A) 11:30 - 14:00
B) 15:00 - 17:30
Alex begins the rehearsal by apologizing to the dancers that are left behind. I feel like I have something to do with it. I know he's sorry, I know how hard he finds it. I know that's how it has to be. He tells me later he did read about all this in my blog. I wouldn't want him to have the impression I think less of him because of what happened on Friday. It's actually the opposite. I was astonished by then because I had never assisted in this part of the porcedure, but I learnt that from him. I don't think there's any good way to saying that, everyway is going to be painful. Because it's not about how it's said but what is said. And what is said can't be unsaid because it must be said.
Mmmmm... I understant myself, that's what counts. It'll be my jod to do the big work afterwards, I'll see what I can do.
After this hard part of apologizing for what need no apology, Alex wants to begin the week with a quick run-through. I notice then before doing it he wants to clear up the transitions. I wrote this down on my notebook not really knowing why. I understand now. It's on the transitions that dancers normally get lost. It's easy to remember what you're doing in the middle of the section, but it's more tricky to remember what goes between sections and how to get from one section to another. Oposed to that, if you get lost in a transition, you're lost for the whole piece.
The run-through doesn't go very well. Alex remarks the dancers they're not concentrated and asks them to be. He thinks the movements are alright, but they are not MENTALLY there. I could tell. There was no tension, there was no seduction. He wants them to start working as a team and have the right amount of concentration so that the teaming concentration does not drop. Also, by looking at the run-trhough, Alex realizes what the piece needs, so he's going to extend the first part (the clicking one) until it gets into a climax, otherwise, it moves to easily from one thing to another without really developping anything.
On the second part of the reharsal he puts up a new begining and moves on with the clicking. I realize he doesn't get tired of trying things. He wants to see everything. Even sometimes he asks for something he knows it's not going to work just to see it not working. This is a good quality because seeing everything allows him to be more judgemental. Another quality is he tries to do everything he asks the dancers by himself, to see how it fits on the body.
I find him as a very good orchestra director, which turns out funny. I'm tired today, I'm not funny at all.
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta rehearsal. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta rehearsal. Mostrar todas las entradas
lunes, 9 de febrero de 2009
viernes, 6 de febrero de 2009
Fifht rehearsal, Part B, just a little bit.
14:15 - 17:00
Alex had to leave at 1500 because he's going back to Stockholm for the weekend, so there's not alot a time. There's a cuddly cat on stage, and the dancers go over what was composed in the morning. Looks likt the begining of the piece is finally settled. When Alexander leaves Marthe goes over everything with the dancers.
Alex had to leave at 1500 because he's going back to Stockholm for the weekend, so there's not alot a time. There's a cuddly cat on stage, and the dancers go over what was composed in the morning. Looks likt the begining of the piece is finally settled. When Alexander leaves Marthe goes over everything with the dancers.
Fifth rehearsal, Part A, choosing chooses.
11:15 - 13:30
All the dancers brought something black and smart this morning, and we went through everyone to make sure the dress code matched. Girls on high hills, boys on tap shoes? We'll see about that. After looking over the dresses Alex proposes an improvisation exercise. He wants this improvisation to become some kind of a therapy on this weird and rainy day. I think it allows him to get to know the dancers a little better.
The weirdness of the day gets into the rehearsal after this improvisation where Emilie stands out high upon the rest. Alex announces he's going to work with sixteen people, calls out the names and begins with the real rehearsal. Actually I think today it's the first time I've heard him using the word rehearsal. I feel everyone gets uncomfortable. The girls that are left behind don't feel very good, this whole situation looks kind of out of the blue.
I had still never seen Alex like that. He has changed his temper. He looks serious. He doesn't stop asking for concentration and absolutely wants the dancers to get it right. No more fooling around. He makes what supposably is going to be the final composition. We begin with the clicking of the fingers and he composes with everything we have worked on. It looks better. It's starting to look like a real show.
I feel like there's something wrong. I feel like an explanation should be given to the left behind girls. I feel like they should have a reason why not to leave the rehearsal and go home. I understand I am not used to this kind of thing, maybe this is how it works, but it made me feel bad, it made me feel sorry for them.
All the dancers brought something black and smart this morning, and we went through everyone to make sure the dress code matched. Girls on high hills, boys on tap shoes? We'll see about that. After looking over the dresses Alex proposes an improvisation exercise. He wants this improvisation to become some kind of a therapy on this weird and rainy day. I think it allows him to get to know the dancers a little better.
