Cedar Lake’s The Copier: Behind the Scenes, Part 3
August 15, 2008
Cedar Lake dancers rehearsing Jill Johnson’s The Copier
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet opened its doors yesterday afternoon to allow passers-by to watch the last hour of rehearsal for Jill Johnson’s upcoming installation, The Copier. Some people stopped for just a few moments to peek in to the spacious theater. Others seemed intrigued by the dancers – working in unison or on their own – spread out over the T-shaped stage, and decided to stay for a while. I enjoyed watching the dancers morph from small clusters with intertwined limbs and the occasional tossing of a dancer overhead, to solos that wandered off of the stage, to ensemble movement that covered the entire surface of the T. The music, composed by David Poe, started and stopped several times as Jill offered suggestions and reviewed different sections of the installation. It was a laid-back, informal event that provided an opportunity for viewers to see the bare bones of the installation, without costumes and lighting. As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, Jill and the dancers seem comfortable working with one another and incredibly open-minded. I’ve gotten the sense that the two-week rehearsal period and creative process have been positive and productive for both Jill and Cedar Lake.
I have included several photos that I took at the rehearsal. Almost all of them are blurry, as it was challenging to photograph the constantly-moving dancers. But they’ll give you an idea of what some of the movement and formations look like for The Copier.
Don’t forget to order tickets for The Copier, which will be performed August 20-23. And to get a special discount for blog readers, enter “BLOGCP” where it says “discount code”.
Jill (in blue shirt) demonstrates a floor movement
Cedar Lake’s The Copier: Behind the Scenes, Part 2
August 13, 2008
Cedar Lake dancers rehearsing Jill Johnson’s The Copier
Yesterday afternoon I stopped by Cedar Lake‘s theater to catch the end of rehearsal for Jill Johnson’s upcoming installation, The Copier. The dancers were working in the theater, and the stage was now set up in a T shape with plenty of room around the perimeter for the audience to observe the installation from different vantage points. Although the dancers might step off of the stage during the installation (as they did in rehearsal), the set-up clearly indicates where the dancers will be performing and where the audience will be watching. What if the audience walked onto the T-stage to interact with the dancers? I’m tempted to try this, but is this really “allowed” or is it overstepping the audience-dancer boundary? Since we’re all copiers, if one person does it, I have a feeling others will follow.
Jill Johnson working with the dancers
While observing the dancers, I was amazed by how much the piece had progressed since the first rehearsal. The initial task-oriented exercises had developed into longer, more complex phrases of movement to David Poe‘s beautifully rhythmic composition. It was interesting to see how a group of four dancers, who had been working together on the first day, incorporated their initial improvisations into a larger, more complex framework.
At times, Jill and the dancers seemed to be speaking a foreign language, communicating with key words or short phrases to signify what part of the choreography they were about to review. At other times, they merely made eye contact to identify an important count in the music for starting or stopping. The fact that Jill and the dancers were able to understand one another and be on the same page through all of this is an indication of how immersed they are in the creative process. It also made me aware of how disconnected I was (and am) from the process. An audience usually just sees a finished product, and their connection to and understanding of the work is therefore solely based on that experience. Dancers and the choreographer – Cedar Lake and Jill, in this case – have an entire rehearsal process in addition to performances to build and contribute to a piece, and eventually form a connection to it. I’ve been lucky enough to peek into some of Cedar Lake’s rehearsals and observe the process, and this will undoubtedly enhance my experience while observing the installation next week. However, I’m realizing that even a few glimpses do not allow me – or any viewer – to absorb and connect to the piece the way that Jill and the dancers do. I can certainly appreciate rehearsals (and I’m fascinated by the evolution of a work), but unless an individual is immersed in the creative process as a dancer or choreographer, it can feel like an unknown world.
Cedar Lake’s The Copier: The Audience’s Role
August 7, 2008
There’s a discussion going on at The Kinetic Interface of Great Dance about the audience’s role and participation in Cedar Lake’s upcoming installation The Copier, choreographed by Jill Johnson. Doug states in his post that he would like to be involved in a more physical way, and thinks the installation could be an opportunity for community dance. Perhaps it could, but this depends entirely on Jill’s vision. Because she is closely collaborating with the dancers – and gave them various tasks during the first rehearsal as a starting point for exploring movement possibilities – I have a feeling that Jill’s vision for the installation is evolving. If this is the case, incorporating the audience in a physical way might be challenging.
Interacting with dancers on intellectual and emotional levels - selecting what to observe, deciding how and when to shift around the space, processing what is being conveyed, and reflecting on how it makes you feel - can be just as significant and meaningful. As I mentioned in my comment on Doug’s post, this type of involvement is more individualized and internal, and therefore not as visible to an observer. My recent quotation of the day about defining choreography, which came from Jill Sigman and the jillsigman/thinkdance blog, seems particularly relevant. Sigman says:
“It is not about how my foot is pointed or my arm is curved. It is about what invisible thing we can make happen together. We claim the space, like reclaimed land, and make something happen in it.”
