audio files

So finally all the links for the audio files are working. You can check them out till the 16th of october.

6. rehearsals

Today I started class with the intention on working more on the movement material.
So since we already had a combination which I call “failure combination“ for now, I repeated that one just for memorizing it better.

Than I was working on the three named points on how to make the piece harder for them, so that it becomes honest failing moments on stage.
Those points where:

• I can make it faster in the end of the progress
• use some kind of body restriction
• create a movement sequence on paper

So I started experimenting with the last point today.

I gave them a piece of paper with a written combination on it.
I tried to use as wired movement orders as possible to make it a little harder.
The task was to read it and learn it by heart, but not try it out, just by imagination.
The choreography on the paper was like this:

• fall backwards on your back
• go into a candle, with legs in 2nd position
• come up to standing over your right site
• jump to the front with your arms forwards
• bring your legs with you and turn up to standing
• jump three times in a 4th position changing legs
• land in sitting in 4th position

The dancers got as much time as they need.
Some felt more comfortable as the others. But it definitely was an unusual terrain for all of them.
Then I let them dance out the combination all together, with music and filming.
This is what came out of it:

My results on that are, that their movements turned out a little different on each of them. Means if I would definitely want them to do exactly the same movements I would have to be more specific in how I write down the combination and also write down the pathways for them.
So everybody had their own interpretation on how to accomplish the movement, which I actually liked a lot though.

The nice thing about it was, that I could see clearly that each of them had a clear picture in his mind of what movements they were going to dance. So the written choreography gave them a guideline throughout the choreography.

Other than that, their movements became quite insecure, which I didn´t like so much.
But my question is, if I could eventually solve that problem by giving them more time to learn the piece on paper. For example giving them a very specific, detailed and exact written choreography, almost two weeks before the performance, maybe even more and let them dance out the piece the first time on stage.

I could even imagine them to have a look on the paper on stage, quite briefly before they start dancing it out on stage. I´d like to include the imperfect preparation for that piece.
So idea three of how to make the “failure combination” failing could work, but also puts the dancers in a really sensitive and challenging position. (Which I like though:-)
After that part of the rehearsals I started working on a another thought for the combination.
I got inspired by the thought of using kind of dogmas in the piece.

I like the idea of managing a movement, cause of a strong will, a passion. So what I was thinking of, is to let my dancers say those dogma to themselves why they are dancing. As if they were trying to give strength to themselves and make them able to accomplish the movement better, by assigning a positive and confident sentence to themselves.
Whatever version of how to make the combination harder or failing, I am going to use, I would like to include those sentences.
An example of what I mean.

If they are doing e.g. a handstand in the combination, I would let them say: “ I love the handstand, I love the handstand, ...”
They would probably say it more often than once, since they are suppose to assign to themselves and get better by a better influence of themselves.
An example of that try:

The result of that idea is, that I think it´s working pretty strong. Sarah is even using some other words in between, like “ I love the fish, though it never works” (in another version than in the clip). I think it could use even more confincing speech. Means really using the sentence more often as a matter of adjudicated words.

I liked that they started feeling more free in it and really tried to say those sentences to themselves to make them work better.
Though not all of them felt comfortable with it yet, cause it wasn´t honest for them yet. Means they couldn´t honestly say those sentences to themselves, cause they didn´t like them.
I actually don´t want to make them say it, cause it would be fake.
So maybe I will let each of them choose movement by movement if they either say “ I love..” or “ I hate...” .
With the “ I hate... “ though it´s a different thing, but if they use it in a positive way, it can still give them the power to achieve the movement better and to bring honesty to the light, like e.g. : “ I hate the fish, but I can do it.”

Another thing I noticed, is that the movement became more intense when they failed in them, after you heard, that they loved it. The passion is more emphasised in this idea.
I also added more material to the combination they already learned and taught it to them.
The rehearsals went OK. The dancers got challenged to put themselves out, being vulnerable on “ stage” by using new forms of presenting a piece.

The next rehearsals I will use on continuing on the movement sequence and try out the two other points of how I could make the piece harder to achieve and open for honest failure.
I´d also like to start working on how to include the music pieces in the choreographic work and in the “ statements of failure” thought.

5. Rehearsals

Today we started to record three versions of music pieces.

1. version

A hard music piece played by all of them together.
They rehearsed the piece for a week.
Mareike played the cachon, Mirjam the piano and Sarah the chello.
They got the task to start the piece anew as soon as one of them makes a mistake.
This is the result:

http://lisaoettinghaus.neptune.com/?selectedalbum=lisaoettinghaus421051



I think the music piece is not working so well. I think it´s quite hard to procure honest failure with a recorded version. When I was listining to it I couldn´t feel the hard try and the passion behind the music. I think it would work better and more honest if you actually see the musicans. Cause otherwise you can´t tell if they just didn´t practise enought.

