BY ADRIANNA MICHALSKA
I have no idea how time between September and now went by so
quickly but the rehearsals for this year’s Next Choreography Festival surely
are in full swing.
So what have we been doing so far?
Constantly questioning, constructing and deconstructing,
venturing into our senses, always looking out for the present moment and for
things that work and don’t work in our choreographic practices. Challenging our
bodies, our perceptions, and our understanding of what choreography is and what
it can be.
I remember moments that felt like a ritual – dancing and
singing, in a circle, allowing the movement to come from ‘the guts’, letting go
of inhibitions and indulging in the physical expression.
I remember dancing to inner music, outside music, no music, with
music, and against music. I remember improvising to the sound of Donal Trump’s
voice (highly recommend experience but must be treated with care).
And frames. We explored many frames this year. Siobhan Davies’
gestures and poses, Lee Anderson’s pictures/postcards, Martin Hargreaves’s
uncreative creativity, forgery, theft… These are only some examples of artists
whose choreographic practices and frames we explored this year. Each time, the
frame (or a choreographic task if you’d like) was set up and we used our bodies
as resources to engage and create within it. Amy Bell (the Next Choreography
facilitator) often told us to think of choreography as a machine that you first
set up and then put the movement through. Something will always come out, and
the more you understand this machine, the more exciting the potential results.
What should you expect from the Festival then?
Over the past couple of months we have accumulated tons of
materials, notes, reflections, and experiences. We got very excited when
planning the Festival – there were choreographer’s hats and badges, ritual
dances in the courtyard, and other plans. Amy and Laura (the SDD Learning &
Participation Producer) worked very hard with us to refine and compile our
ideas into an exciting programme that reflects and goes beyond what we have
experienced this year.
This year we encourage you to explore choreography through
improvisation, challenge the perception of the performer-spectator relationship
in a participatory piece, venture into different corners of SDD studios to see
how dance unfolds in unexpected spaces, discuss other talented young people’s
work as part of the Feedback Forum, and much more.
Overall, the Next Choreography Festival will overtake the SDD
Studios for the whole of Sunday 9th July, filling it with installations (visual
and sound), dance, movement, discussions, food (for body and for thought), and
fun. Definitely an event not to miss.
