Session A: 9AM – 10:30AM
Arts. Session A – Performance, East Ballroom, Union
SESSION A (9:00-10:30AM)
Location: East Ballroom, A. Ray Olpin University Union
Uncovered: A Dance Performance Using Music Created by the Movement
Miranda Squire, Brigham Young University
Cassidy Schroyer, Brigham Young University
Christian Maucotel, Brigham Young University
Faculty Mentor Shani Robison, Brigham Young University
SESSION A 9:00-9:15AM
East Ballroom, Union
Arts
For my undergraduate senior capstone project at Brigham Young University, I choreographed an original contemporary dance solo to original music created by the dancer’s movement in real-time as the dancer performs the choreography. The title of this choreographic work was Uncovered and explored the challenge of many dancers–that of overcoming perfectionism. This project was a creative collaboration with Christian Maucotel, an undergraduate music major at Brigham Young University who used the application TouchOSC to create music that senses the actions of the dancer using a MUGIC, a handmade device. Through this creative process, Christian and I experimented and researched a new and innovative way to merge music composition and choreography, one that has not been previously accomplished. This innovation has provided a new way for the dancer to interact with the music, resulting in a unique approach to performance. Instead of following our own preferences in choreography and music composition, we were mutually guided through the process of how to better enhance both the music and choreography to create a powerful and unified product. This collaborative creative project has been a very enriching and educational process and we are pleased with the innovative and ground-breaking product we have been able to create together.
Exploring Trisha Brown’s Methodical Approaches to Choreography
Melanie Allridge, Southern Utah University
Faculty Mentor Andrea Vazquez-Aguirre, Southern Utah University
SESSION A 9:20-9:35AM
East Ballroom, Union
Arts
When it comes to Trisha Brown, most people in the modern dance community know who she is, or they know of her because of how iconic she was when exploring new movement ideas in modern dance. She seemed to lead the evolution of modern dance for decades throughout her career, and almost every new work she presented was ground-breaking. The question is then, what about Brown’s approaches made her outcomes so successful at each point in her career? To name a few of her approaches, Brown used internal rhythms, postmodernism, accumulations, Locus (her famous cube), and intense examination of musical scores to create her works. Brown created her own choreographic devices and combined them with improvisation and trial and error to create her works. Oftentimes, she had to write down or draw her new concept on a piece of paper before being able to translate that idea into her dancers’ bodies. Although each of her approaches was unique and different from the next, I primarily used an interview I conducted with one of Brown’s dancers, Mariah Maloney to uncover Brown’s recipe for success. This interview, coupled with primary and secondary information from books, performance reviews, and peer-reviewed articles, led me to find one prominent theme between all of Brown’s processes. Which is, Brown always kept her dancers’ abilities in mind when creating a new work, which brought a sense of comfortability that showed from her dancers. Through this research, I hope to help other choreographers utilize Brown’s way of working to find success in their own processes.