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.