April 19, 2008RearrangingWe've entered into a new phase with My ocean is never blue as we're getting ready for our semi-site specific performance on June 22 at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park, right along the Anacostia River. For this performance we've pulled the work completely apart and are restructuring it from the ground up. Two Fridays ago we went to the park to see what we could structure specifically for this space. We ended up working on a dock that goes about half way into the river. I had one idea that we tried (doing the Drench section) and then asked for suggestions from the dancers. We ended up creating a nice 10 minute section there on the dock that will serve as the beginning section of our performance.One of the challenges with this project is bringing in material that is specific to the site - we already have alot of material from this project that we want to include, but I don't want to ignore where we are. We also want to not make it only about the river, but still keep the multi-faceted aspect of the work intact. So, bringing in more specifics about the Anacostia River and keep the larger, more general observations about water present. I'm not too worried about this, but it is an interesting balance to explore and, hopefully, find. Posted by Daniel Burkholder at 11:09 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) March 31, 200850 Liters a Day, honestlyStill struggling with our internet connection... but, here are the totals for the week that I was trying to only use 50 liters a day (they are the actual amounts, honestly)...Day 1: 64 Day 2: 41 Day 3: 41.75 Day 4: 63.5 Day 5: 45.75 Day 6: 51.75 Day 7: 42 total: 349.75 round that up to 350, divide by 7 and you get an even 50 liters per day. So, its possible, but certainly difficult. Posted by Daniel Burkholder at 5:05 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) March 24, 2008More Water DaysWell, I survived my days of a 50 liters limit pretty well. On Saturday, my last day of the water week, I took what was the most satisfying 4 minute shower of my life. After spending all week taking a 2 liter "bath", having water run down my body was so pleasing. As the week went on the most interesting aspect of the experiment was not figuring out how to use less water - that was interesting at first - but, it was the development of my awareness of water use. Each time I went to wash my hands, take a drink, or wash a dish, I would pause and make sure I really needed to do that action right then. Each time I began to ask, "can I wait alittle while before I use this water?". It became an interesting meditation of sorts. I'm still not exactly sure how I will incorporate this experience into the final work, but it will be interesting to continue to reflect and see how it effects my day-to-day life.Posted by Daniel Burkholder at 1:44 PM - Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0) March 17, 2008Water Days 1 & 2So, I was planning on making a real push to write about every day this week as I try and use only 50 liters of water each day. Then, of course, my DSL line goes down. Now it's Day 3 and I'm finally able to get out to pick up a wireless connection..so...The first 2 days have gone fairly well - on Day 1 I used 42 liters of water and on Day 2 I used 51.75 (drat!). Today, Day 3, will be alittle higher because my wife and I did a load of laundry, but I'm trying to reduce the rest of my use to compensate. Here's the brake down of my use: Day 1 Drinking 2 liters Food prep .25 Bathing 2 Toilet 33 brushing teeth 1 washing hands 2.25 dishes 1.5 total 42 Day 2 Drinking 3 liters Food prep .75 Bathing 2 Toilet 36.75 brushing teeth 1 washing hands 3 dishes 5.25 total 51.75 The first question when I look at these number is "how do you bathe with 2 liters of water?" Well, it is not as bad as it sounds. Because the average shower uses 6-10 liters per minute that seems out of the question (you have to also count the time it takes the shower to warm up). So, in the morning when I'm heating water for my tea I heat up an extra amount. I pour this extra hot water into a bowl add some colder water from the faucet until I have 2 liters. I take this into the tub and use a washcloth to get wet, then soap up and then use a very wet washcloth to rinse. And, I actually feel pretty clean. Now, I don't have long hair and I can see how that would be a challenge, but otherwise it works well. : ) Next entry - how I'm cleaning dishes with very little amount of water... Posted by Daniel Burkholder at 2:55 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) March 11, 200850 Liters A DayThe World Health Organization says that every person needs to have access to at least 50 liters at a minimum each day. As part of our ongoing research for My ocean is never blue, next week the company is going to try and only use 50 liters per day. One recent statistic I saw stated that the average American uses 300+ liters per day - now, I'm pretty sure I use less than that, but never the less it will be a challenge to get my use down to 50 liters. Here are some averages for water use:
