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Photos: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

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PHotos: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Here We Go

Merde Everyone

Onward and Upward,

Diana


Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Krizia Torres

The Chad Challenge. Challenges come in many forms. One of those forms of challenges may very well be the one essential thing that will help separate a masterpiece from the rest. This challenge? The ability to trust.

From the moment I first saw Chad Michael Hall I knew that his piece, “DoubleSpeak” was not going to be for the faint of heart. Sometimes I feel like there should be a viewers’ discretion attached to it that reads, “Warning: You may witness carnage on the dance floor.” But I joke. The first weekend Chad came to teach us his piece, he fearlessly flung his body a couple feet into the air and immediately crashed it onto the surface of the Marley floors without sight of a broken bone. Crash and burn. There were many forlorn looks amongst the dancers that reflected an inner fear. A fear of what? A fear of not knowing if we would hurt ourselves badly enough to get sent to the hospital. A fear of not knowing if we could muster enough strength to go through another brutal 8-hour rehearsal. A fear of not knowing if we would be able to match Chad’s intended style of choreography. A fear of not knowing if we would be able to channel our “psychic sisterhood” and move together as one unit when needed. A fear of not knowing what was going to happen. Essentially, that is exactly what fear is: the panic of not knowing.

As day and night became a blur of one, and as the weeks zipped past at the speed of light, the Chad troupe finally got it together. Like every work of art, dance is a vicious, yet remarkable cycle of progression. The dance isn’t perfect, and perhaps it may never be. But for now, it is what it is. And what was the answer to digging through those coupled layers of fears? Quite simply, it was trust. Once each of us salvaged enough trust in ourselves, pushing past those barriers fear left us, we united and came together. We found trust in one another. Maybe that’s part of the lesson Chad wanted us to learn on our own. Just as the story of his piece reflects the development of chaos powering together to mold into a revitalized unit, we, as dancers had to power through the anger and frustrations to eventually find a stronghold of peace within one another and within ourselves. You can’t imagine how great it feels to dance something you’ve bled, sweated, and worked so hard for and at the same time, to be able to dance it with those who have been there every step of the way.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Stephanie Alvarez #2

When first hearing Diana talk about her piece, I loved the idea of it: early morning, dawn, statues becoming alive, Greece & Rome, sudden movements, breath, feminism....that sounds pretty damn powerful and pretty damn awesome. Now, looking at the finishing product and all that I have been through for this choreography, I am by no doubt IN LOVE with this piece. Usually after running a hard and tough dance most dancers don't want to do it anymore -- it's way too exhausting... but not with this piece. When dancing this piece, I want to keep going. The power of the music and the connection with my fellow dancers keeps me dancing non-stop and I love every second of it. When it's done, I want to do it over again. Not only is it so much fun to dance, but it's a good workout and stamina pusher -- it for sure kicks your butt! The concept for this piece to me is just so cool and I loved that Diana was inspired by her trip to Italy to create it. Although all my dances I am going to perform (AHH so soon!) are my favorites, "Sculpture Garden" is definitely on the top of the list. Every time the music is turned on I feel transformed into a different being, not only as a statue and as a dancer, but as a powerful and strong woman.

Regardless of the twice a week 7 am rehearsals (!) this piece just got me going. Tired as I was that early in the morning, Diana always knew how to get me as well as the other dancers moving. With an 18 min. warm-up we learned and did every morning we rehearsed, we were all ready to learn new choreography and to perform this piece. Diana always came to rehearsal with new ideas but one thing I admired about her choreographing was that she also took ideas from us, the dancers (who knew!). We would be goofing around in these wee hours of the early morning and Diana would see it and be like "I like that, push save on that and remind me of it later" and somehow, whether it was that exact movement or the same but with a little tweek, Diana would put that movement into the dance. That was very cool of her, and also when she would make us mold and find shapes and positions with each other. We'd play around before we'd actually start learning movement for the piece. If she saw something she'd liked she'd ask us to do it again and BOOM it was in the dance.

Not only was dancing at 7 am twice a week a toughie, but Diana always played around with choreography and changed things often, which sometimes can get kind of repetitive. There were times where she wasn't happy with something and make us do it over and over again, maybe with one minor change each time. Of course it was a little frustrating, I was ready to move on! Get past this choreography and learn something new! It felt like sometimes we just kept cleaning and changing the same spot over and over again. I mean it was totally fine, it was Diana's choreography and not mine, and that's what you do when creating a dance to get the perfect piece. It just got so tiring sometimes to do the same thing over and over again, especially at 7 in the morning when all you'd rather do is be asleep in your bed (sometimes...). Looking back on it now, however, it really wasn't so bad to repeat the movement about 10 times. Through all those changes we went through Diana had found the perfect movement and transitions that fit perfectly into the piece, and looking at her dance now, I am so glad we did those movements over and over again. Things like that and even goofing off are really apart of that choreographic process.
I learned as a dancer, you are the paint and your choreographer is the painter. The painter does what he wants with his paint and moves it around as he pleases, and it is he, the painter, who creates the entire piece of artwork.
On another note, I AM SO STOKED TO PERFORM THIS PIECE!!!! I am so happy and feel so honored that Diana choose me to be in it. Any feedback I hear about this piece has always been positive, and it even makes me feel even luckier to be in it.

Photo: Prem ANanda premphoto.com

Rachel Saalsaa

I feel really lucky for being able to be a part of Crystal’s piece this year. As a choreographer, I really admire her artistic and creative ambitions. I especially enjoyed being in this particular dance because I could easily relate to her pieces message and meaning. For me this dance is so great because it's something that everyone can connect to and mold to fit their own lives. When I'm dancing this piece I think it's just that that gives it a sort of comfortableness. I mean from the very first rehearsal where Crystal told us what her dance was about to the day when she finished the piece there was always a comfortable atmosphere where I felt like this dance was apart of me. Crystal also did an amazing job at incorporating her dancers into her choreographing process. She was always open to suggestions on anything like how to combine two sequences, what worked and what didn't, or for partnering patterns. That openness and dynamic between us the dancers and Crystal also added to making me feel like this dance was individualized for just me. It was great to be included in the whole process of creating her dance and watching it develop. This piece definitely changed from where it first began, not in its intent, but more in the actual choreography. Crystal knew what she wanted to do a dance about and the general idea of how it should look but I think that it really evolved as we went on. For example, there were sequences that we learned in the first rehearsals that didn't even make it into the final product. In the end I really am thankful to have been able to be in Crystal’s piece, it's been a great experience and I can't wait to perform this dance on stage!