The weirdness of the day gets into the rehearsal after this improvisation where Emilie stands out high upon the rest. Alex announces he's going to work with sixteen people, calls out the names and begins with the real rehearsal. Actually I think today it's the first time I've heard him using the word rehearsal. I feel everyone gets uncomfortable. The girls that are left behind don't feel very good, this whole situation looks kind of out of the blue.
I had still never seen Alex like that. He has changed his temper. He looks serious. He doesn't stop asking for concentration and absolutely wants the dancers to get it right. No more fooling around. He makes what supposably is going to be the final composition. We begin with the clicking of the fingers and he composes with everything we have worked on. It looks better. It's starting to look like a real show.
I feel like there's something wrong. I feel like an explanation should be given to the left behind girls. I feel like they should have a reason why not to leave the rehearsal and go home. I understand I am not used to this kind of thing, maybe this is how it works, but it made me feel bad, it made me feel sorry for them.
jueves, 5 de febrero de 2009
Fourth rehearsal, moving forward.
13:45-17:15
We continue with the sentence that we created yesterday; go over it a couple of times and make sure of the counts. I eralize Alex works alot on the music. He is creating a chaos exactly on the counts where music gets chaotic. He then creates a moving, kind of sexual, kind of last-supper, painting.
To move on with the movement sentence, Alex quickly uses the bits of movement he has previously created with all the crowd. He puts the moves in one place or another, back and forth. He also works on the spacing and on the quality of the sentence. Therefore he asks the dancers to repeat the sentence faster, slower, smaller or tighter to be sure of the way he wants it.
We continue with the sentence that we created yesterday; go over it a couple of times and make sure of the counts. I eralize Alex works alot on the music. He is creating a chaos exactly on the counts where music gets chaotic. He then creates a moving, kind of sexual, kind of last-supper, painting.
To move on with the movement sentence, Alex quickly uses the bits of movement he has previously created with all the crowd. He puts the moves in one place or another, back and forth. He also works on the spacing and on the quality of the sentence. Therefore he asks the dancers to repeat the sentence faster, slower, smaller or tighter to be sure of the way he wants it.
miércoles, 4 de febrero de 2009
Third rehearsal, part B, Going X-rated.
15:30-18:30
After going over all the work, everyone is pretty tired. Everyone feels like they can't click their fingers again, nor do the same movements again, nor breathe in syncrony again. Alex feels that so he makes everyone face the mirror to 'make up a phrase just for fun'. He really has fun. I was sitting there wondering, could I get up and dance with them? I am so stupidly shy I couldn't do it. Now all I can do is regret I didn't, and feel more and more stupid.
Anyway, the phrase looks good, and once again I notice Alexander is very malleable towards his work. He picks up a movement, then looks at the crowd, picks up movements from them, then changes the music, then drops the first part of the sentence, then drops it all and the dancers end up literaly having sex on stage in the most grotesque kind of way.
I'm amazed. What I would really like to learn about him, is this nice possibility of going much more further away than where he started. And the possibility of not feeling sorry about everything he likes but drops on the way there. I supose that's why his favourite word was happiness whilst mine is melancholy. I can't seem to drop things on my way, I always have to keep a tiny souvenir.
After going over all the work, everyone is pretty tired. Everyone feels like they can't click their fingers again, nor do the same movements again, nor breathe in syncrony again. Alex feels that so he makes everyone face the mirror to 'make up a phrase just for fun'. He really has fun. I was sitting there wondering, could I get up and dance with them? I am so stupidly shy I couldn't do it. Now all I can do is regret I didn't, and feel more and more stupid.
Anyway, the phrase looks good, and once again I notice Alexander is very malleable towards his work. He picks up a movement, then looks at the crowd, picks up movements from them, then changes the music, then drops the first part of the sentence, then drops it all and the dancers end up literaly having sex on stage in the most grotesque kind of way.
I'm amazed. What I would really like to learn about him, is this nice possibility of going much more further away than where he started. And the possibility of not feeling sorry about everything he likes but drops on the way there. I supose that's why his favourite word was happiness whilst mine is melancholy. I can't seem to drop things on my way, I always have to keep a tiny souvenir.
Third rehearsal, part A, Going political.
