The last two weeks have seen me working with Playgrounds Dance Company, the undergraduate company of the University of Northampton. This has been the first phase in creating a new piece to add to the company’s current repertoire (which will be performed for the first time on 28th March – see information below).
As a starting point for movement generation I requested the dancers use the concept of the physical nature of swimming combined with the linear pathway we choose to implement when occupying lanes in a pool. Along the way in the creative process there have certainly been some choppy waters encountered (but then I do suppose this comes with the territory when swimming!) and I found the most difficult ask was being able to find headspace away from the piece during such an intense period of time in the studio.
Having spent my last day at Isham Studios with the company yesterday, making a start on cleaning movement and tying up the looser ends along with Matthew Gough (Artistic Director), I feel happy to be able to leave the material in the dancers’ hands to breathe and develop in the time we have apart. I will return to the studio at the beginning of March and am hoping the intervening period will give me time to step back and consider the piece more objectively whilst I am not in the midst of creation.
In the meantime, am diving back in at the deep end to rehearsal period with Ffin Dance…be sure to keep track of us blogging the rehearsal process here