How do I find inspiration for my work? Where do I begin? What is the subject matter? These are the questions (and many others) I face at the start of all of my choreographic projects. Like most artists, I find inspiration from other works of art, nature, poetry, music, people, world/community events or news, stories, etc. The list could go on. As I embark on my newest project, a short dance film about “time,” I decided to sit in the space where it will be filmed – seemed like a perfect place to start. I plugged into my earbuds with a few songs that I am considering using and took in my surroundings.
To begin, I wanted to consider the audience’s perspective. What will the camera capture? I took notes on what angles would be the most interesting and engaging. The space lends to so many options. In considering time from two realms of existence – linear (with a start and end point) and continuous (circular) – I found these characteristics in the architecture around me. In considering movement choices, quality, and dynamics – the space and subject matter of “time” inspire moments of repetition, change of pace, level, and direction as well as playing with retrograde and creative timing through video editing. In terms of music, sitting and moving in the space helped me realize what pieces worked and what pieces did not. Now the question that has presented itself is…should there be music or simply sound? I am working with Keep St. Pete Lit poet, Maureen McDole for this film and I know the answer will come as I develop the movement and find inspiration from her words.
The majority of my movement development will be in the studio but I will continue to visit the space to ensure that the intention and authenticity does not get lost. I love the process of expermentation and witnessing the journey. I can’t wait to see what unfolds!
