they all work together.

Overall, I enjoyed attending this lecture/performance demonstration. This showcase allowed me to visually see the creative and academic work that my professors are making. This experience has built upon my idea of research and all the possibilities within it. Research isn’t just limited to academic writing, it involves choreographic works, film-making, community outreach, and so much more. The many choices and paths that can be taken in the world of dance makes me love it even the more.

 

The Shop

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Over fall break I caught up on my television shows and came across, The Shop. Collaborating with HBO Sports, LeBron James and Maverick Carter curate conversation with some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment about cultural issues. While watching the show I was filled with pride and hope for the future of Black people. I enjoyed seeing the gathering of individuals who influence and impact America coming together discussing the issues. The guests on the show are athletes, rappers, and comedians, so their conversations deal with the trials they face in their respective fields. The ShopThe underlying themes of identity and community were prevalent throughout each episode. The barbershop in the Black community is a place of comfort and sanctuary to speak whatever the heart desires. This show created a safe space and I connected with that idea. As an artist I want to facilitate spaces of vulnerability that are welcoming to a plethora of ideas and issues that can be discussed.  This show was a pleasure to watch and I can’t wait for the upcoming episodes.

 

 

 

Untamed Space: Renegade Performance Group

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IMG_2775The performance of Untamed Space by Renegade Performance Group was a melting pot of technology, music, movement, and wonder. The melodies and rhythms flowed from the music and was transported into the projections displayed on the scrim and into the bodies of the dancers. Along with responding physically to the music, the dancers created their own sounds becoming instruments themselves. Fusing the technological effects with specific songs related to spirituality and the Black culture, brought the audience into the world of Afrofuturism. The choreography of the show was based upon a series of movements that were used throughout. Pairing specific phrases with music that was complimentary enhanced the reception of the movement, while phrases that were linked to contradictory music allowed for mental contemplation and an acceptance over time. With the bulk of the movement being floor-work and using the technique of physical propulsion, the dancers filled the space and music with electric energy that resonated well after the show is over.

YOU BELONG HERE !

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YouBelongHere

 

In my seminar class our professor Norah made the statement “You Belong Here,” in response to a self-reflection assignment we were tasked to do. My cohort and I collectively  were feeling a little down and unsure of our place here. However, Norah gave us those words and we live by them daily. We randomly greet each other with “You Belong Here,” and we laugh, but it’s also a reminder of our worth to this department. We each have unique qualities and characteristics that make us special and are the reasonings for us being apart of this graduate class. So for anyone that is feeling unsure, unworthy, or doubtful, YOU BELONG HERE!

 

 

Analyzing Movement Excerpt

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In my History, Theory, and Literature of Analyzing Movement Class we were tasked with creating our own definition of choreographic analysis. Here is an excerpt from the paper I wrote.

 

When I began thinking about the definition of choreographic analysis, I had to first reminisce on my own artistic life and experiences. I was immediately transported back to my childhood, creating liturgical dances with my mother in our living room. There was such expression, narrative, and meaning behind the movement that I didn’t notice before.  Once that initial sense of warmth and comfort left me, I began to think more deeply about the word’s choreographic analysis and its relationship to the world and the articles I had read. My provisional definition of choreographic analysis is the process of examining the lineage and meaning behind specific movement choices, to determine points of origin that corelate to a maker’s choreographic voice.

In my opinion, the most crucial portion of a choreographer’s lineage is the technique they work within. According to Marcel Mauss, a French sociologist, technique is “an action which is effective and traditional” (2006, 82). The aspect of tradition is apparent in all codified techniques, pulling inspiration from religion, geography, and culture. This allows for the practice to stay authentic. Now technique is a vital part of a choreographer’s history that is depicted as their language. It speaks to specific choreographic choices that deal with weight shifts, use of space, or even overall themes of the work being created. “Technique, like language, reaches out to meet us, to envelop us, to structure our lives and relationships, and indeed to make life possible, from the moment we are born” (Spatz 2015, 49). Choreography is a physical statement that holds the passions and the voice of the creator within it. The technique allows the movement to speak to the viewers with a vocabulary that is able to be understood, or not.

With the experiences of the choreographer on display, the formation of the habitus is able to be discovered. “A habitus, understood as a system of lasting, transposable dispositions which, integrating past experiences, functions at every moment as a matrix of perceptions, appreciations, and actions and makes possible the achievement of infinitely diversified tasks,” (Bourdieu 1977, 83). A maker pulls inspiration from every aspect of their life and incorporates that into the work they create. This means that depending upon certain training, interactions with other artists, or teaching techniques, there will be a variance in the experiences of those in the same class. Class is dependent upon the shared environment of a group of individuals. This doesn’t necessarily mean these events occurred for each person in the same chronological order; however, they are shared experiences. These qualities bring a diversity of movement, points of view, and aesthetics that make for a unique viewing experience. Having this background information allows for a holistic approach to the choreographer and the corresponding choices they make when creating choreography and analyzing it.