First Rehearsal – Dance Composition Part III

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Though I have not yet settled on the set of images from “The Wanderer” which I will use as inspiration for specific movements for my piece, I have determined that I will definitely be using a few of the beginning lines – those that speak of the poet being “forced to row the fierce, freezing sea with bare hands.” My dancers and I worked on these lines today.

I brought several movements to them inspired by the idea of having only one’s hands with which to make progress through rough, freezing water. The feeling this image gives me is one of frantic desperation – and silent determination. I think also of the complete exhaustion that this struggle would cause, and how quickly one might lose hope.

The movements are all at different levels. The first is a dragging motion, in which the dancer braces one fist against the floor, grips it with her other hand as though it is a lifeline, or a handhold in the rocky surf, and drags her body to it. This movement takes place while the dancer is lying full-length upon the floor – the other four movements inspired by these couple of the poem’s lines happen at progressively higher levels – sitting, kneeling, in a lunge, and finally, standing full-height.

I hope to have more material to teach my dancers at our next rehearsal. I will pinpoint a sequence of specific images and lines from the poem, as well, to work from.

Finally, in respect to having bits of the poem recorded in the music, I think I’ve come up with a much better idea. Rather than having the lines recorded, I will have someone on stage to recite them (or read them – they need not be memorized, I think). I haven’t determined, yet, who to ask – but I have a really great idea. There’s a certain fellow in the Theater department here – I venture to say he’s well-known to all on this campus, if only by sight. Fellow by the name of Jared. He’s head and shoulders taller than I and skinny enough to give one a paper cut. Jared’s a senior, and has the most lovely deep voice…perfect for the recitation of Old English…;) I may ask if he’d be willing to do this. He’s quite a character, and not a little intimidating…working with him will be a strange and unusual experience, if he agrees to it.