Lesson 2
Creation & Inspiration
A wonderful book that I highly recommend is The Intimate Act of Choreography by Lynne Anne Blom and L. Tarin Chaplin. This book has a plethora of ideas to create and conceptualize your work. We will use some similar exercises in our intensive, but if you’re ever interested in looking deeper into choreography from a Western dance perspective, I really recommend this book.
As artists, we need inspiration to help fuel our ideas and the choreography process is no different. Inspiration can be in the form or other performers, art, music, nature, colors, fabrics, lighting, mood, movies, anything and everything that can help you know what you do and don’t want in your piece. Inspiration can give us direction, help us from feeling that we have no compass, and give us ideas about how to approach our creation.
Mood boards
Mood Boards (the new version of an old-school collage) are a great way to collect inspiration and develop your ideas. We’ll be doing a basic mood board exercise to help you look for inspiration, collect it and put all your ideas in a visual space. Then see how it resonates and how it helps shape your ideas.
I recommend using Pinterest or Canva for your mood board unless you are knowledgeable about another app such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or such. Pinterest is probably the easiest option, accounts are free and you need very little know-how to pin to your Mood Board. You can save photos, videos, etc, anything you like, as well as being able to pin from TikTok, Youtube, Facebook & Instagram. You can always use Google, Pinterest, or any other search engine, save photos and then add them to a Pinterest board, collage them together on Canva or another app. If you want to make a physical collage instead of a digital mood board that is also fine.
Here is a tutorial about how to use Canva for your mood board. You can add everything to Pinterest and just leave it there, or you can then download the photos to Canva and create a final graphic. Your mood board doesn’t need to be perfect, we are just collecting ideas and inspiration for the development of our piece. Then when your board is done, you can just take a screenshot of it and share that.
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR MOOD BOARD
Pictures - Add pictures and images that inspire you. It can be fashion, it can be performance art, it can be directly from Middle Eastern dance, or maybe it’s nature or society.
Videos - You can add clips or still shots of video or create a pin on Pinterest from Youtube, TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram. You can add dance videos that inspire you or styles that you want to emulate. You can post clips of your favorite dancers, or dancers who’s videos you enjoy.
Muses - Don’t be afraid to have a Muse or a couple of Muses. Artists, actors, or performers that give qualities and styles that you want to integrate and emulate. Maybe there is a specific part of your piece where you really want to mirror a specific dancer, use that to guide you and fuel your ideas.
Texture & Colors - Add pictures of different textures, colors, or fabrics that align with your ideas. Does your performance change from beginning to end? What Textures or colors represent those parts differently?
Costume Design - Start thinking now about what kind of costume is appropriate for your piece. How does this align with your ideas about texture and color? Do you already have the right costume? Do you new to make something new or find a costume designer? Include photos of costumes (not specifically just Middle Eastern dance) that reflect the type of design elements, fabrics, accessories, etc. that you want. Also thinking about your final performance for this intensive and how that might factor into how you see your piece.
Music - You can’t add a song to your mood board, but you can add the album cover, or a photo of the artist the song is by.
Text - Does your piece have lyrics, do any of them define your piece? Is there a quote that is motivating you? Is there an inspirational quote or idea that you want to set the tone for your process?
Setting, Ambiance, Energy - Take this time to also consider where want to perform your piece or where you would ideally like to perform your piece. Can you envision the lighting? The mood? What are you wearing? How do these aspects help to convey your ideas?
Final Product - We’ll all be presenting our choreographies at the end of the series in the Final Show, sooooo, start to imagine your setting, your venue, the lighting, etc. Where do you want to record this choreography? What do you want it to feel like? Look like? Use your mood board to express and explore.
EXAMPLE: BALADI MOOD BOARD
Here is an example of a Mood Board I made for a potential Baladi piece. I included costume items and photos of dancers in costumes that I want to integrate, photos of society and social activity to reflect my desire for a culturally grounded Baladi representation, and the type of attitude and energy I want to bring to the piece. There are icons of the past and present that inspire my approach, videos of performances that I want to emulate, and a quote and a book that reflect ideas about Baladi women and society. Because my piece is based in a representation of a living social dance and folklore, it is highly representative in my mood board. That doesn’t mean this will be what your board looks like, this is just an idea about how I focused my ideas about what I wanted to do, and what visually represents that to me.
If you’re doing a fantasy piece, a Mejance, a Tarab piece, this could look quite different. This isn’t about perfection, or correct, it’s about collecting ideas and inspiration to help you imagine what your piece could be like and then using those ideas for creation.
FROM SONG MAPS & MOOD BOARDS
TO MOVEMENT
Once we have collected our inspiration, developed our song maps, we now have a ton of information and ideas to work with. Now it’s time to take these ideas and translate them into movement.
