tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18908029244642320032024-03-13T15:33:35.109-04:00Move About Itnews, reflections, diary entries of a choreographerjaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-80856774666888171292017-04-22T21:41:00.000-04:002017-04-22T21:41:10.254-04:00DANCE STATS is back!That's right. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://dancestatsonline.com/">dancestatsonline.com</a><br />
<br />
The experiment is online in full interactive glory, and we're continuing the conversation here! I'll continue to update this post with questions and comments from our new expanded audience. Check back soon...jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-33062448765344753652015-07-15T11:51:00.000-04:002015-07-15T13:40:13.041-04:00overflowing lifeTwo weeks ago, I was nailing a petit allegro in class, relishing how strong and healthy my body feels -- I just ran a marathon! I just choreographed and performed in a dance film! -- when I landed on my left foot, felt a twist, heard a snap, and felt that sick-to-your-stomach-adrenaline-this-is-not-nothing feeling rush over me. <br />
<br />
When the doctor brought in my x-ray results, I wanted to laugh. (What I really did was burst into tears and start apologizing for being so dramatic.... typical.)<br />
<br />
So here I am, sitting in a coffee shop in Brooklyn, broken foot in a cast propped up in front of me. Spending the majority of 2014 and 2015 injured is not really what I expected in my late 20's... I've been fortunate; in my first twenty-two years of dancing, I was injured twice. Now I've doubled my number. <br />
<br />
There has been much written about dancers and athletes and what injuries mean to us and, more specifically, to the ways we identify ourselves, and I won't add anything profound to that conversation. In fact, I've never solely identified myself as "DANCER," not because I didn't want to, but because somehow I always felt I had to compensate for my perceived lack of talent by being proficient at other things. (There are a million psychological strands in <i>that </i>we could explore, but let's just take it at face value for now.) Additionally, at this point in my career, I'm much more interested in the creative process than in churning out pirouettes - thank goodness. So in a way I've spared myself some the fraught emotional response to a loss of personal identity.<br />
<br />
But for as long as I can remember, I've felt strong, physically capable, independent, and I've allowed that to be a surprisingly large part of my identity. I've grown into a don't-mess-with-me kind of lady. I'm embarrassed to share how this applies in my everyday life. It shows up physically-- I silently feel superior when my coworkers are surprised I carried a clothing rack by myself, I love the look of surprised neighbors when I carry my bike up to our third-floor walkup, I always walk briskly on escalators when I'm by myself, etc. It shows up in my work -- you can count on me for a deadline, even if it's not great for me or anyone else. It shows up in my personal life -- last Christmas I was so determined to be home with my family that we rented a car and drove 5 hours through a blizzard after our flight was delayed, and arrived at 4am on Christmas morning (and I got the esophagus ulcer to prove it). <br />
<br />
The obvious lesson in there is to <i>slow down. </i>There have been wonderful pieces written about that, too, about the Western cultural drive to work-work-work, about the folly of going hard in your youth. I don't need to add to that conversation either. Injuries teach us to be patient, to slow down, to step back. We know this.<br />
<br />
The thing is, I really thought I learned that last year. Like, really took it in. I took my time. I was patient with physical therapy. I was careful to mix up my impact days when I was marathon training. (I was <i>marathon training</i>, though, and I'm ruefully self-aware about how that sounds.) I've been taking a hard look at what there is for me, this time around.<br />
<br />
Here's what I notice, from this chair, in this coffee shop. A part of my life, a big part of it, is missing right now. I can't dance, I can't run around in the park, I can't climb stairs two at a time. I know that's temporary. And in the meantime, I can be creative. I can contribute in a big way to my job with my intellectual work. I can cook new recipes. I can take silly instagram pictures of New York. I can connect with my friends, my family, people on the street. There's art to see, there's this wonderful guy I get to hang out with, there's music to listen to, there's writing to do, there are new places to see, there are books to read, and I'm getting pretty good at fishtail hair braids. There are all these other bits of my identity that seem to swell up for me to take the space of the movement I crave.<br />
<br />
An inspiring and wonderful friend of mine tattooed this quote on her body: "Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit." (Bernard Shaw) Our spirit expands, bounces back, stretches.<br />
<br />
What I notice is that my life is not "less full" right now. Our lives are constantly overflowing with possibility and fullness. When one part is suddenly gone, we notice it, of course, and we miss it, but we can sweetly set it aside, and if we look closer at our lives... we find that they are still more than full. They are still overflowing with juicy poignant bittersweet joy, if we look for it. I've discovered that my work is to see myself and others not as full of "ors," strong or weak, healthy or injured, creative or intellectual, active or sedentary, smart or beautiful or funny, but rather made up of "ands" -- dancer and choreographer and wife and engineer and daughter and amateur chef and friend and and and and and... Each piece is whole in itself, and an individual is made up of a million wholes that we each choose for ourselves now, and now, and now, and now.<br />