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Jessica Thoma #2 "Surfacing"

When is any art piece complete?? No one knows what complete really is because there are always little nuances and details that you can fix. Not to mention the fact that people interpret things differently so not everything is going to come across the same. Basically you have to do the best you can and make it fit for what you believe that it means. For the dance that I created with Kelsey, we had a good first experience with this piece. We had our ups and downs with the process but overall we learned a lot. The beginning of the journey for us seemed simple and straightforward and the first few phrases we got were interesting and fun which was what we were hoping for conceptually and aesthetically. Trying to stay on track with our intent was challenging but worth it. My biggest set back with continuing the process and getting to where I wanted to be was the time constraint. Choreographing a piece that takes the necessary steps of explaining an idea is so hard to do in a 10 week quarter of 1 rehearsal a week. The completion of the piece is going to be worth every minute of stress and trifle because to perform and show off our ideas will be so rewarding. In every moment of our dance we have put as much thought and time as we had and I believe that we produced a dance that is very successful. Did we make something that was full and rich that will intrigue the audience?? Yes, I think we did. Did we satisfy our own wants of what we hoped for the piece?? No, but like I said before, sometimes you can’t complete a piece of art to its fullest potential. Sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the world.
Encountering the problems we did, I found it very helpful to have a person to reflect ideas off of. We were able to discuss the problems we had, and gradually work through them. As we got down to more and more of the details, we looked to the choreography to fill in the holes. It made the most sense to fill those places with movement and a dance vocabulary that we had already shown. The moments when we found the right movement to either repeat or modify were awesome because we could feel it all coming together to make a better picture. In those times I felt confident that we had set up the dance correctly from the very beginning. Working together with Kelsey was rewarding along with working with the two girls, Megan and McKenna. Their contribution helped to push us forward. It was a challenge for all of us because we were all experiencing something new. There were new styles and new movements for people, new people to work with, and a new side of the dance world to experience; choreography. It was difficult to put all the ideas in the piece being that there were so many but sometimes you need to downgrade from your ideas. It’s just too much for people to handle and then it gets too confusing. Making the choices to complete the dance were necessary steps to finish in time for the show. Kelsey and I wanted it to be perfect and knit picked at all those moments we didn’t find perfect but all we could do was make the best decision at the time. Overall I believe that we made some good ones and the dance is a success. I am very happy with the outcome and enjoyed learning as much as I did through the journey.

Photo" Prem ANanda premphoto.com

Carolyn Taylor #2

One of the most amazing aspects of going through the process of choreographing and creating a piece of artwork (or having the opportunity to be a part of this in any way, for example being a dancer for a choreographer that is creating something new) is that there is no "correct" way to approach this often times overwhelming task. Unlike a research assignment or an essay that one may be required to write for class (and given specific instructions of what needs to be included) and where the finished product will be evaluated more often than not by using some sort of checklist, it is the choreographer and the choreographer alone who decides exactly how they will conquer this "assignment". They also have the power to change anything they please the moment they are so inspired and no one can tell them that it is "wrong". Some decide to use the "come to rehearsal completely prepared" approach, while others use the "inspiration of their dancers in the moment" approach and others may use something in between. Throughout this past quarter while rehearsing for our upcoming show, I have had the incredible opportunity to work with a number of creative and talented choreographers. Kathleen's piece was created for the most part by her choreographing on her own and bringing her material into rehearsal to teach her dancers. It was interesting to see how successful this approach was and how over the past couple of months it did not seem to deviate from her original intent or feel of the piece. It has been beautiful, feminine and mysterious every step of the way. In contrast Diana's piece used more of the "inspiration from the dancers" approach, which I have really felt honored to be a part of. It has been truly exciting to not have an exact idea of how each rehearsal would turn out, what we would accomplish or what crazy/awesome things we would try. Diana herself has said multiple times that something may have not been her original plan, but things never look the same as they do in your head once you have real people to work with. Being able to be flexible and accepting of change, as well as being brave to try new things has been only a few things that I have been lucky enough to practice throughout this process. I have so enjoyed every moment with every choreographer that I have had the pleasure of working with in preparation of this show. It has been a great learning experience to be exposed to so many different creative minds that follow their own individual thought processes. The really beautiful thing is that each of these processes and approaches has the ability to create something just as wonderful, inspired, and or magical as anything else. Thank you Crystal, Kathleen, Diana, Michelle, Bliss (Robert Moses), Dennon and Sayber! You are all truly appreciated and amazingly talented!

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Guin Chan #2

I am not a morning person, and seven a.m. practices were definitely difficult for me to wrap my head around. I would sleep in my dance clothes so I could just roll out of bed (or clumsily climb down the ladder of my dorm bunk bed) and go. But in all honesty, I don’t think rehearsals would have been the same had they been later in the day. Everything’s quieter. The sun has just barely managed to get up itself and the air is calm and cold. It’s easier to dance when the day has just begun, when there are fewer distractions in my head.
We started learning the piece by learning various combinations, which set the idea of “the power of the feminine.” But in the beginning it was just a vague concept for me; more of a series of powerful movements without actual meaning.
Diana drew inspiration from her trip to Italy and the works of artists who sculpted and painted the already immortal Greek gods and goddesses. It is definitely challenging to recreate these masterpieces gracefully on a pedestal. And I wasn’t even on the tallest one! But when we managed to figure it out, it was a new experience to imagine being a statue brought to life by something intangible.
By the end of a quarter of early morning struggling and sweaty knee pads, I feel like this dance has really come together to paint a picture. And working on the stage is another level of experience. With the tricky pedestal magic moving, and the fog, and the costumes, the sculpture garden will be complete. It is its own world of mysteriousness and magic, beauty and strength.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Megan Butala #2