Improvisation Exercises for Exploration
It is imperative to play around with your ideas. We want to find ways to take abstract ideas, qualities, feelings, characteristics, and turn them into physical representations, or take structured ideas about physical concepts and see what works. Over these next exercises, we’ll be taking something conceptual and finding a way for the body to communicate that message, or take something literal and see what works for our artistic expression and needs.
ABSTRACT & CONCEPTUAL
Muse - Pick a Muse. It can be a dance muse, an actor, a famous person, a family member. Then dance your section of the music as this person. Embodying how they express themselves, how they communicate with their bodies. This can be very helpful when creating a piece to think about the artists that inspire you, or the dancers that you enjoy, and think about how they might express different ideas. I suggest also researching and watching videos of these dancers, looking for moves or expressions that you like, and then play around with them in your own piece. (I am not condoning or promoting plagiarism, I’m saying get inspired by other artists and people, and use that to fuel your own expression).
Emotional Fuel - This about what emotion you feel from the music, OR what emotion you want to express during this part of the music. Don’t just think about your facial expressions, although they are important, think about where you look, your posture, your body angles, and how you communicate emotion with your body language. How do you stand when you’re angry? How do you walk when you’re sad? Pick movements that align with your emotion, but furthermore, communicate your emotion with your body regardless of the movement.
Qualities of Movement - Think about textures and qualities that the music can exhibit or that you want to express. Airiness, sloth, depression, resistance, warmth, sand, trees blowing in the wind. Experiment with a section of music while trying to physically express a quality of movement. How does silk move and feel? How can you move like seaweed underwater? How can you express compassion and warmth through movement?
Style - Think about what style you want to dance in this section. Is it 1970’s American Cabaret or does it have a Dina 90’s Egyptian feel? Do you want to dance it like Randa Kamel or does it imply a more Golden Era Naema Akef approach? Is it a Baladi? Like who? Like Fifi? Like the Baladi style that comes out of Argentina? Pick a style and explore your section with this concept.
LITERAL & PHYSICAL
Body Parts - We can often be very general when we decide what we want to do (ei. hip work, traveling, shimmies). Try and isolate a specific part of the body and dance with just that part. Really beautiful things can come out of dancing a section with your left hand, or from your collar bones. Don’t be afraid to get specific and playful.
Breathing - Place a larger emphasis on your breath in relation to the expansion and contraction of your movement. Allow your breath to be more present and incorporate it into your movements. Don’t worry about what you miss, find how breathwork connects into the flow of the music and allows you to find natural expressions. As you inhale and exhale, your body expands and contracts how does this change your movement? How does it connect with the music?
Moves You Don't Use - We often have moves that we don’t use and those that we use alllll the time. Select a few moves that you never use and improvise the section. You can use other movements as transitions but focus on working through these less frequently used movements and seeing what happens.
Moves You Want To Use - Thinking about what you’re interested in communicating in this section, select a few moves that you want to try and integrate. Don’t just pick the easiest moves for you or the ones you use all the time, think critically about your choice. These can be movements that you’ve been inspired to use by Muses. Then improvise the section playing with these moves a couple of times and see what happens.
Layer Cake - You can always think about the layers of the music. Think about what you want to express and which layer best captures that. Pick a section of music and improvise all of the different layers of music, see which you like the best and then build from them. After your musicality concept is decided, then try and structure your improvisation on some of the other options here.
More Ideas - There are many different ways to practice developing choreography and improvisation. The book I recommended, The Intimate Act of Choreography by Lynne Anne Blom and L. Tarin Chaplin, has many.
MAKE A LIST(S)
When in doubt, make a list. If you’re stuck, make a list of all the movements that might work for the musicality you want to express. Then working from this list narrow down some ideas and improvise with them. Picking out options you don’t normally use, ones that you see your muses use, and ones that you want to try and incorporate. It’s never a bad idea to make a list of your options and work through them.
MOVEMENT APPLICATION Video
IMPROVISATION Exercises
STARTING TO CREATE
Now we’re going to start to move! This can be a scary step, but if you think about it,
it’s really no big deal, this is why we showed up, to dance :)
RECORDING YOURSELF
I cannot overly stress how useful it is to record yourself. While it may be scary, and watching ourselves on video may feel more like watching everything that’s wrong with what we’re doing, we actually want to focus on what we like and what’s going well. Michael Jordan could have the game of his life, he will still be able to find all the flaws or missteps that occurred, but none of that negates the things that went right. When we watch our videos, we need to remember that it’s an imperfect work in progress, and we’re just looking for the little things that we like. Be compassionate like you would be if you were watching the video of a friend, and find a small thing, anything, that you like about what is happening.
