remaking People in the Sun

As I stated earlier this evening, I have decided to recreate People in the Sun, a work I created two springs ago for my senior thesis at Hunter College. It was part of a larger work, Pictures, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper. 

This piece is especially dear for me for a number of reasons. I had just started choreographing and was constantly exploring and discovering new things about my movement vocabulary and poetic impulses. And I had just come across advertisements for an opera, Later the Same Evening, by Leon Major and Mark Campbell. It was late winter and I was itching for the spring. And, perhaps the most important aspect of my inspiration, my grandmother, who was very ill, passed away in late winter. Loretta West was a beautiful woman, very intelligent and healthy. She was also very young. When she passed from cancer, I was sad and confused. People in the Sun became an Ode for her. I wanted it to be a pure movement dance that evoked youth and revery. On that same impulse, it was an ode to all I had learned in my college career. It was then that I discovered dance and immersed myself in the classics (Limon, Taylor and the post-mod classic, Ms. Trisha Brown). Originally created as a trio ladies dance set to Philip Glass' Freezing. Created with dancers, Mary Ellen Carafice and Laura Schubert, it became a very important step in my choreographic development.

I am currently reworking it into a solo (and I intend to eventually recreate the trio with newer, revised phrase-work) to Bach Cello Suite Nº 3 as performed by Heinrich Schiff, the Allemande. It is a beautiful piece of music. So, here are two video clips that are largely improvisational. There are a few root phrases. 


Disclaimer: I apologize for the wobbiness of certain moments (especially the arabesques). Today was a hard day for me, dance-wise. I was feeling dehydrated and very tired. I also feel very stiff and need a chance to work on my core and extensions. I think it's because I am not dancing nearly as much as I anticipated. I reckon by the time I return to NYC, that will be a different story. I will be working as much as I can in my free time. 

Well, after several attempts to post the videos here, I will have to refer you to my vimeo page... my internet is a bit languid tonight. Enjoy! http://vimeo.com/14225481

Hope you enjoy the day's practice. This piece is something I keep returning to, so it feels nice to begin to get it out.

-m