Hard Times

I haven’t written in a while, mostly because I’ve been struggling a little bit with getting this fight on its feet. It’s been an interesting few weeks, so I’ll try to recap as best as possible.

               It started with my first rehearsal with just my five fighters. I finished teaching them what I hadn’t gotten to the first day, and then we worked through a piece of basic choreography that eventually became the beginning phrase of the fight. I was told at my next rehearsal that the fight was being put into the context of a larger movement piece that represented the flash between families at the beginning of the show. They gave me a specific part of the music to work with… a part that lasts a total of 30 seconds. I started to get worried here. I’ve been feeling the whole time that I’ve been getting farther and farther away from the piece because my work schedule has limited my availability, and then being only given a small amount of time to work with, with fighters that I didn’t get to choose myself… I just started to feel very out of control.

               I ended up talking to two separate people about my concerns. The first one was Dusten, who explained that there are times in our careers as fight directors, if I were to choose to go down this path, where we won’t have much input. We may be brought in from the beginning, or only have a few hours to put something together. And there are times when we just have to accept that as fact, do our part, and move on. I understand that completely, and I know that the creative team for Performance Ensemble has a vision for the show. This is just where they’ve chosen to put me, and that’s ok. However, in terms for continuing to think of this as my capstone project, I’m not so sure.

               The other person I talked to was Sara Whale, one of my dance teachers and the person I took Improv and Choreography from. I told her about my worries, and she gave me a suggestion for an alternative. We’ve talked for a while about having me do a dance piece incorporating aspects of stage combat movement, and I originally did have an idea in my head for a piece to do at the upcoming Testing Ground presentation of new works. She suggested I take what I’ve put together for this fight, and make it into my own piece to present at Testing Ground. Though I haven’t fully made a decision yet, I’m leaning toward this because it means I can take the end product into my own hands. I wouldn’t use weapons, but flesh out the movement into something bigger. Adam thinks it’s a good idea, so it would just be a matter of finding the right people, and putting it all together.

               With that said, I still have Performance Ensemble to worry about. With some help from some friends and teachers, I started designing the shape and putting together the moves by myself, something I was originally scared of. I have five fighters, so there is a pair of two and then a group of three that fight together. The pair is Tybalt and Benvolio, the trio is Sampson and Gregory vs. Abram. In the context of the piece, they do the dialogue from the “bite your thumb” scene earlier in the movement piece, and then do the fight in a later section. I’m hoping to have someone come in as the Prince to break up the fight so that it reads smoothly. I’ve really enjoyed this process, as I’ve found ways to incorporate moves based off the characters stories and the abilities of the actors.

               The process of teaching the choreography has been a challenge because at the end of the day, most of these girls don’t have much fight or movement experience. There have been a lot of repeated corrections, and some instances of forgetting choreography. Also, lack of time and absences mean it’s difficult to be productive. The moves are taught; it’s just about drilling them now, and getting them up to speed in time for the show. The girls are very enthusiastic, though, which is a plus and keeps me going.

               It’s time to buckle down, and get the work done. I’m having Dusten look at video of fights to give me tips, and just need to keep my head in the game. Fighting on is the only way to get to the end J