<br />
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-56286965447517327822015-03-24T21:33:00.003-04:002015-03-24T21:34:30.856-04:00embracing the unknown & come see us dance!here's the thing. everyone likes to think of the dance world as a series of auditions, directors falling in love with the girl in blue, and getting the job. and yes, there's plenty of that. but 99% of the work i've done -- both as a dancer and as a choreographer -- has been through friends and colleagues. i most often create work on people i've danced with before.<br />
<br />
so when the opportunity presented itself to choreograph for <a href="http://xyz-nyc.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">The Tank's xyz nyc,</a> i had some butterflies. the whole schtick is that you create a piece from nothing, in one week. i didn't even get to meet my dancers until last thursday.<br />
<br />
there's also both a <i>theme</i> and a <i>challenge</i>. the piece's theme is to be "an oasis in the desert." and the challenge is to include "imperfect repetition," or phrases that the audience recognizes, but something has changed.<br />
<br />
interesting, right?<br />
<br />
first of all, i love this stuff. i love being given a prompt, and i love a structural challenge. it feels a little like school, but i'm down. i think creativity within unusual constraints allows artists to make choices they might not otherwise make. i knew i could create <i>something</i> in a week. i just wasn't sure whether i'd want to tell anyone about it.<br />
<br />
but here i am! <br />
<br />
i have two wonderful dancer-collaborators who were willing to dive into this with me -- letting me email rehearsal locations mere hours before rehearsal, improvising with me after barely learning each others' names, and taking my movement onto their bodies with grace and openness. what a gift! and how interesting, for me, to see how articulate i am when i show and explain my movement... these dancers have literally zero context around me and my movement, and i have to make it clear, fast. concision and clarity are of the essence!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8dehrSzp40k/VRIQRK1V2fI/AAAAAAAAAe8/qQkW4RJeLds/s1600/xyz%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8dehrSzp40k/VRIQRK1V2fI/AAAAAAAAAe8/qQkW4RJeLds/s1600/xyz%2B1.jpg" height="336" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
also, let's talk for a minute about last-minute rehearsal space in new york city. it gets sketch. but there's something about meeting with artists you barely know in weird little spaces you've never been in that feels very... new york. and the unknown is magic, don't you think?<br />
<br />
because i always love feedback, i crowdsourced some thematic inspiration. i asked the question "what do you wish you could get a break from?" on my facebook page, and let the masses (of my friends, heh) do what they will. every response made it into the piece in some way.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8a7AG1lZ-sY/VRIQRDEmtyI/AAAAAAAAAe4/3-VpfQQsi3o/s1600/xyz%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8a7AG1lZ-sY/VRIQRDEmtyI/AAAAAAAAAe4/3-VpfQQsi3o/s1600/xyz%2B2.jpg" height="324" width="640" /></a>if you want to know <i>how</i>, you'll have to come!<br />
<br />
thursday, march 26th 2015, 8pm<br />
the tank<br />
151 w 46th street, 8th floor<br />
$10<br />
<br />
...and you can even vote for me. i could win!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-10015291217923785212015-02-10T21:19:00.002-05:002015-02-10T21:19:40.900-05:00a love letter to northwestern universitythis weekend i had the pleasure of visiting my alma mater, northwestern university. my husband's new musical had a reading hosted by the theatre department, which was a very cool full-circle moment, and we were excited to visit our old haunts (especially since we were there at the same time but didn't know each other until the last minute)!<br />
<br />
and visit them we did -- old apartment buildings, old coffee and bagel shops, the best crab rangoon in evanston, etc. it was poignant and nostalgic, because as everyone knows, you can't really ever go back. evanston used to feel epic -- right next to a big city! home to one of the best schools in the country! the manifestation of the freedom of being eighteen years old! coming from new york, it suddenly seemed quiet, with cozy low buildings and wide open streets. the change in perspective threw into relief how far from my undergraduate years i really am. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TSd4WT7RA98/VNq7HVNP-pI/AAAAAAAAAeE/8nhwOMJNLhE/s1600/IMG_4267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TSd4WT7RA98/VNq7HVNP-pI/AAAAAAAAAeE/8nhwOMJNLhE/s1600/IMG_4267.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of the walk from the dance building to the engineering building (i did that a lot.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
i was extremely privileged to have such a college experience, and i loved it. i loved making my own schedule, staying out until 3am, sleeping late, living with my girlfriends. i <strike>loved</strike> love big ten football. i loved wearing sweatpants every day and drinking enough coffee to keep me studying until dawn. those things are a wonderful part of the american university experience, and i honestly cherished every minute of it.<br />
<br />
but (cheese alert) ... northwestern shaped my adult experience in much deeper ways.<br />
<br />
i went in, smart and arrogant and self-centered, and simultaneously unsure, open-minded, and honestly looking to learn.<br />
<br />