It occurred to me during one of Diana’s early morning rehearsals that all of us there had a sense of commitment to the company and the piece. It was worth it to us to give it our all and put in the time (however early it may have been) and energy required to get the piece to the level it needed to be, and as close as possible to Diana’s vision.
Being surrounded by all of the talent and artists in the studio was refreshing and inspiring. Also, I felt a sense of unity within the piece when we learned large chunks of material. Everyone regularly put in all of their focus which made it possible to master the material quickly so we could continue to learn and/or tweak more during that rehearsal. Diana was extremely organized in the movement and plans prepared before every rehearsal, and even if we didn’t make it through everything she had on her agenda, there was always progress, whether it was learning a whole section of the dance or fine-tuning a few last transitions.
Not all choreographers are like this, but it is still possible to enjoy the process and end up with a great end result. Take Jessica and Kelsey for example: both are beautiful dancers and people and somewhat new choreographers. Working on their dance was a blast. There lack of experience made them very enthusiastic, but they did have a little trouble getting past the mental and creative blocks they encountered during their choreographic process, but once they did, it ended up being really enjoyable movement that just feels good to dance. Being a part of this piece did require extra time to finalize some last details, a few rehearsals were added, but I didn’t have a problem putting in the time they needed to be satisfied with the piece. Being one of four in the dance and seeing their process so closely made me excited for them and their expression, made me feel like it was mine too, so I was more than willing to do what needed to be done to get things right.
The processes I was a part of for these two, and the other three dances I am in, were all very different but very enjoyable and I learned things from all of them. All of the choreographers and dancers I have worked with in my two years at Cal Poly have helped shape who I am the dances I will be in and maybe choreograph later.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Rachel Ankeny #2

From the beginning, Kathleen had a very clear description and image of what she wanted her dance to be this year. From her first showing of the choreography, she mentioned that she wanted dancers with a strong ballet background. She intended to focus on using ballet technique but create variations on the traditional movements and positions. She also emphasized wanting a very regal quality to the movement with a hint of mystery. Her vision and choreography has been upheld throughout the experience and I am very pleased with the results. Every detail from the piece from hand placement to costumes has matched my initial impressions and has created a beautiful finished product. A few of the dancers and I were discussing the ease with which our bodies remember and carry out the movements.
Kathleen’s clarity has allowed us to focus on the more artistic details in these later rehearsals. We can take moments to connect with fellow performers and put on our “regal” persona. I feel Kathleen has been very consistent in her artistic integrity and in the intent of her choreography. She was always prepared with choreography ahead of rehearsal. Each rehearsal she had a goal to get to a certain point in the choreography and always accomplished that goal. Her process was very efficient and made rehearsal time seem to fly by. The dancers part was mostly to be open, clear, and efficient as well to match her and maintain the progress of the piece. I feel as though all the dancers in this piece worked with Kathleen to try to match her desires as much as possible or brainstorm with her to find solutions to problems. All in all it seems this piece really held on to her initial vision and is a great success.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Michele Andrews #2

As a dancer in Heidi's piece, Intricate Effect, we have been asked to call on our emotions. Collectively, we want to convey a sense of loss, missing someone, and also a sense of strength that develops throughout the dance. However, each of us has our own individual experience to call upon in order to properly communicate these emotions to the audience. The trials we've all been through allow us all to throw ourselves into the movement and dance with purpose. Towards the end of the dance, we were each given a little choreographic freedom to experiment with. While this is clearly a contribution to the choreography, I don't feel this is the most valuable contribution I made. I think the individuality and uniqueness I bring, that we each bring, to the piece and the stage will be what makes the piece memorable. This piece, as well as the six of us, have grown into something special. The intent of the dance remained the same throughout Heidi's choreographic process, but I think with each rehearsal, as it got closer and closer to completion, it developed into something that was both intentional and unexpected.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Aimee Warner#2

Crystal’s dance has really felt like a journey; it took many phases to get it to the stage it is at currently. We talked about the concept of a “background noise” at our first couple of rehearsals, which I feel was a big contribution on everyone’s part. Each dancer really opened up and talked about their own experiences allowing us to personalize this dance and also provide Crystal with different ideas to work with. Crystal has worked with a few of the same movement phrases since the beginning, while also adding new ones and experimenting with the arrangement in order to find a composition that spoke to her. After a few rehearsals Crystal decided to reverse the ‘order’ of the dance, so that the conceptual beginning came at the end; I feel that there are many elements that encompass this idea; for example: the phrase that is repeated in the beginning and at the end is smoother and slower at the beginning and the dancers are really affected by their partners who represent their background noise. By the end, that phrase has sped up and takes on a slightly frantic feeling which I think correlates to how one feels when they are not fully aware of their background noise. After this phrase, the dancers end by becoming aware of the screen behind them also representing background noise. In my personal interpretation of this concept, if a person is not aware of their background noise, they feel confused and frustrated but once they open their eyes to their subconscious, they have much more control, and while they may still be molded and bent at times by these thoughts, they have the ability to choose what to listen to. I feel this choice is represented in the beginning of the dance when although the dancers are being manipulated by their ‘background noise’ they still come back to standing and do not have the burden of the background noise to carry around, literally.
One of the additions to this dance that I am quite excited to see in the theatre is the addition of a slide show behind the dancers. This has been a collaboration of the dancers, who provided pictures from their personal travels and lives, from which Crystal then chose those pictures which she felt added to her concept. I think this will had a huge dimension to the dance allowing the audience to broaden their interpretation of the piece. For me, these images help to play off of the lyrics “intruder alert” but we will see where Crystal takes this part of the piece.
Dances are always a journey, through the choreographic process and also each time the music starts. Each time I step into the world of the piece, I relive the story and scenarios I have developed to allow myself to fully enter the dance which leaves me full of emotion and also satisfied in that I have given a part of myself to this dance in order to share with the audience.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Darren Bridges #2 "Eclectic Rhythms"