To me, the most striking word is “invisible”, suggesting that an individual’s contribution to a dance – particularly to an interactive installation – doesn’t have to be physical and immediately noticeable to others. The audience’s participation in and contribution to The Copier might be more intellectual than physical (although there will undoubtedly be physical interaction as the audience and dancers move around one another, and as individuals copy others), but they’re still altering the energy in the space and engaging in a proactive way. It’s a different, less visible form of participating in a performance, but equally satisfying.
You can be a part of The Copier between August 20th and 23rd by ordering tickets here. For a special blog reader discount, enter “BLOGCP” where it says “discount code”.
Cedar Lake’s The Copier: Behind the Scenes, Part 1
August 5, 2008
Jill Johnson (left) observes the Cedar Lake dancers, photo by Evan
August 4, 2008
The studio was silent on Monday afternoon as four clusters of Cedar Lake dancers were weaving their arms together, paying attention to the way their wrists, elbows, and shoulders folded into or retracted out of the others. The complexity of the movement and resulting image would come from the layering of the limbs. “Don’t move until you’re moved”, instructed Jill Johnson, the Canadian choreographer of Cedar Lake’s upcoming installation The Copier. “Think of all sides of your arm, not just the inside and outside.” This exercise, which later Jill told me was informally called “spider-hands”, was one of several tasks that she gave the dancers on the first day of rehearsal. She walked around and offered suggestions, immersing herself in the process by being hands-on as well as clearly articulating her ideas. The dancers were focused and diligent, but occasionally erupted into laughter, which explains the type of relationship they have with each other and with Jill. They can have a laugh while collaborating and building something together. Everyone seemed extremely comfortable working with Jill, and she with them, suggesting how open the dancers are to taking on new ideas. As Jill pointed out, “They’re committed, talented, and cohesive”.
Jill watches a trio of dancers
The Copier is Jill’s first installation for Cedar Lake, but she’s been following the company for several years and has a great deal of respect for their vision (“Cedar Lake rocks!”). Her inspiration for The Copier stems from “a beautiful, quasi waltz” composed by David Poe that is based on the sound of a computer printer. In spite of the jarring sounds of cell phones and copy machines, the orchestration is wonderfully rhythmical, utilizing “digital chaos” in an unexpected, less recognizable way. Poe’s composition triggered ideas for Jill about doing a waltz, and she started thinking about how all people copy – standing in lines, forwarding emails, following trends – and how the dancers could construct this. Yet, even dancing is based on copying. “We learn dance by rote. You watch someone do it and you copy them until you embody it,” explained Jill. So I was curious about how originality would be incorporated into The Copier. The creative and choreographic process is collaborative, allowing each dancer to bring unique ideas to the table. Additionally, the installation is an interactive piece between the audience and the dancers. Without a defined boundary between stage and seats, the audience – collectively and individually – will become part of the composition, resulting in a slightly different performance each time. “I’m curious to see how the public will circulate. Hopefully I’ve designed a space where people will do that.”
Although Jill keeps the audience in mind while choreographing The Copier, she doesn’t cater to what she thinks they’ll like. Rather, her hope is that the dancers will “legibly convey their ideas” so that the audience will recognize that they – the dancers and themselves – are copiers. “If the public understands, then they want to come back, and that’s curating the art form”, as opposed to making it exclusive. Jill is quick to say that “there’s nothing that the public has to get”, and she and I agreed that it’s unfortunate when people leave a theater shaking their heads and saying, “I didn’t get it.” Cedar Lake’s installation series is exceptional because it invites audiences to watch dance with a fresh, engaging approach where they can choose how they are a part of the experience, and don’t need to be concerned about “getting” the dance. The company is cultivating a new kind of audience, one that doesn’t come to the theater with entertainment alone as an expectation. For Jill, an installation is “another kind of performance”, where the audience and dancers meet somewhere in the middle. The next two weeks of rehearsals for The Copier will be intense, but Jill is looking forward to collaborating with the dancers as they create the installation. “This is the kind of creative process I like a lot – that I prefer”, she said. I told her that I was eager to watch how The Copier evolves and progresses between now and August 20th. “Me too”, she laughed.
A group huddle at the end of rehearsal
Cedar Lake’s The Copier: Behind the Scenes
August 5, 2008
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet appeared on my radar screen after the company reached out to dance bloggers during their 2008 winter season. I was immediately impressed by the dancers, the diverse repertoire, and the welcoming staff. Since then, I’ve returned to Cedar Lake for several other performances, including the company’s Glassy Essence installation, a performance of Ohad Naharin’s Decadance, and their spring season this past June.
Over the next two weeks, I’ll be stopping by their amazing Chelsea space to watch rehearsals and track the process and progress of The Copier, a new installation choreographed by Jill Johnson. And I’ll be sharing all of my discoveries, photos, and conversations with Jill and the dancers here on the blog. The Copier will be performed August 20-23 (ticket information is here) with two performances daily, and promises to be an exciting addition to Cedar Lake’s installation series. Stay tuned for my initial conversation with Jill and some photos of the dancers during their first rehearsal.
