A photo gallery of The Flutter Dance Workshop - is found under my main menu, labelled New Dance Horizons / Flutter Dance.
Notebook entry, Tuesday:
Swoop. Flap. Hover. Soar. Luft. Wobble. Vibrate. Quiver. Press.
Pavlova.
1. Elbows connected: vibrate forearms so fast it blurrrrs. try in front of eyes. behind back.
2. Fast, really fast: faster than a human. Peregrine falcon dive, wings in.
3. Undulating, rippling
4. Shoulder blades lace
5. ....wave
6. Butterfly ripple
7. Hover
8. Delicate legs - damsel fly and dragon fly.
9. Bee tremble
10. Tail flicker
11. Pressing. expanding.
Swan(k) Olors by Jennifer Mascall, 1979: taught the wide arm entry with focus, and a bastardized version of the second position travel, the zigzag fly focus follow, and a version of the neck dive using #2 (peregrine) above.
The Secret Garden pre-tour is a chance for the gardeners and volunteers to see all the gardens while the dancers scope out the places that marry well with their dances. Gardens are particularly lovely to visit at twilight.
A long brisk walk along Woscana Lake and bird sanctuary this afternoon with Robin Poitras - reeds, islands, secret trysts in the bushes, redwinged blackbirds, geese with fluffy goslings. Robin shows me a foot rhythm song on a wooden bridge; we gather feathers for tomorrow's workshop.
Pelicans. Groups of them - long beaks, articulated scudding take-offs - a galumphing, waggling transition into air - finally glimpsed at rest, enfolded into shining white feather packages that lilt on the water under late afternoon cloud.
Robin and Tim took us to the New Dance Horizons Birdhouse exhibit and auction, on display (hosted by Doubletree by Hilton (Broad @ Victoria)!). You can bid on-line here or if you are in the area, swing by. There are some stunners.
http://www.secretgardenstour.ca/bird-house-sale.html
I found it difficult to let go of the Little Tin Bin and Eric Solheim's mid-century modern.... and of course Tien and I couldn't agree.
Here's her pick, inspired by Russian Orthodox church:
And mine:
Black Cloud Birdhouse by Edward Poitras
Bringing to mind this:
1. 6 movements in the right order.
2.
This is a wonderful read about the origins of the above, which is often incorrectly credited to John Cage.
http://www.openculture.com/2014/04/10-rules-for-students-and-teachers-popularized-by-john-cage.html
For the photo gallery of Creative Process go to my main menu, Click on New Dance Horizons.
Photo: Tien Johnson
"Don't like the weather? Wait 5 minutes." They say that here about the huge clouds, endless sky, unimpeded horizon, majestic storms. It was the same with the Creative Process course - we delved, we relished, we hurtled through so many ideas - it was a total weather system. Just as these storms come and go abruptly and without mystery, visible from horizon to horizon, so did our time. Here. Gone.
Dancer: Tanya Dahms
Photo: Tien Johnson
Courtesy of New Dance Horizons
Thanks to the creative process group - you were a remarkably balanced research unit. It was a really gratifying work week. You did pretty well at Mr. Cage's #2. I can't say I managed #3, but we did a lot! (See #9). I look forward to your future exploits. It was salutory to work again with students with whom I have an occasional history spanning sixteen years.
And delightful for me was the presence of my personal project of sixteen years, learning to video and providing still documentation I look forward to seeing. Thank you for your work, Tien Johnson.
Dancer: Natasha Molnar-Fluter
Photo: Tien Johnson
Courtesy of New Dance Horizons
For group members:
1/ I'll be gathering a list of vocab and notions from all of us, and posting it here for reference, so check back.
2/ Contact me via e-mail regarding photos for your personal collection and future use.
Dancer: Carleigh MacDonald
Photo: Tien Johnson
Courtesy of New Dance Horizons
3/ I'm at NDH til July 16th with THE FLUTTER DANCE and New Dance Horizon's annual Secret Gardens Tours . Don't hesitate to get in touch to talk further or look at work together. Contact: susanmakesdances@gmail.com
4/ Please make use the blogpost ahead of this one, the Cunningham studio list, and of 2 previous blogposts: one, a video-interview with choreographer Crystal Pite, and another that parses "stealing".
4/ Download A Choreographer's Handbook, by Jonathan Burrows, or read it on-line, right here.
Dancer: Krista Solheim
Photo: Tien Johnson
Courtesy of New Dance Horizons
5/ As a parting challenge, read this address by Burrows. Some of you will have to research historical references. Try to do that by connecting with people, as well as by Googling. http://www.jonathanburrows.info/#/text/?id=183&t=content.
6/ Please consider Jerome Bel's suggestion that YouTube is Dance's first library, and we just don't know quite what to do with it yet.
6/ Continue moving and making stuff. "There is no win and no fail. There is only make."
7/ See #6-8.
8/ Good luck.
Choreography: Connie Moker Wernikowski
Dancers: Carleigh MacDonald, Natasha Molnar-Fluter
Photo: Tien Johnson
Courtesy of New Dance Horizons
Since 1986, my visits to Regina have without exception been instigated by Robin Poitras and New Dance Horizons. I'll write more here about this, but here and now - thank you, New Dance staff, board and of course Robin. I value this place and the rare facility it provides dance in Canada.
Susan
Unfortunately, this website doesn't support the video format this is in but go watch Crystal Pite talk about making dances.
She's right here:
http://www.eif.co.uk/blog/2016/international-festival-portraits-crystal-pite#.V2CsYVeofzI