Comparing the time that we started this dance and until now, I would have to say that mine and Amee's dance has came a long way! In the beginning it was hard to get the style across to our dancers because it was something out of their element that they had to work extremely hard at it in order to do the movement. Now that show is almost here and we have had time to practice, I couldn’t be happier with the way that the dance has turned out. I feel that now that it is crunch time, everyone (including myself) has learned to feel out the dance and learned to dance together as one. The overall experience that I had this year choreographing has been great one. Its always fun to have the opportunity to display your work for others to see.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Anna Gibbons #2

For me, dancing is a way of expressing emotions that tend to not have words appropriate enough to explain. I remember the first day of Heidi’s rehearsal she explained the heart behind her piece, “Intricate Effect.” She had emotions that only movement could express. She explained that the piece was about being away from somebody not by choice and in her case it was her husband. In that first rehearsal she desired for us to be in a similar mindset. She asked us to write down experiences where we have been away from someone not by choice. As we did this, I realized how personal this piece would be to me. My father passed away about five years ago and as I realized that, the dance took on a new meaning. Through learning movement, cleaning pieces, and growing in my understanding of the emotional feel of the piece, the dance became therapeutic for me. When you think about the process of creating a dance you think of the steps listed above, but through this piece I’ve come to understand the emotion of dance better. I’ve come to a place of finding out what it means to pour all of me into a piece. Each time we run the dance I find myself learning something new about my own situation. I know that when the dance hits the stage it will take on an even more powerful meaning and emotion, and I can’t thank Heidi enough for that.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Sara Markham

A giggle from the side floats to another dancer's ear after tripping on a cord offstage, and laughter across the stage erupts soon after. All this time at rehearsals, helping with publicity for our show, and going to dance classes seems to be so much work for experience in something that many of us do not plan on following as a career. To people who don't get to see our time spent in the studios, the amount of time dedicated to this experience might appear as a burden. I'm sure our sometimes exaggerated (sometimes not) moaning and complaining of how sore our necks are, the high level of exhaustion we are at, and how bummed out we are about missing a Thursday Night Market doesn't give an outsider trying to get a feel for the reason to our madness much insight. The truth is, Orchesis and our work towards the upcoming performance is so much more than the dances we are about to show. The real reason we go to every rehearsal even after having a spinal tap the day before, show up at class after hours and hours of working in the labs, and hold our bodies up through a guest instructor's class with knees and ankles shaking is because, well, the experience. The experience I am talking about here is not the kind I mentioned earlier that you might put on a resume later, but it is the bonds between the people and the moments between the dancing. I'm sure each of us enjoy different things about the time spent with Orchesis because of our vast array of personalities in the company. My favorites include not being able to breath during a casual, initial run through not from the physical exhaustion but instead from trying to hide a laugh and continue dancing, seeing fellow members on campus in "normal" clothes and realizing they do have other items in their wardrobe besides sweats and cut t-shirts, or not being phased by the fact that someone is telling you your "turn, hit, and throw" is on the "boom ba-da-baaa". Great moments offstage and on, fear of not perfecting a well-rehearsed piece, or the artistry in each person as they create movement or interpret someone else's all helps us grow into a new and slightly different person. Some people choose to play music, some people choose to be marathoners, some people choose to become involved in bettering the world with a cause, some people choose to master video games, and all of us, we choose to dance. With each of these dedications there is a world around it that does not involve the actual activity it can be labeled under, but it is the experience between the lines that keeps us hooked. It's that, or maybe we are just crazy college students needing something to fill in our horribly, empty schedules or a new topic to complain about to our roommates. Either way, the show is coming soon, so I say let's live between the lines until that final curtain drops.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

McKenna Friend #2 "Every Love But True Love"

My piece for this year’s show took a very long journey. It started out in my mind as a quick/short uplifting blip for the audience and has now become a little "Broadway Suite" with story telling and props. It was extremely difficult for me to develop the piece I initially had in mind to the 5 minute "show" it is right now.
Finding the extra music was my first challenge. I knew that Keely Smith's upbeat song was exactly what I was looking for...but finding songs that went along with it but were different enough to develop a separate mood was difficult. I still can't seem to find the right movement for about 20 seconds of Dinah Washington's Love for Sale. My dancers were wonderful. They helped me with many choreographic "blocks." They also encouraged me and my work with compliments and pep talks when I was feeling low. This isn't really MY piece as much as it is OUR piece. I'd like to think we all shared in the experience and I know I enjoyed it thoroughly. Of course I would still make some changes if I had the time but overall I am pleased with the outcome and proud of myself for putting it all together. :)

I fell in love with Robert Moses' choreography last year when I watched his piece "Lucifer's Prance." I searched the web for anything I could find on him or his company the day after Orchesis "premiered" the piece after a rehearsal. I watched videos and read newspaper articles on his work. I did all the research I could along with obsessing over "Lucifer's" during their practices in hopes of being considered for this year’s piece. When I was selected for "Soft Sweet Smell..." I was ecstatic. Ask my roommates. The piece is extremely difficult for me with its unique style, difficult timing, and the need for uniformity yet I adore every second of it.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Kelsey Tallon "Surfacing"

In some ways, our dance was exactly how I imagined it and in other ways it did not resemble what I had imagined in any way. Throughout the choreography process, I felt as though I was writing an English paper. We first made a rough sketch of what we wanted and then kept revising as we went along. Things seemed like they were working out well for the choreography until we realized that the entire dance thus far was split into twos. At first showing, we quickly found out that that was quite boring, even though it is the essence of our concept. This presented us with the challenge of making the dance more interesting by breaking up the groups of two. In this way the dance was also like an English paper. It seemed like everything we did we were able to make up some reason for how it fit our concept. A lot of the ideas seem like a stretch, and I am acutely aware that unless Jess or I am available to explain each movement of the dance to someone, there is pretty much no way to understand the concept of the façade and the soul and how each of our movements explain all of their interactions. This was really bothersome at first, but the more I think about it I come to realize that it doesn’t matter. The majority of the audience won’t really care what the dance is about, and will just be looking at it for visual pleasure. The other part of the audience will be attempting to interpret what the meaning is, and likely will not get exactly what we mean. But isn’t that what’s nice about dance? It is open to interpretation, and allows not only the audience but the dancers themselves get from it what they please. So it really isn’t a big deal that no one is sure what we mean, all that’s important is that people enjoy it because in some way it speaks to them. And that was the original goal Jess and I had from the beginning. So even though the movement may have been entirely different than what I anticipated, the motivation behind the dance was achieved.
Is a dance ever finished? I’m not sure I’ve ever danced in a completed dance. I think any choreographer always has things they want to change, tweak with, or add to. The same is true for this dance. I am mostly happy with the first part of the dance, but the second half was so rushed that I feel we could spend a lot more time developing the ideas in that part. Also, my feelings about the rhythmical quality of the movement changes each time I see it. Luckily, we were able to form a really tight group with the four of us and both Megan and McKenna were incredibly helpful in making decisions and giving suggestions. Sometimes it was so helpful to have the extra eye of people who are not as wrapped up in the concept to make really great suggestions. Showings also gave us an opportunity to show the dance to a whole range of people who come from so many different dance backgrounds. It was really interesting to see how each person had such different ideas for the same section of the dance. Some of these suggestions we took, some we modified, and others we thought about and kept in mind for the future. This dance has truly been a collaborative process, more so than I ever expected it to be. Even though it has been extremely difficult, it was entirely worth it.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Crystal Valdez "Background Noise"