STARTING WITH THE WHOLE PIECE
If you don’t know where to start, I suggest maybe dancing the song 2-3 times all the way through. Set up your camera to record you, full-body, and after every take, stop the video so you have a separate video of each run-through. You can have your song map nearby, but feel free to give yourself the opportunity to explore, experiment, and dance around. This can be done either in front of a mirror or without (probably actually better without a mirror) turn on your song, keep your choreography map in mind, and start to let your body move around without pressure. Feel free to close your eyes.
We always dance better when no one is watching, why? Because there's no pressure, we're not as insecure, we're not trying to meet expectations, so our natural tendencies and creation just flow. Your best friend is to let this awesomeness flow and to strip away your inhibitions. It's very important you don't pay attention to the camera, but how you feel and how the music moves you.
After you’ve run your piece 2-3 times, you’ve recorded each one, sit down and watch them. We’re looking for information, not everything that “went wrong” or “isn’t right”. That type of hypercriticism will only slow you down, and keep you from taking risks and moving forward. None of these run-throughs are going to be like your finished product will be, but in order to get there, we need to take this first messy step.
If you like to take notes, you can write down the ideas that you LIKE, or the things that worked or went well. If something didn’t work, just acknowledge it and think about what would be more suitable. You can update your song map as you go if that helps you. WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR PERFECTION, we're not expecting ANYTHING from this video. What we're looking for are moments. One movement, one look, one combination, one transition, one accent, that you can say, "That I actually liked" even if it only lasted 2 seconds.
Video 1. :35-:40 I think facing backward in that section looks good, play with this.
Video 1. 3:30-3:40 These moves, but in a different order.
Video 2. 1:20-1:50 I like these ideas for percussion musicality.
Video 3. :15 I like the way this starts the piece.
Once you find a couple of these moments, or even just one, then you can keep working with that idea and develop it further.
STARTING WITH A SECTION
I don't believe you have to start at the beginning of the song or anywhere specific, I actually believe you should start where you are the most excited and what part most interests you or you can simply start wherever you want. If you found something in your full run-throughs that you like, I suggest you start playing around with that. If you didn’t do that exercise and know where you want to start, I suggest you pick a section, probably no longer than 15-30 seconds, and start playing around. I tend to pick smaller sections, work small and build.
BUILDING FROM A MOVEMENT OR MOMENT
We're going to build around one move, or one moment that you have identified. Select the small section you want to work on, set up the camera, and plan on recording yourself 4 times in a row to just that part of the music, but trying different things each time while working around your “movement” or “moment” (the Movement Application video below walks you throw this exact process). Then once you’re done, look at my video and see what you liked and what you didn't like. Usually, you'll find at least 1 thing that you liked OR you'll recognize that something isn't working, and you need to decide what would be more suitable to try. Use the information from this round, apply it to your combo (add a move, change the angle) without music at first. Try and form the ideas without the pressure of the music. Then record again, doing another 4 rounds and trying out your ideas. After a little bit, I will be adding to the front and the end of the original movement/moment. As I’m creating I get more specific about what I’m trying out each round. If you get caught doing the same thing each time, specifically decide what each round is going to be; Round 1 use omis, Round 2, add a shimmy, Round 3 undulations, Round 4 shoulders. Work through those ideas and watch the video to see what sticks.
I will usually work on this process for 20-45 mins, adding and building around my initial idea until something resembling a combination is formed. This is called a phrase. It's not simply a combination of movements because a phrase implies thought, intention, context, and communication. It is not simply random words thrown together, it is a sentence that communicates something.
Then I stop, rest, and come back to my piece and the phrase another day. Phrases are built in stages, let yours evolve. Generally, when I return, things that were not exactly working before have fresh air and ideas. I will try something different, and the phrase will change. This is why I always like to give my creations time. A combo can be nice, or decent, but if you give it some space, you can let it evolve, and then it becomes a phrase.
If you're having trouble making a decision about what version of a combo to keep, videotape them all and watch them back to back to see how it makes you feel. Then think about the context of the song and what you want to communicate in this section before making your choice. This is often the hardest part, people say “I don’t know what I want”, “I don’t know what I like”, “I’m not sure which is best”. The truth is that there is no best, only your artistic decision. Trust and empower yourself to make a decision based on how you want to dance and what you want to express.
I personally find that my choreographies are better if I let them develop over a longer period of time. I have the energy and inspiration to breathe new expression into them, instead of being so demanding of myself and expecting it to just pour out immediately and be everything I want it to be now. It’s important to realize that this choreography will change and develop over time, which is normal and expected. Embrace the evolution, it wasn’t meant to be finished today.
DECISION MAKING
At a certain point you just have to make a decision. That’s not today, or right now, but eventually you’ll have to just decide to stick with something. This is one thing that plagues many dancers, “Why do I pick which move, and do I even really like it?”. While you’re going through your process, settle with the fact that you won’t be 100% in love with every choice you make, or every move you choose and this is totally normal. Some moves are filler moves, some moves are starts, and a lot of them are more about the combination they sit in, than the single move itself.