2. version

The turkish march played by Mirjam on the piano.
She rehershed the piece a lot when she started playing the piano when she was younger.
She played the piece without notes. The idea behind that was, that she wanted to be able to play it without. So she had a passion behind that. She really wanted it.
She didn´t got any time to practise before the redording.
She also got the task to start anew when there was a mistake.
This is the result:

http://lisaoettinghaus.neptune.com?selectedalbum=lisaoettinghaus421054

I think that version works. The failing is very obvious.
I allready reviewed that version in my last blog. (see 4th rehershals)


3. version

I asked everybody to improvise on their instrument.
I wanted each of them to do that on his own, alone in a room. I wanted to create an intimate moment where mistakes don´t have so much power, since they are happening in the unseen.
Improvising is a very initimate moment since every note happens out of a feeling. Mistakes are allowed, cause we allow them to ourselves.
Therefore we have to differ between practising by yourself and improvising for yourself with a certain passion or confidence behind it.
Since that was a very personal moment not everybody wanted to share it.
Mareike was open to record it.
This is what came out of it:

http://lisaoettinghaus.neptune.com?selectedalbum=lisaoettinghaus421106

I like this version a lot cause it is a very intimate moment and it communicates through the open space for failure.


An Idea I got out of our recording session was, to use the third version as a come out kind of way
Means that I think the music piece is revealing a persons failure in a passionated thing.
And I just had the picture of a person coming into the room, putting on the music piece or even playing it live and than starts to tell the audience about the moment of failing in it.
It´ll be a direct communication to the audience.
It´s like an outing or even an evaluation of their failure.

I like that idea cause it brings an honesty and a raise of the topic of failure and the own handling of it, to it.
What would happen if each of them would present their moment of failure.
To not "show of " or produce that moment I´d like to have it played recorded not live.
What if they expose that moment. If they would explain their moment of failure, feelings, hates and likes.
I think I would like the moment of talking about the moment on stage. I think it can be really strong.
I like the idea of giving a statement or evidence on a failure moment.
Cause for me failure can be treated like a crime, by myself and also by others, so why not make a statement on it.

For the next rehearsals I like to start working with the first and the second version for the combination and the third version would be more for another part in the piece. I call it " statments of failure part".

4. Rehearsals

Today we had our 4th rehearsal and I started teaching them a dance sequence.



It is quite a hard sequence. A few steps I was just able to explane cause I couldn´t even do them myself.


I wanted to choreograph movements which they really have to practice a lot to get good in it and which are movements which more work out by coincidence than by skill.


Through that sequince I´d like to point out the failure through movement.


But after rehearsing the first part of that choreography I noticed that they really fast will get better and better.


So I have to look for possibilities how I give them a space they fail honestly.


I want them definitely to practice the piece a bit, cause I want them to really have worked hard on it.Cause I think that failing in a passionated thing is more honest. So they need to get passionated about that piece or at least related.


Also I don´t want them to feel humiliated but as humans, imperfect as they naturally are.

So the opportunity of just not let them rehersh the piece that much, drops out.

Another possibility would be to make the piece faster in the end of the process, to challenge them in the performance, or to give them some kind of restriction so that they are not able to move that well.


That idea I got from a picture (or scene) from Le Sacre Du Printemps.
Here we have a dancer who is caught up and restricted in her movements ( wrapped up in clothes arround her body).

But it is an outer factor which comes into the scene.An object, here it is the clothes and also in the scene the action of getting wrapped up, which I am not sure I´d like.

I could also create a movement sequence on paper, which they have to learn by heart and dance it out the first time on stage. The challenge would be to that they really don´t try the dance out before.

Summing up how to continue with the "failure piece":

• I can make it faster in the end of the process
• use some kind of body restriction
• create a movement sequence on paper

Another thing I got out of teaching them the piece is that I like more and more the idea of using somekind of music which is "failing" as well. That would just be an addition to the failing movemnts.
Therefore I could either use the music we will record tomorrow after the concept of the last tried version, where everybody was playing the same very hard music piece they practiced for themselves before. ( see clip in last blog version 1)

Or I could use another version which I recorded last time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClYRH2bsn_w

In this version, Mirjam is playing the turkish march on the Piano without any notes. She had the task to start anew whenever she makes a mistake.

In this version I like a lot, that the music piece is well known and that it has this almost annoying but happy sound. I think it works well with the idea of starting the piece anew every time when there is a mistake.

Cause this version puts the focus on the failure, since she had to start the piece anew as soon as she made a mistake, it´s much more clear what is happening and it also becomes a clearer relation to the audience cause it is annoying that she is failing all the time, and everybody knows how the song would sound right.
When I heard it, I first thought it was pretty funny, then I got really unpacient with her, and after a while I got annoyed by it and even angry and at the and it became sad.
I like how clear this version speaks.

Further thoughts on using the last music piece.

After recording that little music sequence of the turkish march by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, I tried out to combine the "failure sequence" with the "failure music piece".
Watching and listing to two different failure situations made it really strong.

After I put those two failure situations together I also let them dance the sequence with another music, which was very hard and loud beat music. About that music I liked that it almost dub or outplayed the failing movements. It was almost as if something from the outsite was trying to cover the failure.

Todays rehearsals went OK, as fare as we got to start on the movements.

The dancers felt very challenged by the sequence but were also quite sure they could dance it out quite good if they practise enought.

Since they got to learn the sequence with sneakers, they felt challenged to make the movement smoothly, cause they weren´t used to dance in shoes.

That´s it for today.

Next rehearsals we will spent on recording the music pieces.