"As a dancer, and even as a choreographer, it was always very hard for me to grasp the concept of being a part of or choreographing a piece that was a “work in progress.” Dances are typically thought of as complete pieces of work that once performed its required amount of times is maybe then only stored in the memory of an old video. But this year, my choreography can only be defined as a “work in progress” I initially had envisioned a dance that was approximately 7-8 minutes long because of the music I choose and because of the concept I was trying to communicate. However, I managed to only fully spit-out 4 minutes of representative material and was unable to develop the second half of my dance. With the approximately 13 week, 1 day a week for 2 hours practice contributed to me not developing it as much as I anticipated, I think this just goes to show me that my thoughts and mind are always changing which will have a direct effect on my movement and intent changing in my choreography. My dance is the introduction to my message I am trying to create: trying to understand and differentiate the background noises we all hear throughout your lives. But I am very happy with it and have really enjoyed the differences and diversity within my group of talented dancers. They’ve worked so hard on the style and unique rhythm of the choreography and I couldn’t have asked for any better. If my career path does lead me into a career in dance, I can see myself continuing to work on this piece. “Background Noise” will only begin to set up the audience for my whole message and hopefully leave them slightly informed in what we are all as a world are trying to accomplish."

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

ALyssa Carnahan #2

One of the pieces I am performing in this year is a tango-influenced ballet choreographed by Kate Barton. I have been in a few of Kate's pieces in the past, so the process by which she creates a dance is somewhat familiar to me. Kate always begins with a very clear idea of what her piece is going to be about, or the story or theme around which the movement is based. For inspiration for this piece, she watched a number of tango videos in order to get a feel for the style of movement as well as the intent and attitude with which it is done. It has been an interesting process for me discovering how she has chosen to translate these kinds of movements into a pointe dancer's vocabulary, and how she has made her own stylistic choices to transform the mood of the tango into a performed ballet.
Kate always arrives at her rehearsals with clear goals in mind--she has her choreography planned out in advance, though often left open with room to make choices about spacing and timing once the movement is set on the dancers in the studio. Kate's organized and deliberate process has made it easier for the dancers to cope with some other kinds of challenges that go with the territory for a piece like this: we were all struggling to take care of our sore toes as well as were learning how to dance and maneuver the black fedoras we all wear for the piece.
Kate is often flexible about the demands of her piece; though she has her clear vision and goals in mind, she is also very understanding about practicality and the limitations of each dancer's ability. If something in the piece doesn't seem to be working, she fixes it by modifying how it is done or by replacing it with something else, (unlike choreographers who stubbornly choose to cling to unworkable choreography). She is also open to the suggestions of the dancers and often asks the dancers how they would prefer to perform a piece of movement given a set of options.

I am very excited for audiences to see this piece. I know that it will be as charming to watch as it is exciting for us to dance!

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Amee Sing #2 "Eclectic Rhythms"

Now that our dance is finally done, it is a huge relief. This year choreographing has been very stressful. It was completely different than last year. We wanted this piece to show three different styles of hip hop and I think we achieved that. Nothing really changed from our original vision. Working with Darren was so easy, we would both be trying to figure out movement and when I would look up we were pretty much doing the same thing. When working together with someone it is a lot harder than if you were to choreograph by yourself. You have to make time to get together, and that in itself is hard enough with our crazy schedules. And you also have different ideas that you have to try and blend together. Each song has a different feel to it, so we tried to show that through our movement. We also wanted to make sure that it wasn’t your normal hip-hop dance that doesn’t really build or use the stage. Our biggest problem was with our transitions between the three songs, because they were so different we weren’t really sure how to tie them together to make the dance flow. We had a few ideas and some feedback that I felt I might have misinterpreted, which led to some issues. The idea that we had and put together didn’t really work out for our type of show. It was really hard to hear that it wasn’t working so close to the show, but it had to change. As a choreographer I feel that you have more respect for fellow choreographers’ work, because you know the process of creating a piece. Our dancers are great and have worked really hard for us. It was just hard because none of us were trained in this new style of hip-hop and there is so much detail in the movement that it is hard to pick up on. I feel that our dance is complete; if we had more time I think that we could have created much more for this piece. I’m very happy with this piece and now I can finally enjoy it.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Megan Branson #2

It’s funny how in normal life people get uncomfortable when you get too close to them, but in dance, invading personal space is the norm, and usually expected. From the very first rehearsal for Meghan’s piece “Spoken For,” we played with all sorts of partnering work. Since each of us six dancers in the piece represent Meghan or a special person in her life (Mom, boyfriend, best friend), the roles we portray are very intimate. We began rehearsing this piece at the beginning of the quarter, so my partner Alex and I had just met, but we jumped right into the partnering work with ease. The dance has never been constant; it was a continual process that involved the choreographer and all six dancers. Meghan always came to rehearsal with tons of ideas, and then used the energy and reactions of the dancers to fill in the spaces. Some things we tried worked out the first time while other things never seemed to work, but each time the piece changed, it was for the better. I can’t even count how many times the part of the dance that highlights the relationship between Alex and I has been changed, but the final change fits Alex and me perfectly. The nice part about Meghan’s piece was that she always asked for and used our input, so the dance became ours too. Meghan chose not to actually be in the piece, so it is our responsibility as her dancers to get her vision across.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Rochelle Norwood #2

