I had never held an interest in
choreography before, and when I was first directed to this video, I admittedly did
not expect much of it. I assumed that I would, as always, simply watch it and
analyze it without truly immersing myself in the task with genuine interest. I
was, instead, met with an unexpected surprise.
Wayne McGregor is an outstanding man.
What I found particularly fascinating is
how he takes a simple shape, and turns it into, as Mark Hill would call it, an
extraordinary figure. He took the letters of TED, and in mere moments, with just
a few gestures and experimenting of the body, McGregor managed to create an
image. I would never have thought that the letter T alone could be represented
in so many ways. He also performed it in such a distinct variety of styles –
dynamic, subtle, static – there was so much variation that even though I knew
that he was merely presenting one image, a common letter, I found it
interesting to watch.
It was also astounding how quickly the two
dancers behind McGregor picked up on his movements so quickly, and it was
interesting to see how ideas evolved as it was passed along. Both dancers
seemed to have picked up different aspects of the initial demonstration, with
the girl following the more stocky movements while the other seemed to have
picked up on the more fluid motions.
I think this would be interesting to try in
class.
I also did further research on McGregor’s
performing troupe, by the name of Random Dance. I found it ironic how something
called ‘random dance’ could feel so complete, and not erratic or out of place
as the name would suggest. He works with so many aspects of the performing
arts: theater, choreography, visual arts, film, technology, science… it is
clear as day that Wayne McGregor is an outstanding man. I have found that he
has one countless awards, with the most prestigious being the title of Commander
of the Order of the British Empire in January 2011…
…
I think I will be reading about this man
very frequently in the future.
Like many artists, he works in a multitude of areas in order to develop his craft/artwork. I would love to read more about him as well as I was not as familiar with him and I was absolutely intrigued by his method of devising. In what ways do you think we could use this in class?
ReplyDeleteI also need to have you stop by my office Sabrina if that is okay.
Thanks,