Meet the Choreographers: Ariana and Emily

This week we will be featuring Ariana Shank, a Graphic Design major and Dance minor from Sheboygan, WI, and Emily Hein, a Dance major from De Pere, WI.

MEET ARIANA
Where did you find the inspiration for your concept? 
Ironically, it came from my recognition of my creative process; simply creating art, and creating conceptual ideas behind my work and projects. Being a Graphic Designer, 2D Artist, and a Performing Artist, I realized that for me personally,  these require a creative process that is the same across the board, for each one. I wanted to create a piece that went through stages I experience through all of the art forms I am involved with. 

What style is your piece?  How many dancers are in the piece? 
It is mostly modern/contemporary, with a bit of goofiness and sass. I selected six beautiful dancers to make my idea come to life, and am still debating putting myself in the mix, making it a total of 7. I give so much credit to those choreographers who can easily put themselves in their own piece, I found it so hard to do! 

What are some strategies you use during the rehearsal process? 
The first rehearsal I watched how the dancers moved together through improvisation. I also improvised a lot and recorded it to get a more specific type of movement quality I wanted, and pulled movements in that were incorporated from it. I also had them write down a story and create a solo from their story, some of which I have used in the piece, or extracted for other parts. 

What does a "typical" rehearsal look like? 
Typical is very dependent on the day and the agenda, I sometimes even discover what we will be working on once everyone is there and I see them together in the room. I usually begin with a small idea of what I know we need to work on in rehearsal, and then it just builds on whatever I think needs the most attention. I love to bounce my ideas off of them, and receive feedback, or hear if they have any ideas themselves. I like to think it is a fun environment for my dancers, we laugh a ton, and poke fun at some of the movement qualities and ideas we collaborate on or that I make up. However, very rarely do we get too off track or out of focus. I give them a lot of credit because I feel like most of the time I am pulling ideas out of thin air, and
I can’t image how hard it must be to follow what I want them to do, and they are wiling to do anything. 

How have you grown as an artist through the process of creating a new piece of choreography? 
One very specific area I have discovered about myself is that I can not create movement outside of rehearsal. It is something that I have to do on the spot during our rehearsal to get a better feel of specifically what I want in that point of time. That is the joy I find in choreographing, and one that I believe relates to my 2D and design work, I can only do it in the moment, I think that is when I can truly create something meaningful and sincere. 

MEET EMILY
Where did you find the inspiration for your concept?

The inspiration for my concept came from my own journey within the dance program. Often times I have had to remind myself to enjoy the journey and the process versus strictly focusing on the destination. However, sometimes, no matter how hard I try to find freedom as a dancer, I may be hesitant to change.

What style is your piece?  How many dancers are in the piece?

The style of my piece is modern and I have 8 wonderful cast members.

What are some strategies you use during the rehearsal process?

The major strategy I use in rehearsal is creating a base. If I have any ideas, first, I teach my cast the material. Second, I manipulate the material by having the dancers have a different facing, timing or direction. As a choreographer, my favorite part is being able to play with the phrase material because I enjoy seeing an original through turn into a developed idea.