From the very beginning of Crystal's piece to the final steps, it has been like a very natural process to me. In our very first rehearsals, instead of jumping into choreography, we sat down and explored the concepts of the piece and how Crystal's ideas related to our own personal lives. The piece is based around her concept of "background noise," the idea of voices, experiences, emotions, or
other factors that influence us, consciously or subconsciously. Throughout the piece she wanted to explore how we experience "background noise" on a daily basis, how it affects us, and what we do. And so before we did anything else, we talked about what background noise meant to us, what our own noise was, and how we deal with it. I think that our discussion not only gave Crystal further inspiration, but also helped us understand from the very beginning what the dance was about and how we could relate to it. I think that this caused all of the dances to develop a strong connection to the movement and choreography. As we get closer to the concert, moving into the theatre, blocking, and moving around on the stage, I feel that the piece has a calmness to it. Even though we all have huge amounts of "background noise," and will have even more in the weeks
ahead, our connection to the piece has yielded such a natural and rewarding creative process. Instead of doing the choreography, you become part of the choreography.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Heidi Vigario #2 "Intricate Effect"

The most nerve racking thing for me during this whole process, even when I was debating whether or not to even choreograph in the first place, was how was my movement going to look onstage? Would it read well? Would it even look good at all? I decided to jump over those hurdles and come back to them when we got to the theater. I was hoping that through all the showings in the studio that whatever didn’t work would get weeded out by the time we got to the theatre.

I had my first rehearsal in the theater this weekend. It was awesome! (No doubt because of my dancers’ positive, energetic, hardworking, and fun attitudes! Yay Megan, Aimee, Anna, Michele, and Rachel!) I loved seeing my dance onstage! We of course had the ‘oh so amazing’ runs of the piece while we were getting acquainted with dancing in the theatre. But we also had really good runs. My dancers are so amazing; they put so much genuine effort into their dancing. And the best thing that happened that night was my dancers telling me that my dance is in a really good spot. What a compliment for them to say that they are not worried about the dance, that they feel the most comfortable with performing my piece.

I am very happy with my piece. I don’t think I would change anything for this set of performances. If I had the opportunity to work on my piece some more, I don’t know what I would decide. But if I wanted to work on it some more, I know that I would change how I incorporated the shirts into the movement. In the beginning of my choreographic process I had an idea about the shirts, but that changed, it just wasn’t working. The emphasis on the shirts is now a lot smaller. If I had the time I might try to go with my original idea and make the shirts a larger part of the choreography. I know that it would completely change my piece, and right now I’m satisfied with the movement I have created.

I love to dance my dance with my dancers. I feel very accomplished every time we reach those last few seconds of the piece. I recognize all the hard work and numerous hours that have been put into this dance, and it makes me proud to put it onstage!

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Lauren Bastrire

Tap has always been one of my favorite forms of dance and I was excited when I heard I would be taking part in the tap piece this year. Kate's tap piece was originally planned to be performed with a specific musical selection. However, once it was realized that there were only going to be three people in the dance, the thought of doing the piece a cappella began to circulate. During the first rehearsal we decided that it would be a cappella, but we would still learn the piece how it was originally choreographed to the music. We began learning the steps to the music just like you would for any other dance but by the second rehearsal we realized we needed to ignore the music and create our own rhythms. We ended up collaborating to choreograph the rest of the piece. I had never choreographed a tap piece before, nor have I ever been in an a cappella piece so I thought this was going to be quite the creative challenge. It actually turned out to be a lot easier than I would have thought, we were able to feed off each others’ ideas to create something I never envisioned when we first started out. The hardest part we came across, in my opinion, was putting together the solos and figuring out the back beats and tempos. Eventually it morphed into a great sequence of steps and beats and is now my favorite part of the dance. From something I would have thought to be a challenge ended up as a great collaborative process, and we created a piece I think will be enjoyed by most.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Kathleen Helm #2, "In the Kingdom of Enticement"

It’s a strange thing to look at a final product and trace it back to the initial concept. It’s also strange to think that if the work of art had been completed in a different period of time (even a minute later), the final product would be vastly different. Choreographers often notice the tiniest details of life and truly live in the moment. This plays a vital part in the creation of movement, because even the most mundane action (such as the vibration of a cell phone) can trigger the choreographer with a thousand different motions relating to that vibration.

The small details that inspire my choreography lie in music. I’ve recently discovered my passion for classical music, because it seems to naturally create movement. So, in terms of my dance for this year’s concert, it’s hard to say whether my final product achieved what I set out to do. This is because I envisioned what the song should “look like” before I began the choreographic process. In comparison to other choreographers, my method seems backwards, since I usually begin with a song, and build my concept on top. It is easier for me to draw a storyline out of the music, rather than the other way around.

Choreographing “In the Kingdom of Enticement” was not a struggle for me. For some reason, it just flowed. Each time I added movement to the piece, it magically fit together like a puzzle. I honestly don’t know how the process was so smooth. Again, I’ll have to give credit to the music. I also received positive feedback and encouragement from Diana, Maria, and my fellow dancers, and this unquestionably aided in my success. I’m definitely pleased with my final product, but the perfectionist side of me will always find flaws.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Meghan Hudson #2 "Spoken For"

I chose not to be in the dance I choreographed, and as hard as it is to not dance, it is wonderful and empowering to watch others take ownership of my artwork. Like Alex said in her blog, I created my dance, but the dancers are the artists who make it happen every time. It was scary to surrender my work to them, but life-changing to watch my dancers mold and shape the choreography. The piece itself took on a life of its own, it breathes, changes, grows, and occasionally has a sick day. As the choreographer, I’ve witnessed every stage of this piece’s life- I’ve seen the bad days when nothing works out right and I’ve seen the great days when everyone is in sync and piece flows naturally. No one else gets to have that. I am the only one who has seen the worst, the best, and everything in between. So when I watch Anna, Kerry, Megan, Alex, Mckenna, and Darren work their magic and dance, I am above all proud of them and beyond blessed to call them my dancers. If they get on stage and forget everything we worked on, I will still feel this way because I know how hard they have worked for me and how hard I have worked for them. I have given them a piece of me, my stories, my art. All I can ask for in return, is that they find happiness in dancing this piece and a deeper understanding of who I am.


