Summer School
for Stockholm
DANCE MOVEMENT THEATRE
7 DAY COURSE
STOCKHOLM SWEDEN
21st
Celebration
EVENING DANCE
HAMILTON HOUSE
BRISTOL - UK
The Flower Drum
2019
4 DAY DANCE INTENSIVE
CORNWALL
UK
The River That Finds
Us
1 YEAR FOUNDATION COURSE
CORNWALL
UK
A FILMIC STUDY ON THE NATURE OF GRIEF
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
THE PERFORMANCE PROCESS
Follows as it unfolds. For A PECULIAR SHADE OF BLUE, we are interested in listening closely to the intelligence of grief itself as a natural force in order to understand it better, rather than analysing or squeezing it into a known interpretation. Curiosity is key, along with working from a starting place of humility and not knowing.
The performance process is rooted in the respect and trust of dialogue with the natural world, and the ability of the body to comprehend, even when the mind does not, the shared language of flesh and soil. The ultimate discipline is to get out of the way.
To navigate grief, six distinct anchors went on to act as my map and my guide, becoming the STANZAS. Each rooted in the biological observation of how grief moves through the physical form, the stanzas provided pools of focus, making sure I did not get lost yet could remain precise in my quest, at the same time as bridging internal and external realities through tangible matter or sensation.
Inside that trust, the performance process works through a complex set of arcs of connection and layers of attention, where everything that may arise via the natural world in moments of exploration is read as active dialogue. It is then for myself to respond in turn inside the moment and so our dialogue unfolds.
The performance process then evolves through sustained contact with the land and all natural forces of that time - we simply observe reflections as they arise. In time, choreography is drawn directly through and out of that sensate dialogue, and over time, a story, unique unto itself, will unfold.
This is the entire point of this work. It is an act of translation.
It is a long, patient process.
FILMING
In the most practical sense, the creative process means hours spent on the land. As the attention of performance has to be sustained in a complete and unwavering way for long periods of time, the most effective way to film is on a single camera, through a still frame. In this way, the majority of A Peculiar Shade of Blue has been solo shot, with camera crew brought in to highlight detail at a later stage.
THE RIG
THE WRITTEN WORD
The written word is a natural extension of the performance process, and follows time spent on the land. The writing process works in reverse. After allowing impulses to settle in the body post working with the land, trusting that the body completely understands and will be able to translate the language of the natural world - a period is spent free writing.
Poetics tend to fall naturally, often keying into imagery or sensation experienced during that day. Each session will tell its own story, from beginning to end and everything in between. The writing process revisits that experience, allowing subtle narratives to crystallise on the page. It is another form of translation.
The project will, in good time, deliver an art book and greater version of the written word, to include still photography, diary entries, interviews and insights to accompany the films, and I hope, work as a most beautiful companion.
BOOK OF POEMS offers a skeleton version of the poetry resting inside the initial script as it is written for Iteration #1 as an interim, and is intended for audience members who have attended A Peculiar Shade of Blue in person.
AUDIENCE INCLUSION
Audience inclusion has always played a vital role in the development and delivery of any body of work. During the making of A Peculiar Shade of Blue, a small audience travelled inside the project via membership, offering an experiential journey.