Scott's Reflections, Week 2, 6-10 July

I feel like the second week of my rehearsal period was concerned with putting into form, many of the materials we had been researching the first week. As ever, there seemed to be a riddle about how to get back into the content of the research work, and put this into repeatable forms. I often feel that getting swept up in the vibe of action/behavior, is the more interesting aspect of the product, and that the shapes of the behaviors/actions, are sort of by products or consequences of something more primary (or interesting to me anyway). I understand that this can be slippery for the purposes of choreography or repetition. ( Repetition, the French word for rehearsal).In my experiance, some things change, and some stay the same. What does one address, if not shape and duration or other quantifiable properties? Tempo, tone, etc.. Is the foot pointed or flexed? Or relaxed... New dance in my experience, often has no set syllabus, and needs its materials identified as such, in order to find a beginning point or palette from which to work.

We have been trying on several versions of text, some of which are amalgams of as many as four writers contributions by now. I am sensing a need to start back at a beginning concerning text and language. Or another doorway or approach anyway. I am thinking more and more, that the texts might not need to relate to me personally, but would reflect larger or more general concerns, Or at the least, multiple concerns or thoughts of the multiple writers. Cut ups (by way of Burroughs) have come to mind.

One thing that seems consistent for me, are the acts of accompaniment for action, with sound. This seems to give me something tangible to focus on or practice. Making sound as other people act. It seems less abstract to me than movement propositions. Dancing as such, is feeling very abstract and removed from an actual environment. On that note, its been very helpful for me to have PK in the rehearsal space this week, as there is someone else to respond to, or perceive in the space with me. As an added bonus, PK has brought a ukulele with her. Stringed instruments are right up there with puppy's at the top of a list of good things for me to involve with. Now, if someone would only show up with a puppy or two, I would be all set...

Wendy came for a day, and shook up the approach to text by suggesting we only speak the vowel sounds of the words and such. It was good to have the language ruptured, I felt.