NYC Sparkworks

Some of you may be asking, “So what the hell are we doing Ben?” I’m glad you asked, but please don’t yell at me like that. I will go over the whole concept here. There is a lot, so read as much as you care too and stop if you get bored. I will go over all the little details once we actually get to rehearsing.

The Theme:
Theme-atic-ly we are exploring, “Manifest Destiny.” You know. Western Expansion, The American Frontier, or The American Holocaust. It is the story of when native and immigrant worlds collided. Cultures that have been assimilated, but have also merged. That’s who we are right now. We are a hodge podge of different talents and backgrounds coming together, borrowing from different cultures to create something that is hopefully better than what has ever come before.
If none of that makes any sense just give it some time. Keep in mind, this is dance which is necessarily abstract. We won’t be acting out Wounded Knee or any such literal didactic pedagogy. That stuff is for amateurs.

The Method:
My training as a choreographer is Modern Dance and a school of directing called Viewpoints. It’s a way of breaking down performance into its components and really helps communication between performers. Some of you got a quick lesson in viewpoints last year and we will start rehearsals with a refresher. You can get an overview of the viewpoints here.
http://www.sixviewpoints.com/
In addition to Viewpoints I have been cruising the museums here and at the Smithsonian to get some background on Native American ceremonies. We will combine all this together for the work.

The Materials:
In case I haven’t mentioned I have been doing this for a few years now. I am kinda sick of all the usual gear, so we are going to try some new instruments more in keeping with out theme. Here’s what we have thus far.

Hoops: You guys are getting off easy. Hoops are a central part of Native cultures so we are definitely using them. However, we are going to really try to find some new movement for this focusing on partnering.

Rings: Basically little hoops, I have made metal rings that can be thrown rolled and spun around your arms (if you have kevlar sleeves on). We are coming up with new movement for these.

Staff: We don’t have a lot of staff people but they are important for this show. We have some aerialists in our troupe this year who will be working on staves held up by braves. There will also be partnering for staff and some more traditional staff work.

Fans: I have made fans that snap open and shut. Some of you have already worked with these. And I am making improvements so that they don’t burn all your armhair off.

Poi?: I am asking a lot of you guys. The poi will become our musical accompaniment. The bullroarer is an ancient and sacred instrument used by many native peoples in America. It is most well known from the aborigines in australia though. They sound like a airplane propeller and if you get a few going it’s like a horde of locusts are descending. I have a stack of 8 bullroarers that will be incorporated into poi. It’s looking like the you guys might be learning the art of the meteor if 2 are too much to handle. I can get you started on that.

Costumes:
Last year we made masks, which were a good start, but many of us felt like we needed to go a lot farther so we are going to go crazy this time. I haven’t seen all of you move yet, so I will give you a place to start with the costumes as soon as we get into practice. Remember we aren’t going for authentic, we are drawing inspiration from Native American and Immigrant and Modern Post Assimilation American styles. Below are the things I like, but some of you are way more qualified than me with costumes so go to town. We do want some common motifs and here are some suggestions

Masks: We are definitely doing more forehead masks this year. I think we were just figuring out how to use them. I think masks are awesome.

Crowns/Headdresses: There are a whole series of ceremonial crowns. The Apache feather headdress is the most famous example, but mostly they are for the ladies. Traditionally they are made from wolf and bear claws and feathers. We will probably use something else.

Period wear: All Wild West Wear is fair game. Ladies in corsets and bloomers Dudes in boots and union blue coats and lots and lots of shiny brass buttons. (Nobody say steampunk out loud)