it was the first time i created my own identity. it was my first chance to claim "i'm good at this, and i love this, and this is what i want to do." (it also forced me to acknowledge the things i was <i>not</i> good at, like achieving anything higher than a C in general chemistry, or, y'know, being cool.) i was surrounded by peers doing the exact same thing. professors saw my potential before i did, and gently guided me to discover it for myself and to shape that identity into a life.<br />
<br />
it was at northwestern that i choreographed my first dance. (and my second, after which my dance comp professor joyfully declared i wasn't "a one-trick pony!") northwestern dance looked at me as a whole artist - a performer, a choreographer, and a scholar.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-chq7SlsTGPE/VNq7GmsqmWI/AAAAAAAAAd0/NMvFWptnmf4/s1600/IMG_4265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-chq7SlsTGPE/VNq7GmsqmWI/AAAAAAAAAd0/NMvFWptnmf4/s1600/IMG_4265.JPG" height="270" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">northwestern's technological institute. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
northwestern engineering looked at me like a vessel of potential to change the world. a woman, a technically proficient mind, an engineer.<br />
<br />
before this weekend's visit, i reached out last-minute to six of my professors, to see if i could stop in and say hello. not only did they remember who i was, they all wrote me back within the day and carved time out of their day to sit down with me. all of them! i was floored by their generosity. and one by one, as i sat in their offices at TI, at Tech, at the Ford building, each of them looked me in the eye as an empowered adult, as a fellow artist and professional in the world. this isn't an anomaly -- this is what it is to be a student. this is the generosity they showed me when i was enrolled, and the generosity they showed thousands of other undergrads, quarter after quarter.<br />
<br />
i can't quite articulate why this was so profound for me, but the rote assumption-- still-- is that i'm a bona fide artist. the assumption is that i'm an industrial engineer. i didn't have to explain anything, or apologize for anything. my teachers saw me (now as then) as 100% artist and 100% engineer, because i did the work and it's who i am. not half-and-half. not faking it. not "used to be." <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d7mhTOTunD4/VNq7G89MTUI/AAAAAAAAAd4/mVXpi61xeUA/s1600/IMG_4259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d7mhTOTunD4/VNq7G89MTUI/AAAAAAAAAd4/mVXpi61xeUA/s1600/IMG_4259.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ford motor company engineering design building, northwestern university</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
it doesn't matter that none of my job titles right now has the word "engineer" in it. it doesn't matter that i'm not in the studio creating physical work each and every day. to a dance professor whose career i so admire, i said something like "well, i'm trying to make a go of it!" and he said "no, the doing it <i>is</i> the thing. you're doing it. this is it." an industrial engineering professor of mine said (as if it were obvious) "you always liked to choreograph." and we laughed, because of course i did! industrial engineering and design is maybe the most "social" form of engineering. we use technical tools to create social and human insights. we create new solutions to existing challenges. and isn't that what artists do? engineer new works to create connections and offer questions/solutions? so how disparate are these interests of mine, anyway? <br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyEJqigK5Os/VNq7Hc7O-9I/AAAAAAAAAeI/0XQIB_q9G2w/s1600/IMG_4266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyEJqigK5Os/VNq7Hc7O-9I/AAAAAAAAAeI/0XQIB_q9G2w/s1600/IMG_4266.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>northwestern offered me the self-confidence and the humility to contribute what i have, right now, and trust that it's good, and enough, and it isn't constrained by "should."<br />
<br />
going back and catching up with those generous, wonderful people i was surrounded with for four years allowed me to see my experience again through that lens; i am unapologetically an engineer, an artist, and a human being with valuable things to contribute to the world.<br />
<br />
and that's the important bit, right? i can so viscerally remember what it was to be 22 and to <i>not know</i>. but i was trusted to make a difference. and now i'm 28 and i still don't know. but i can still make a difference. and what does it do to my life and my relationships to assume that everyone i pass on the street also <i>doesn't know</i> -- and to trust the endless potential of each individual?<br />
<br />
this isn't unique to northwestern. i know that. but those four years were a powerful gift for me in discovering who i am, and who i want to be, and revisiting helped me recommit.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #674ea7;"><b>(go 'cats.)</b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-81813461392236954102014-12-16T20:23:00.000-05:002014-12-17T10:18:51.220-05:00DANCE STATS<div class="MsoNormal">
On November 7<sup>th</sup> and 8<sup>th</sup>, 2014, I
explored my very first “dance experiment” in front of a live audience. Here’s how it all went down. (Note: if you're like "snooze, I was there I know what's going on" you can skip to the results. I made that header nice and big so you will see it as you scroll.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--ngAFC7laXM/VJDOOE9j_CI/AAAAAAAAAas/nb28DSvbFOE/s1600/IMG_3855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--ngAFC7laXM/VJDOOE9j_CI/AAAAAAAAAas/nb28DSvbFOE/s1600/IMG_3855.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">The Premise</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The audience views one minute of
