Evaluation

At the start of this process, I set out to create a piece with a stimulus involving 'layered, thought-provoking and emotive themes', which led me to the beautiful prose and eloquent description in 'Where the Crawdads Sing' (Stonier, 2021). Through exploring the compelling themes in the novel in an abstract format, I intended to immerse the audience in Kya's touching experience amongst her breathtaking setting in the marshland, and inspire them with her admirable growth into a brave, young woman, and strength she represents.

By developing my movements directly from quotes and poetry in the novel, I feel as though my movement style and material appropriately reflects the emotion and mood of these key themes, for example the flowing quality of the marshland compared to the harsh and cunning quality of the brutal elements of nature. Focusing my movement so closely on the vivid descriptions in the book ensured that I maintained a sincere connection to my starting intentions, as well as repeating these motifs throughout my piece to remind the audience of the thought-provoking messages and moving ideas that I wanted to express, such as the theme of longing and loss. 

Furthermore, I tried to show my exploration of a variety of themes by using changes in dynamic or music to show a striking contrast between feelings of tenderness and yearning, against intensity and fear. Structuring my choreography with different sections focusing on separate themes, not only kept me inspired and motivated throughout the process, but also encouraged me to challenge myself with opposing movement styles to maintain intrigue and captivation for an audience member. I am particularly proud of my Brutality of Nature section, as I achieved my goal of 'discovering a more fierce and powerful dynamic quality', which has enlightened me to an avenue of my abilities as a dancer that I didn't know may be possible for me to reach (Stonier, 2021).

Another goal of mine to 'feel inspired and driven by my research' was definitely something I experienced in the process, as I found I identified more closely with my choreographic voice, rather than as a dancer (Stonier, 2021). As explained in my Personal Development blog, despite feeling confident in expressing my theme in words, I sometimes struggled to physicalise these ideas and was critical of my ability to emulate the emotion and atmosphere I envisioned. However, if I were to do this process again, I would have recorded my two studio draft performances, as the feedback I received from these were extremely empowering and motivating. By being able to watch back these performances that my audience were so admiring of and engrossed by, I feel that I would have been more appreciative of my achievements, and less critical of my ability of execute certain phrases of movement that I dismissed, due to me believing that I wasn't advanced enough to perform them. In addition, I believe having these videos to watch as milestones within the process would have been empowering tools to push me in times where I felt trapped and uninspired, and I would have had a clearer vision of my current position within my work, as well as where I wanted to go next, giving me a useful tool for reflection and finding perspective in challenging moments. 

Using research of my chosen choreographers Frances Rings and Russell Maliphant, as well as studies by practitioners such as Twyla Tharp was something I feel I did successfully throughout the module, as I selected work of theirs in times that it was appropriate for my current state in the process. For example, when I needed guidance for structuring my piece and navigating the choreographic process, I used relevant materials from study guides, and when I required motivation for movement style and performance dynamic, I watched pieces from my chosen choreographers. Ensuring I used these when most suitable for me meant that I utilised the knowledge most effectively, and entwined my research to what I was producing, rather than my research and practical work becoming irrelevant and disconnected.

Due to the fact that my choreography was so closely related to Kya's connection to nature, it has enlightened me to my potential future in dance and choreography involving on-site pieces, as it feel it would be extremely powerful to see my creation in the setting that it has been vividly inspired by. Another area that I would be intrigued to explore would be including spoken words in my piece, as I feel it could have been compelling to align my movement with the text that it was derived from. This was something that I initially wanted to do, however I struggled with creating the music and overlaying the spoken words to the quality that I desired, so I would be intrigued to discover the possibilities there may be using professional sound technicians.

In conclusion, I have learnt how inspiring it is for me to combine my passion of a variety of art forms, in this case literature and dance, and how my motivation stems from having expressive themes and stimulating research before me. Performing my final piece was a fulfilling experience, as I was proud to see how all of my work over the weeks came together to create a 10 minute piece with sincere intention and meaning. Due to my organisation, I feel as though I was able to lose myself in my performance, as I wasn't preoccupied worrying about the steps or what came next, and I could completely commit myself to embodying Kya's character. Despite challenges of feeling unmotivated and self-critical throughout the process, I feel I was proactive in seeking the research and inspiration I needed to guide me to developing my work with a fresh, motivated mindset. Overall, I am really pleased with my dedication and perseverance in this project and I am grateful for the feedback from my peers to support me in producing a creative and intriguing piece for my audience.

References:

Stonier, D., 2021. Initial idea/Stimulus. [Blog] Daisy Stonier Advanced Independent Solo Choreography (MU60362O), Available at: <https://daisystonierl6.blogspot.com/2021/10/initial-ideastimulus.html> [Accessed 8 February 2022].

Bibliography:

Owens, D., 2019. Where the Crawdads Sing. London: Corsair

Bangarra. 2021. Frances Rings | Bangarra. [online] Available at: <https://www.bangarra.com.au/about/person/frances-rings/> [Accessed 16 October 2021].

RMDC Digital Archive, 2020. AfterLight (Part One) by Russell Maliphant. [video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D1tnuJbF3g&t=541s> [Accessed 28 October 2021].

Tharp, T. and Reiter, M., 2003. The Creative Habit. New York: Simon & Schuster, pp.184-197.