Meet the Choreographers: McKenna and Faith

This week we'll be hearing some thoughts on the choreographic process from McKenna Emerine, a senior Arts Management major and Dance and Spanish minor, and Faith Setzke, a sophomore Dance major from Sauk City, WI.

MEET MCKENNA
Where did you find the inspiration for your concept?
I found inspirations for my piece through my family; how we interact and how we feel about each other. I really wanted to create a piece that honored members of my family and the guidance they have given me throughout my life.

What style is your piece? How many dancers are in the piece?
The style of my piece is ballet-contemporary and I have two dancers in my piece.

What are some strategies you use during the rehearsal process?
At the beginning of my rehearsal process I used improv to figure out how my dancers moved, and what movements they were comfortable with. Now I come up with choreography and they help me make it make sense! They are the ones that are dancing it has to feel right in their bodies.

How have you grown as an artist through the process of creating a new piece of choreography?
I am learning to express my ideas in a new, more complex way. I am also learning to make decisions about what I like and don't like and I am becoming more confident with my choreographic process as I go along.



MEET FAITH
Where did you find the inspiration for your concept?
The piece that I am choreographing came together when I went on my family vacation to Dubuque, Iowa with my parents. My piece is based on migration of people. I will be using the migration of monarch butterflies as a representation. This idea came together when I was at a wildlife museum and the directors where talking about the migration of monarch butterflies. This was a big deal this year because over 100 butterflies were tagged and about to be released to migrate to Mexico. I connected to the piece very personally because my grandmother and I would always studied butterflies and the way they live their lives. I incorporated all stages of the butterflies’ life from: beginning stages of life, the struggles of transformation, and taking reality by flight. This piece shows how migration can be a great thing and has struggles. I based this also on dance. Every dancer has a dream of some sort; they follow their path and don’t always make it. The ones that don’t give up after falling rise up to the challenge and can take on their dreams by flight.

What style is your piece? How many dancers are in the piece?
The style of dance I will be choreographing is modern-based with contemporary ballet, and there are five dancers ranging from freshman to junior dancers.

What are some strategies you use during the rehearsal process?
It was very important to me during the Afterimages auditions that I selected dancers with great stamina and strength. I plan always plan the rehearsal way in advance, I make notes when dance visions come to mind, I present the information to my dancers, and I fine-tune the music for the piece.

How does one of your “typical” rehearsals work?
Rehearsal material is prepped in advance, yet I am flexible and open to change depending how the piece is coming together with the various strengths of the dancers. I am trying to display how the instruction I’ve received to date at UWSP Department of Theatre and Dance has improved my overall ability to dance and make my dreams reality.

How have you grown as an artist through the process of creating a new piece of choreography?
I have grown through the process of creating a new piece with becoming one with myself. Since I am doing a piece that is meant for others I want them to love it as much as I do. By constructing and deconstructing I finally am able to see how even though one thing might not have worked right away a better thing can always come from it!

Meet the Choreographers: Jarrell and Anna

Welcome to our first round of Meet the Choreographers!  Every week, we'll share the reflections of a few of our choreographers on their creative process as they move toward Afterimages.

This week, we'd like to introduce you to Jarrell Homesly and Anna Kurzynski!  Jarrell is a junior dance major from Madison, WI, and Anna is a sophomore dance major from Rice Lake, WI.

MEET JARRELL

Where did you find the inspiration for your concept?
The piece that I am choreographing is a duet between Jalen Johnson and I, and it is about two homosexual boys who are together, but they are unaccepted by friends, family, and society. We show that we want to be together but can't because of all the negativity. I connected with this theme a lot personally. I found my inspiration from one person who didn't support my dancing or my sexuality: my dad. So my dad inspired me to create a piece where there is hurt and betrayal and distress, but then staying strong for who we are and what we believe in.

What style is your piece?  How many dancers are in the piece?
The style of the piece will be a mix between contemporary and lyrical, and there are two dancers, Jalen and I.

(Jarrell and Jalen are also choreographing a group piece, so some of the following answers also refer to Jarrell's process when working with a group of dancers.)
 
What are some strategies you use during the rehearsal process?
What I like to do in the very first rehearsal is have the dancers improv, so I can see how well they can connect with the song and emotion right away. I also like to see what moves are cooperated within the dancer to see if that is the stylistic quality I am interested in. I also like giving mini phrases to see how the dancer embodies that specific movement.