12:15-14:00
Alexander gives homework to the dancers. He wants them to think about the kind of songs they really like and analyze why they like it. What is the beat these songs have that makes them feel comfortable and like them. He also wants them to think of very popular songs that everybody knows just by listening to their beat, kind of like 'Stand by me' or 'Billy Jean'.
After this bit of a talking we go through everything that is already chorographed by now. Starting on the clicking he tries to find an entrace to it, and asks the dancers to move together kind of like a massive snake. I want to quote Marthe today: 'When there's many people together, you all become one, so you don't have to be overproductive, otherwise it's a mess.'
The clicking rhythms are very difficult, but they are begining to look good. Alex comes up with the famous sentence 'Yes we can' to encourage the dancers. By the look on his face, I really think he's considering the option of using this. Isn't it fun to go political in this non-political kind of way? I think so.
Alexander gives homework to the dancers. He wants them to think about the kind of songs they really like and analyze why they like it. What is the beat these songs have that makes them feel comfortable and like them. He also wants them to think of very popular songs that everybody knows just by listening to their beat, kind of like 'Stand by me' or 'Billy Jean'.
After this bit of a talking we go through everything that is already chorographed by now. Starting on the clicking he tries to find an entrace to it, and asks the dancers to move together kind of like a massive snake. I want to quote Marthe today: 'When there's many people together, you all become one, so you don't have to be overproductive, otherwise it's a mess.'
The clicking rhythms are very difficult, but they are begining to look good. Alex comes up with the famous sentence 'Yes we can' to encourage the dancers. By the look on his face, I really think he's considering the option of using this. Isn't it fun to go political in this non-political kind of way? I think so.
martes, 3 de febrero de 2009
Second rehearsal, 'fosse'-ing.
13:45 - 17:15
Tuesday begins with something brand new. We put aside what we worked on Monday and start working on creating rhythms bi clicking fingers together. It astonishes me how something so simple can become so interesting. He has thought of some rhythms himself and starts the rehearsal by asking the company to do the same thing, while he works with Marthe.
The simplicity of clicking fingers takes me to the reminiscense of Broadway dancing but also the complexity of castañuelas played back home. Alex tries not to go anything like it. I mean he refuses anything that is 'too musical' or 'too flamenco'. That's waht makes it all interesting. The clicking approaches it, but it doesn't become it, and it doesn't become a parody of it either. I learn it is important to realize what you may sound like and try to avoid it, because you're already sounding like it without even trying, and when you try to, it becomes hideous and without any interest. It's kind of like what I said yesterday about trying to 'make funny'.
I'm amazed on the facility he has to compose, I have never seen anything like this in my whole life. In just a second I fins myself in front of a perfectly ordered formation of 23 dancers clicking their fingers at the unison. With the same hability he divides them into different groups and in a minute he has assigned everybody different rhythms and movements that in fact create music and a complex spacial dance.
We work a lot on going over the rhythms. I find out Alexander is very good at analysing his work. He knows when something is good and when something is not that good. He knows if it's coming too fast or too slow, so he's good at making the right changes to improve what he's doing. What I mean here is that he doesn't throw away what he's done but he finds out the way to make the small changes that are gonna make it work.
Marthe leaves and it's late and we're all pretty tired for all the clicking, so Alexander proposes some exercises to the company to make them loose their embarrassement. We all have a pretty good time. It's also a good way to get to know the dancers. I find myself realizing that some dancers I had almost not noticed are pretty good, and get most of my attention.
Tuesday begins with something brand new. We put aside what we worked on Monday and start working on creating rhythms bi clicking fingers together. It astonishes me how something so simple can become so interesting. He has thought of some rhythms himself and starts the rehearsal by asking the company to do the same thing, while he works with Marthe.
The simplicity of clicking fingers takes me to the reminiscense of Broadway dancing but also the complexity of castañuelas played back home. Alex tries not to go anything like it. I mean he refuses anything that is 'too musical' or 'too flamenco'. That's waht makes it all interesting. The clicking approaches it, but it doesn't become it, and it doesn't become a parody of it either. I learn it is important to realize what you may sound like and try to avoid it, because you're already sounding like it without even trying, and when you try to, it becomes hideous and without any interest. It's kind of like what I said yesterday about trying to 'make funny'.
I'm amazed on the facility he has to compose, I have never seen anything like this in my whole life. In just a second I fins myself in front of a perfectly ordered formation of 23 dancers clicking their fingers at the unison. With the same hability he divides them into different groups and in a minute he has assigned everybody different rhythms and movements that in fact create music and a complex spacial dance.