DECISION MAKING QUESTIONS
Does it fit well in my combination?
Does it work with the musicality I want to express?
Is this a “go to” move or am I working beyond what’s easy?
Does it help me express my message and ideas for my piece?
Do I like it?
IF it could be better, HOW? What would that look like? Be specific.
(If you don’t have an answer for this last question, either move on or ask for help).
*** DO NOT let this question hang you up on every single move. If you’re constantly arriving at this question and saying, “it could be but I’m not sure how”. Then ignore this question and refer to the others.
If enough of these things align, then you’re good to go, define the move. Remember, you can always go back and change it, but if you’re going to do so, re-read this list and think… but WHY am I changing it? And what could better express my ideas? Don’t just change moves because you can, that’s a waste of time and of your mental energy.
There is no magic move that is going to all of the sudden make your doubt disappear, but if your movement or combination is ticking off the boxes, if it’s following the concept of the material and theory we’re learning, then I think you’ve made a good choice. Remember that you can then change things later on, choreography and ideas evolve. That’s also why I’m here. You make these decisions and then you send me your video. From that point I can give you guidance to sooth your doubt and questions about how to evolve it, or if it’s really meeting the mark. In this program we’re going to balance pushing for an elevated and thoughtful expression and interpretation, with the reality of picking moves, not every move being the best move in the world, and that it’s about the entire expression of the piece, not that 4 counts of vertical figure 8’s that’s going to make or break your piece. This piece is being created over 6 months. You do not need to make all of your decisions now. Remember this list of helpful questions and when in doubt, ask yourself them to find some sense of security in your choice and along yourself to move on.
MOVEMENT APPLICATION VIDEO
BUILDING FROM A MOVE or MOMENT
PERSONAL DEMANDS
One of the most important things here is to remember, start small. Create a small, simple base, some footwork, a body pose, whatever have you, and allow yourself to build on it. Many dancers who have trouble sticking to choreography are constantly doubting themselves, that doubt will never allow you to actually stick with a move or a combo. Give yourself permission to be flawed, give yourself permission to not have something be perfect, and start to piece small things together even if it's not exactly what you want right now. Then you can get feedback, process, and move forward. This first part of the process is where most people fail because they cannot let go enough to just put something simple together and let it blossom. Understand that this is a growth process and it will take time. Rome wasn't built in a day at this choreography won't be either. Let go of the "should be" feelings... When you're contained, when you put demands on yourself, you limit yourself and your expression.
Remember to balance out style and your personal voice. Think of a style as a language, when you speak that language you still need to express yourself and be uniquely you. Don't let the language make you, let it’s structure help you communicate within its rules. Use the tools, vocabulary, and grammar of the language to say what it is that YOU want to say.
PS. Enjoy yourself! It may seem silly, but a lot of time we disconnect from what we love about this dance because we feel it needs to be something specific. Enjoy the process, remember what you want to express, and it will be everything it needs to be. <3
FEEDBACK, CRITIQUE
& CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
Thinking about our theory from this week’s lesson, give me feedback on the integration of my Baladi Mood Board ideas into my improvisation of this section of music.
QUESTIONS
Was I able to translate the ideas from my Mood Board into movement? If yes, how so?
What was missing from my improvisation based on my Baladi Mood Board and description?
What is it that you felt could have gone better and how does this relate to the theory we’re working on in this Lesson?
What suggestions would you give for improvement?
Lesson 2 ASSIGNMENTS
DUE ON TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY OCT 28TH
These to be turned into amandaroseonline@gmail.com
Mood Board - Create your mood board on any of the recommended platforms and share it with Amanda Rose. (Make sure you give access if it’s a private page). You can always take a screenshot and share that. Be prepared to share your Mood Board in the Live Group Session 3, so have a screenshot, pdf, or webpage you can easily share through Zoom.
Mood Board Description - Write a blurb about what your mood board is representing and how that connects to your ideas about your piece. (See my example below my Baladi Mood Board)
From Song Map & Mood Board to Movement - What improvisation exercises do you think will support you in translating your song map and mood board ideas into movement? What are some of the ideas that you want to practice (ei. Muse, Movement Qualities, Body Language, etc.) in order to give your abstract ideas a physical representation? What are some of the more literal and physical improvisation structures that you think will be helpful to you? Think about adding these to your song map for reference over time and helpful reminders.
Video Submission - Send a video of the first section(s) that you start working on in the choreography. Please do not send the entire song, because no one should be working on the entire song right now. Focus on the parts that you’re putting together, a recommended 20-40 seconds of material is good. You can submit different sections in multiple videos, but not multiple videos of the same section.
Feedback, Critique & Constructive Criticism - Answer the questions and submit.