This week my new video work Stories to Tell premiered at the Sharon Disney Lund Dance Theater.
As for any video project it has taken an enormous amount of energy and work. But it is all worth it! I finally received music samples from the wonderful composer Massimiliano Pace from Italy, and the past few days I have only had a few hours sleep. When the collaborators are on different continents, the work becomes that much more challenging. Changes can not simply be made on the fly. Massimiliano needed more time to make, refine and finish his ideas for the video, so I asked him to send me what he had in order to present “stories” with a version of his music. I started experimenting and playing with the possibility that the beautiful music may enhance the dance, the project. Of course that only created more questions regarding the musical element of the project.
Does it fit with the content of the piece? Does it radically change it? Is it too powerful, too romantic, too repetitive? Or perfect? Does the piece become something else? Does it need to be reedited? Oh well, many different options surfaced in the past few days to join the two elements of visual imagery and music together. There were a world of combinations, and it was extremely hard to choose the music as each piece gave a different feeling and emotion to the choreography.
This week I screened one version I chose. I paid attention to the responses of the audience and how it looks and sounds on the big screen. Now I will step away from it for a little while, let the project brew and revisit it later on with fresher eyes, and ears. See what Massimiliano feels about the music chosen for the piece and any other adaptations. Therefore I will make the final changes and retouches before distribution to festivals. Certainly this project is teaching me to be patient and let things evolve at the right pace. As things always turn out just how they are suppose to be.
Stories to Tell was developed
during a one week residency at Poor Dog Group in downtown Los Angeles. A lot of work was generated during the
rehearsals, so much that it could have become a one- hour performance. During the process, I used the
difference spaces as stages and it became a "traveling" theatre
piece. However the aim was to make
a video.
The idea was to create a series
of vignettes on themes that I was interested to explore: women sharing their stories, moments of
memories and experiences. With the
wonderful creative energy of the performers and the crew, we generated an
intense and enjoyable event.
This project involved a
diversity of artists from different backgrounds, countries and
experiences. From Los Angeles
Independent Theatre (ZOO Productions) Kristi Schultz to former Skirball Center,
and Architectural Lighting Design, Terry Enroth. and Mulitmedia Artist/Composer
Massimiliano Pace (whom I haven't seen in 10 years).
And last but not least an
amazing group of CalArts Alumni from the schools of Dance: Iris Andersen, Jessica
Emmanuel, Wen Chu- Yang, Theater: Matthew Mellinger, Film and Video: Astra Price, Sandro del Rosario, Luis Lopez, Integrated
Media Astra
Price, Luis Lopez, Critical Studies: Luis Lopez as well as CalArts Staff and Faculty (Gordon Kuroswki, Astra Price
and myself) and Film and Video
graduating master students (Logan Kibens, Andy Schuler)
I
am ever so grateful for their wonderful work, energy and artistry and to Poor
Dog Group for letting me use "all of the spaces" and be supportive
throughout the making of this project.