Photo: Diana Stanton

Kate Barton#2, "Tango en el Mate"

My dancers ate my dance for breakfast. I tend to come up with some pretty tough movement when I can't sleep at night. In years past, my highfalutin ideas have been shot out of the sky when I bring them to my next rehearsal, instigating the piece's metamorphosis from what I "wanted" to what it becomes. But that never happened this time. My dancers devoured whatever I threw at them, and in one case encouraged me to make the choreography harder by adding hops en pointe. I'm lucky enough to have 5 really talented ladies with good technique who can also be a little sassy or give me a little pantomime when the piece requires it. I couldn't ask for anything more from my last piece for Orchesis.
That being said, the dance is VERY hard. The dancers were all so facile at picking up the tough little bits of choreography that we had a rude awakening the first couple times we ran it as a whole. Every time we run the piece it improves as we learn to moderate our stamina to last us through the whole piece. I'm looking forward to my blocking rehearsal in the theater on so I can see it from the audience and hopefully clean everyone's focuses and arms before show time. These two weeks in the theater are both the best and most stressful times for choreographers!


Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Kerry Mills #2

Criticism: it tears you down, makes you question your abilities and weakens your mindset. But ultimately, it makes you better. It is hard for anyone to take criticism, but I believe that dancers, with the bearing of emotion through physical movement, can take it especially hard. When you put everything out on the line for someone to see, you don't want your hard work to go unappreciated. I am sure we can all recall seeing a dejected student walk out of class saying, "grrr, that teacher picked on me so much!" However, I am also sure that every dance instructor would tell you that the people they "pick on" the most are the ones that they care about, the ones that have the most potential. They wouldn't waste their time giving a dancer a correction if they knew they wouldn't take it. In order to improve, a dancer needs to be mature, open-minded, and willing to change. He or she can only get better by thinking about a correction and applying it. While I was thinking about this, I realized that it is likely that the best dancer in the world has heard more critiques and corrections than the worst dancer.
This definitely applies to the choreographers as they go through the demanding process of creating a dance for the concert. They are putting their thoughts onstage for people to inspect, pull apart, interpret, critique and enjoy. Suggestions have been made that the choreographers may not automatically agree with but are encouraged to play with. Every dance has something special about it, and those who are critiquing it and making suggestions only want to bring out those unique qualities. The critiques are made to better the dance and the dancers in it. Though it can be frustrating at time, criticism is there to help us and we need to remember that through these next few weeks!

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Rochelle Norwood

I have been tapping since I was three years old, and looking back, it is hard to
believe that something I started so young is still with me 20 years
later. I think that is the amazing thing about dance, it can outlast
everything else. Through fads, trends, and life cycle phases, from
childhood, to teen years, and adulthood, it is the one thing that
has remained constant in spite of everything else I do. Choreographing
and working this year with only three people in the tap piece, and
using no music, has been such an enjoyable process. Coming up with
tempos, combinations, and interesting footwork, and sharing it with
other people has been really rewarding and I've loved the creative
process. The most interesting thing to me this year while helping
choreograph, was how your feet would be moving without really thinking
about it, and then they would just catch on to some sort of tempo and
a great beat would come out. I also love how a single heel can change the
musicality and you can come up with something entirely new. As in
other forms of dance such as modern and ballet where you gain emotion
from the movement and choreography, I believe in tap the expression is from the
harmony and interesting sounds that you create. Listening to yourself
and two other people, no music, all creating the same beats, is such a
rush. Unlike other forms of dance though, I feel like tap is more like
riding a bike, even though there are various levels of difficulty, for
me, it is something that I will always remember, how to make certain
noises and combinations. I think the greatest thing I have gained from
this is the creativity of several people coming together to create
something that we enjoy doing, and that people enjoy watching - I find
that very inspiring.

Photo: Keith Mosher

Alexandra Thomsen-Wolfe #2

I am a dancer in Meghan Hudson's piece "Spoken For."
At first I was worried about being 'up close and personal' with another dancer in this piece. I have done dances where there is a lot of physical contact with other dancers, but what Meghan had in mind for her choreography was so much more personal in nature. When you are being lifted by someone it is purely mechanical; the movement we are doing in this piece requires us to dance emotionally with each other. For example, we support each other's weight in ways that really invade personal space. I think the reason this feels so different from other contact movement I've done is because our faces are so close together. Our faces are what express the majority of our human emotions on a daily basis and to have someone we don't know well so close to what represents us in this way can feel a bit invasive.
However, as we have progressed in this piece all of us dancers have come to know each other a little better and found ways for our bodies to mold together more comfortably. Our movement has also become truer to Meghan's intent as we can really be expressive in our movement now that we've come to a new comfort level.
I also feel challenged in this piece because we are all representing a personal message for Meghan. I wonder if we meet her expectations for this piece and I feel an accountability to her art because it is we who are the means through which her art is shown. As a choreographer it is a much greater challenge to have human beings as your media because humans are not perfect, we make mistakes. As a sculptor you can work your clay until your sculpture is exactly how you want it. As a painter you can keep mixing colors until you have the perfect shade. As a choreographer there is no way to have your art exactly the way you want it. A piece will actually be different every time it is shown. It is the dancers' responsibility to perform the artist's choreography to convey the artist's message. For this dance I really feel the weight of this responsibility and it challenges me to work harder.
This piece has come a long way from where it started not just in terms of the choreography unfolding, but in terms of the emotionality we as dancers are now able to portray through the choreography.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Francesca Lee #2, "Loyal Opposites"

