Compositional Study 2
- Avey Jespersen
- Mar 11
- 2 min read
In this second study of Deconstruction, my partner and I presented the dance system of Lyrical with the assumptions, contradictions, and power structures that make it what it is. What we could identify as the ‘rules’ of this system is that it is required to move to the music and lyrics being used, detailed in tempos and syncopations, floorwork, facials, costuming (which is normally flowy), heavy on performative dance aspects, and the music is the thing the speaks/emphasizes the choreography. This was the first part of the phase, staying true to the system and really executing the ‘rules’ we discovered. With feedback from peers, there was the attentiveness to the vocals in the music I chose, commitment to musical cues in my emotion, and going past the music in my limbs. Questions that arose prior to the second viewing of the first phase from me was to see what detail changed, and what ways the energy could be different. From the answers received, there was a want for more expansiveness in movement, gaze, and groundedness, and a want for bigger use of space in expansion with juxtaposed details and matching or repeating motifs for variation. I was having some difficulty applying all of this when we moved into phase two of the deconstruction study and being able to choose a strategy to interrupt the system to make it ‘break’ a rule. It was mentioned that there is a distinction between deconstruction and parody: Deconstruction honors the form, making what is normally hidden visible. I shifted completely in the second phase, cutting choreography choices and changing the song to something completely opposite of the first. I felt more alive in the internal rhythm having dynamic variation, as if completely ignoring the music that was playing around me. Nothing felt matched or perfect and there was a distinction between performative enjoyment and actual enjoyment that I could feel reverberate from start to finish. The final showing asked me to consider refinement and making it legible or clear for the viewers, my use of space, and asking the question of how I let myself stick with an idea before moving on to the next. I wanted to attend to these considerations by cleaning transitional moments and repeated motifs (gestures) that truly shifted the system for myself. It was made visible that creating to music or lyrics doesn’t have to make the choreography make sense, and that repetition with accumulation ‘breaks’ the rule of staying monotone in gesture. The non-legibility of the lyrics in the final phase made it interesting and new for me to experience while moving and revealed the known idea that lyrical dance always follows the words of the song. The path I chose rhythmically was drawn out and non-linear, creating a completely new idea. I noticed that from repetition, there is intentionality behind it that highlights why it is important to observe and take part in. It changes perspective on what it means, and it becomes jarring or surprising to witness something different beginning after that. For future studies, I want to push further the questions of: What was made visible or effectuated from the exploration of the study? What stayed true to the world? How can I go to the extreme of the gestures, choreography, motifs, and more?
Comments