I'm not exactly sure how this will translate into our performance work at this point. I think of this as more like background research that informs our overall understanding of the issues as creators and performers than something that is directly carried into performance. But, maybe as we go through this process some movement, text or image ideas will emerge. Also, I invite you to participate in our 50 Liters Per Day research - we'd love to hear how you do! Posted by Daniel Burkholder at 12:01 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) March 2, 2008The Daddy Challenge I have been keeping a blog for a year and a half or so (now here, first here) that has mostly focused on the development of My ocean is never blue. I've tried to show the development of the work through description, video and reflecting on the creative process. Lately I've found it difficult to focus on the process part. As I've mentioned recently I am a father - my daughter, Adelais, is almost 10 months old. And while I expected that my time would be less, well, mine, I did not expect that mainly the time I lost was time to reflect and process. I am responsible for her, by myself, about 25 hours a week - this is in addition to my normal teaching, Feldenkrais-ing, lighting design work and rehearsing. Plus the time that my wife, Andrea, and I just spend together with her. What time I have lost is two-fold, I have less times to write grants and pursue gigs as these don't pull in immediate money, which is obviously more important now. And, even more so, time to just sit and think about the work I'm creating. More than once I've thought, "oh shit, I have rehearsal in 2 hours - what the hell am I going to do today?" It is really frustrating, and I don't always feel at my height of creativity. I'm certainly not complaining because there is nothing, and I mean nothing, better than playing with Adelais, or having her fall asleep on my shoulder. But, it is making it more difficult to keep this blog up to date with the development of the work. I'm assuming this will get easier as she gets older... or at least I'm hoping it will. Right now, as I write this Andrea is off at rehearsal, Adelais is sleeping and should be waking up any minute. I have rehearsal today at 1:30 and I think I'm prepared... Posted by Daniel Burkholder at 9:48 AM - Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0) December 24, 2007Night BeachThis video is from a rehearsal in which we were working on a new section - Night Beach - for My ocean is never blue. This section was inspired by a quote from The Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson: "The shore at night is a different world, in which the very darkness that hides the distractions of daylight brings into sharper focus the elemental realities." It began as a solo section, but as we worked on it I liked the multiple solos all happening at the same time - with Stephanie coming forward alittle after the other dancers. Each dancer has a slightly different set of directions (or score) than the others, but they are all working with the idea of "hiding and revealing", as well as some specific focus (eyes) choices. Also, image a single source of light coming from the right side of the space (or stage left).
Posted by Daniel Burkholder at 11:19 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) October 20, 2007Structuring RehearsalsI'm interested in how we structure the rehearsal process when building work.Firstly, if you are unable to have a separate company class, how do you include the building of a common language or point of view into the rehearsal structure. What I mean is creating an understanding that is larger than just the dance you're working on - concepts, approaches, etc.. that carry over and build from dance to dance. How do you make time and space and not feel like you are loosing time on "the piece"? Secondly, how does your rehearsal process change due to the work your creating? Obviously the more time I have the more slowly I can build and discover the work. But, beyond that, does the subject matter or structure of the work change your working process? Should it? How? I think right now, this fall, I'm enjoying our rehearsal process, and that is partly because we are taking a lot of time to dance and explore different approaches and concepts (some of which I'll write about here soon). But, in the next couple of weeks, we'll be spending more time with specific information, images and ideas for My ocean is never blue, but right now we're getting to know one another - especially with our new company members. Not long ago I was talking to a fellow choreographer and he was, in a way, boasting about how he had just choreographed a dance in three rehearsals - I couldn't quite wrap my head around that possibility. Even with dancers I know and am familiar with it takes me three rehearsals to even begin to find my grounding in a work. Not that his approach was wrong - it certainly worked for him - but, I do wonder about the end product and is it a fully authentic expression. Maybe it is and I'm just a slow poke... Posted by Daniel Burkholder at 10:40 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) October 4, 2007Library VideosTwo people videotaped our performance last week at the Martin Luther Kind Library, as part of the DC Improvisation Festival, and posted these videos to their blogs. Here they are: The first, from Shallom, posted to her blog Dance in Time and Space, is an excerpt of the middle of the work: The next video is an edited version that Boris Willis posted to his Dance-A-Day site: I had two reactions to these videos - 1. I loved that the performance was videotaped and then shared on the web - especially since I didn't get it together to get it videotaped myself. 