At this point, I am satisfied as a choreographer and ready for my dance to be presented to the public. I have gone through many challenges and thoughts leading me to produce Loyal Opposites.
My piece is about risk taking from a comfort zone that we make ourselves feel safe in. Although we are in these comfort zones, we also wish for more in life. We are not satisfied with life unless we take that next step out of the box. Some reasons we don’t stray away from our box could be our insecurities of who we are, what others will think about us, or worrying if we made the right choices. It is pressure of what is, what was, and what is to come.
I have learned a lot about my choreographic process. My journal has scribbles I can’t read, along with ideas and movement, and also just writing to free my mind from the tension I have from thinking too hard about everything in life. Most of the time, I have to remind myself to BREATHE. I am not a choreographer who creates movement in a straight line from beginning to finish. I experiment with segments of movement that will eventually be pieced together. This is frustrating because I forget what is what and how segments will be pieced together. On the other hand, it makes the ending product unpredictable and leaves room for evolving thoughts. It is an adventure. I definitely challenged my choreographic skills this year. I have relied on my dancers for variations of movement I give them. They have been my other pairs of eyes to inform what my piece was evolving into. I have had many challenges asking myself questions like:

What am I actually trying to portray to my audience?
How will I use my 3 dancers throughout the piece?
What is the meaning behind my set?
How does the set relate to the stage?
How will I put all of my choreography together?
How does my piece reflect my life? Or does it not?

So… I started with something, and I ended up with something completely different. My artistic intent changed along with “things” I have recognized in myself. I went through MANY thoughts to finalize the concept for my piece. I swear it changed everyday for weeks. I had to let go of some ideas I wanted to keep and when I did, something better came along.

Although I am satisfied with where my piece is at this point, I still think of it as a work in progress that I would like to modify in the future. It is only a rough draft. I think only with time this piece will become complete. I am not sure what I would change, but I know I would solidify meaning and concepts throughout the dance. Personal experiences and decisions in my life in the next 6 months will allow me to fully develop Loyal Opposites and call this piece complete, if I get the opportunity to work on it again.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Diana Stanton, "Sculpture Garden"

Dancing is the closest thing to creating magic I know of, just like Alyssa said in her description of her solo. Magic - even at 7am. An unusual time for a rehearsal yes, but with the studio full of classes and rehearsals, and everyone’s schedules maxed out to say the least, 7 am was what we had. It turns out it was an ideal time to play with magic, to create a story, to enjoy the body’s abilities (and residual soreness).

I always feel that the atmosphere, the time of day, the energy of the dancers, and the overall vibe of the group can really influence the creation of a dance. In the mornings this past Fall quarter, there was sometimes a mist in the air or a gentle wind that created a perfect environment for our “Sculpture Garden.” Inspired by statues of gods and goddesses and classic fine art paintings I saw in Florence, Italy this past summer, I sought to create an otherworldly atmosphere where dance celebrates the mystery and power of the feminine.

I love how legends attempt to explain the mysteries in life that seem to guide the mortal, tangible world. Gods and Goddesses control the wind and the growth of plants, they fight beasts protecting the world from evil, they exert forces that possess you with love, power and wisdom, and their gaze can melt you into the earth or turn you to stone. A dancer can be that powerful - at least it feels like it sometimes. It is fun to feel like you can move a mountain with a gesture, fly with a jump, or conjure a storm with a pirouette. I wanted that sense of playful power for this dance.

In terms of the craft of the dance, I wanted the movement to develop from stationary to a swirling and fulfilled use of space, from still postures to kinetic flow, from staccato to swingy and fluid. I wanted the dancers still and suspended in time at the beginning, to full of breath and life at the end. I wanted the entire dance to be its own early morning ritual that takes place before the rest of the world is awake.

I tend to use the individuality of the dancers in choreography. Each dancer in this dance has added, in her own way, a sense of youthful delight, beauty and articulate expression. The process has been quite enjoyable for me. For the dancers, dancing on a “tippy” pedestal hasn’t been easy or comfortable but they have been helpful and enthusiastic about it. Also, some of their rehearsal kibutzing has turned into choreography; their play and their efforts have really added to the work. As the dancers have become more comfortable with the material, they have settled into being less “posey” and more into being beautifully authentic. The dance has grown into a life of its own now rather than being just a collection of ideas. The experience has been a gift to me, and it will be fun to watch what happens as this dance transitions to the stage, which itself is full of magic.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com

Alexia Beghi #2

Although McKenna’s Every Love But True Love underwent drastic changes in storyline and musical selection, it never veered from the style she so daringly chose to portray—Broadway.  This type of piece is a first in my history of being in Orchesis, and I am just thrilled that I could be a part of it.  Not only were we expected to have the energy required by a Broadway piece, but our acting skills also definitely came into play. All of us were also really willing to help McKenna through some tough choreographic blocks. As a group, we really worked together to solidify the story McKenna wanted us to represent through our dancing and acting.

Photo: Prem Ananda

from Diana

Showtime is imminent - about 3 weeks away. Most dances are complete I have asked the students to reflect on the choreographic process, the intentions and evolvement of each dance. Each piece has a unique statement, point of view or expression. The dancers have the very important job now of bringing the dances to life, to express the intentions of the choreographers, to speak- through the body- what words cannot. It is a pleasure to watch the students in some of the rehearsals as they take responsibility for themselves, many have become very invested in the excellence and artistry of the work. It is collaboration in the truest sense. There is much to do, tension is high and physical health is precious. This is an opportunity to be our best.

Darren Bridges

The trip to San Francisco was a good learning experience and definitely inspired me as a dancer. The most exciting class for me was the Master Class with Bliss, the style was very “Fun Modern” and I enjoyed how it required you to cautiously think about every step. We weren’t able to “just dance”, we actually had to focus on each aspect of our body while at the same time, keep a our technical skills present. For one of the classes that we had from Saki was difficult for me because I haven’t danced lyrical/jazz in so long that it took me a while to shape my movement to fit the style. Another hard thing from her class was the section in warm-up that we stay up on our eleve for a long time! But after each class my body was pumped up and ready for the next. The most challenging aspect for me the time restraint that we had, that weekend was very hectic, especially with school and then having other commitments to attend to directly after we got back. Overall the trip was great and I’m glad that I had the chance to experience it.

Photo: Prem Ananda premphoto.com