We work a lot on going over the rhythms. I find out Alexander is very good at analysing his work. He knows when something is good and when something is not that good. He knows if it's coming too fast or too slow, so he's good at making the right changes to improve what he's doing. What I mean here is that he doesn't throw away what he's done but he finds out the way to make the small changes that are gonna make it work.
Marthe leaves and it's late and we're all pretty tired for all the clicking, so Alexander proposes some exercises to the company to make them loose their embarrassement. We all have a pretty good time. It's also a good way to get to know the dancers. I find myself realizing that some dancers I had almost not noticed are pretty good, and get most of my attention.
lunes, 2 de febrero de 2009
First rehearsal, electrelane.
13:45-17:15.
I have troubles finding the school so they're already working when I get there. The dancers are showing Alexander a bit of a piece Marthe, who is an incredibly beautiful woman, taught them before our arrival. What I first notice about Alex is his concern about every little detail. He stops the rehearsal every now and then to ask the dancers to be more 'into it', to focus on their eyes, to look at something every time they move their heads from one side to the other.
The piece consists of little movements made by duets on a phrase that keeps growing everytime it begins. He thinks it's very important to be exact on each movement, otherwise it looses it sense. He asks the dancers to freeze on the precise positions they're suposed to, so he's emphasizing on the fact that every movement doesn't only have a begining but it also has an end, and sometimes the ending of the movement can be even more important than how it begins.
I loved it when he said (and I'm quoting): 'In general, you have to work on being relaxed; try to find a flow on the preciseness'. I find Alexander a very good director to be under the orders of. He substitutes his warm and quiet tone for an excited and enthusiastic one, and he reminds the dancers every correction he has made before doing it all over again.
I remember yesterday we talked about making funny pieces and how it can be more difficult than making a tragic one. This comes out on the rehearsal again. He asks the dancers to believe in his work, to believe on the stupid things that he does, because if they try to go funny, the work becomes overacted, and looses it spirit.
They then continue with another bit of the piece that consists of the dancers making a lot of sound when they breathe, creating rhythms and movements with it. It's absolutely impressive. It makes me feel kind of dizzy while I'm not even doing it! Again he insists on the precision of each breath and the movement that goes along with it. He is very concerned that the movements are not very 'choreographed', so he asks the dancers to do them on their own way.
After going over this two pieces he brings up something new. He teaches them a weird way of running. He's fast. In two minutes he has the 20 dancers that showed up today runing orderly back and forth across the stage on the track of 'Eight Steps' by Electrelane.
I have troubles finding the school so they're already working when I get there. The dancers are showing Alexander a bit of a piece Marthe, who is an incredibly beautiful woman, taught them before our arrival. What I first notice about Alex is his concern about every little detail. He stops the rehearsal every now and then to ask the dancers to be more 'into it', to focus on their eyes, to look at something every time they move their heads from one side to the other.
The piece consists of little movements made by duets on a phrase that keeps growing everytime it begins. He thinks it's very important to be exact on each movement, otherwise it looses it sense. He asks the dancers to freeze on the precise positions they're suposed to, so he's emphasizing on the fact that every movement doesn't only have a begining but it also has an end, and sometimes the ending of the movement can be even more important than how it begins.
I loved it when he said (and I'm quoting): 'In general, you have to work on being relaxed; try to find a flow on the preciseness'. I find Alexander a very good director to be under the orders of. He substitutes his warm and quiet tone for an excited and enthusiastic one, and he reminds the dancers every correction he has made before doing it all over again.
I remember yesterday we talked about making funny pieces and how it can be more difficult than making a tragic one. This comes out on the rehearsal again. He asks the dancers to believe in his work, to believe on the stupid things that he does, because if they try to go funny, the work becomes overacted, and looses it spirit.
They then continue with another bit of the piece that consists of the dancers making a lot of sound when they breathe, creating rhythms and movements with it. It's absolutely impressive. It makes me feel kind of dizzy while I'm not even doing it! Again he insists on the precision of each breath and the movement that goes along with it. He is very concerned that the movements are not very 'choreographed', so he asks the dancers to do them on their own way.
After going over this two pieces he brings up something new. He teaches them a weird way of running. He's fast. In two minutes he has the 20 dancers that showed up today runing orderly back and forth across the stage on the track of 'Eight Steps' by Electrelane.
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