How have you grown as an artist through the process of creating a new piece of choreography?
I believe I have grown and still have yet to grow in this process. It is wonderful to see how the dancers take in information and make it their own work, as opposed to me giving them phrases and phrases of material and making them do it exactly how I want them to. I also believe that I have been taking risks with my comfort level by being able to share my experiences with my dancers so they have a very clear image of what we want to create as artist. It is all a process, but being able to share your work with others and have them understand my work is different than just dancing to a song.

How does one of your "typical" rehearsals work?
I would say that for a "typical" rehearsal, we quickly review the previous material that has been learned and just keep moving along with the other parts of the choreography.  I also love to explain why we are doing such a movement in the dance just to have the dancers understand what we are doing. and why it is important. 
 
Additional Information
I would just like to reiterate that I am making this duet through experience and I would really love for the audience and anyone who watches this to have a connection to what I have been through in my life and what I have accomplished over time.

MEET ANNA

Where did you find the inspiration for your concept?
Most of my inspiration came from my music. I came across a piece of music that I could both feel and envision movement to, and then ended up choreographing a short phrase to it. I really feel in love with music, so the idea has really just grown from there!

What style is your piece? How many dancers are in the piece?
I am choreographing a jazz piece that also has some contemporary elements incorporated. The piece is going to be a trio!

How have you grown as an artist through the process of creating a new piece of choreography?
I think that this process has really forced me to trust myself and my artistic choices. It is so easy to second-guess yourself when creating a whole new work. I have realized that the more I trust my gut then the more the work becomes what I want it to be. The whole process has forced me to "jump off the deep end," and truly be confident in what I am creating!

How does a typical rehearsal work?
I typically come to rehearsal prepared with some movement for the section of the dance we are working on. From there I teach it to the dancers, and then look at what does and doesn't work. I really want the movement to feel natural on the dancer's bodies, so we collaborate a lot as we build and adjust phrases.

Introducing the 2015 Directing Team

Welcome to the 2015 edition of the Afterimages blog!  This is where you will find an up-close look at the process of creating new choreographic works and bringing a dance concert to the stage.  We'll be posting interviews with the choreographers, photos from the rehearsal process, and other behind-the-scenes information for you to enjoy in the months leading up to Afterimages Unplugged (October 31-November 1) and Afterimages (December 9-13).

So, to start things off, we'd like to introduce you to the 2015 Afterimages Directing Team!

EMILY HEIN

 Emily is a senior member on the Afterimages Directing team. This is her second year on the team and she enjoys working to make the Afterimages process the best experience possible for the dance program students. Emily is pursuing degrees in both Dance and Arts Management. She expects to graduate from UWSP in Spring 2016. Emily performed in Afterimages Outtakes 2013 in the pieces entitled “Over the Pond,” and “In the Heat of Your Light”, and in Afterimages 2014 in “Me Fein.” Emily choreographed “Elongated Tongues” for Afterimages 2014. This Afterimages season, Emily is participating in two pieces as well as choreographing two pieces. 

 

MCKENNA EMERINE

McKenna is a senior member of the Afterimages team, and this is her second year on the team. She will be graduating in December of 2016 with an Arts Management major and Dance and Spanish minors. She has performed in Afterimages Outtakes her freshman, sophomore, and junior years, and she was in Afterimages as well her freshman year. This Afterimages season, McKenna is participating in two pieces, as well as choreographing one piece.

SYDNEY ENZLER

Sydney is a junior member of the Afterimages Directing team. This is her first year on the team and she is extremely excited to be a part of the process and to work with an amazing team. Sydney is pursuing a degree in Dance and expects to graduate from UWSP in Spring 2017. Sydney performed in Afterimages Outtakes 2013 in a piece entitled “Over the Pond", and in Afterimages 2013 she performed in "Play(fall)." She performed in "Elongated Tongues," and "Cardington Manor," in Afterimages 2014. This Afterimages season, Sydney is participating in four pieces, and cannot wait to help bring the choreographers visions to life.

IVY BOUDREAU

Ivy is a junior member of the Afterimages directing team, and is so excited to work with this amazing team to make the Afterimages process the best it can be.  She is pursuing a major in Dance and a minor in Psychology at UWSP, and expects to graduate in Spring 2017.  Ivy performed in Afterimages Unplugged 2014 in "The Dark Witches' Dance", and choreographed and performed in "how to be [invisible]".  She performed in Afterimages Outtakes 2013 in "Over the Pond" and "Dialogical Secrecy".  This Afterimages season, Ivy is participating in two pieces and choreographing one piece, and is so excited to help bring all of these choreographic visions to reality.