2. I wondered what the protocol is to videotape someone else's work, edit it and then post it to your website. Neither of these people asked permission to video or post the video even though the work is copyrighted and clearly under my direction. Now, with Boris, I follow his Dance-A-Day site and thought he might videotape the performance and post it, but never had a conversation with him around that. I had no idea Shallom was even videotaping and wouldn't have known about the post if I didn't see it listed on another blog. Again, I'm actually fine with the fact that it happened, it just made me wonder about the legal and moral responsibilities of this kind of act. Is it necessary to ask permission? Is it just good manners? Does it even matter? Posted by Daniel Burkholder at 10:28 AM - Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0) October 1, 2007The Library Performance Last Friday (9/28) the company performed a version of My ocean is never blue in front of the Martin Luther King Library as part of the DC Improvisation Festival. For this performance we took a couple of sections we'd worked on and re-edited them together to make a short (15 minute) work. It was interesting to go down to the site without rehearsing there, and making a couple of decisions on the spot - including our actual performing space. So, the structure we created had to be some what flexible. Luckily we had performed in August at the Carter Baron Ampitheater in the woods as people entered, so we were somewhat prepared. Just before our performance Kelly Mayfield and her company, Contradiction Dance, performed. It was interested to see our two different approaches. Kelly did a full on work that could easily be moved into a theater, or, rather, was moved out of a theater to the sidewalk.I, and the company, eliminated a lot of the more theatrical elements (including our normal costumes) and really scaled down this version. I could probably be proved wrong, but I think it is hard to do layered work that needs alot of attention outside. You are competing with too much and people's attention is less focused. Kelly had a sound system, live text, costumes, props, audience participation and a combination of choreography and improvisation - and it is a fairly intense work about hope, America, etc.... I'm just not sure I was able to take it all in with people talking, moving in and out, trucks driving by, and the such. I always find that simpler work works best outside. For this version we started with a slow walk, followed by a simple gesture score, some solos and then a stillness/movement score. Nothing fancy, just trying to get to something essential. Now, people did really enjoy Kelly's performance, so maybe I'm wrong. But, as a performer I've felt much better when I'm not competing with the environment, but kind of sliding into it to slightly shift a perspective. To change the space a couple of degrees so that people see it in a new way. photo by Claire Walker Posted by Daniel Burkholder at 6:43 PM - Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (1) September 29, 2007Starting AgainFor the last year I've been working on My ocean is never blue - a 3-year project exploring our mythological, personal, ecological and political relationships to water. Also for the last year I've been writing a blog about the creation and performance process of this work, as well as posting video of rehearsals and performances to YouTube. As I start this second year of the project I'm moving my blog here to be a part of the Great Dance community, and I'm going to be moving most of my video posting to blip.tv. With the move to GD I will be opening up the content of my blog - now titled "act/re/act" - to include posts beyond just My ocean is never blue, though this will stay the main focus. The move to blip.tv will hopefully give me better quality videos to share.At the same time I will be beginning again to dive into the research mode of creating work. Last year our research culminated in our performance at Dance Place in April. This year I have 3 new dancers, in addition to 4 returning, and lots of new topics to dig into. Last year we focused quite abit on larger political and ecological issues with the work, this year we'll be taking some time to examine more personal and spiritual aspects - including baptism and the Japanese Tea Ceremony, among others. I am excited to get back into the studio and start working. Everything new starts this week, as we begin again. Digging in and seeing what reveals itself. Posted by Daniel Burkholder at 1:27 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) |
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