dance work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They rate it on a
scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is “I would not like to see this” and 10 is “I would
pay to see an evening of this.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are sixteen one-minute works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based on audience responses, a regression is fitted to the
data to predict what that audience is responding to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The performers create an optimized piece of work to present
as the “finale.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Hypothesis</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tgim8hcbwrI/VJC6ZfKIczI/AAAAAAAAAZM/vOOek-Tef24/s1600/dance%2Bstats.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tgim8hcbwrI/VJC6ZfKIczI/AAAAAAAAAZM/vOOek-Tef24/s1600/dance%2Bstats.jpeg" height="226" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the show flyer was on engineering paper. it's the little things.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My hypothesis, going into this project, was that there are
so many nuanced factors that affect an individual’s perception of a piece of
art, and there are so many different opinions, that we would find <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">no statistically significant factors</b>
that influence an audience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">First, a mini-primer on Experimental Design</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At Northwestern, one of my favorite classes in the Industrial Engineering department was a class called <i>Statistical Design of Experiments,</i> and in it we learned a statistical method for testing the impact of a large number of variables using a relatively small number of resources. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Doesn't that sound like an amazing class?? Nerd alert.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Glossary</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">run =</b> a
one-minute dance piece</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">factors =</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">controllable variables =</b> the things we
can change in a piece of choreography </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">output =</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">results =</b> what the audience wrote down</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">main effect</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">=</b> how a factor affects the audience </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2<sup>nd</sup>-order
interaction = </b>how two main effects work together to change the audience's opinion<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(example: if factor A is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">unison
movement</i> and factor B is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">number of
dancers</i>, a positive 2<sup>nd</sup>-order interaction between the two means
the audience likes unison movement when there are many dancers on stage; when
there are only a few dancers on stage, they prefer to see non-unison movement.)</span><o:p> </o:p></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sixteen runs (pieces of dance) were created to fit a 2<sup>k </sup>experimental design with eight different
factors. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A 2<sup>k <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></sup>factorial design basically means that you have k
factors, and they are each at 2 levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We’ll call these “high” and “low” levels, noted by a <b>+</b> or a <b>-</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(All of the factors themselves are
explained in full, later, so don’t fret.) I chose a 2<sup>8-4</sup><sub>IV</sub>
fractional factorial design, because I wanted to keep the number of runs down
while keeping the number of factors tested relatively high; additionally, this
design creates overlaps only between main effects and 3<sup>rd</sup>-order
interactions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I assumed that main
effects and 2<sup>nd</sup>-order interactions might be significant, but our
results probably wouldn’t be more complex than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Y</span>ou don't have to worry too much about what that means, but if you must know, you can read a lot more about experimental design and
specifically 2<sup>k </sup>experiments <a href="http://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/pri/section1/pri11.htm" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_factorial_design" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://onlinecourses.science.psu.edu/stat503/node/34" target="_blank">here</a> for more
full explanations of the math behind the design. I’m guessing many of you don’t really care about fractional
factorial experiments as deeply as I do, so we’ll leave that reading
extracurricular.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SMkUw09QPLk/VJDOT870JgI/AAAAAAAAAbk/P3vJbuIoNR4/s1600/IMG_3962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SMkUw09QPLk/VJDOT870JgI/AAAAAAAAAbk/P3vJbuIoNR4/s1600/IMG_3962.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">i'll keep adding photos when this gets dense.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The 2<sup>8-4</sup><sub>IV</sub> design was also chosen for
experimental logistics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Artistically, I chose one-minute dance pieces because it felt like enough time to get “into”
a piece, but not enough time to get bored. Logistically, I chose 2<sup>8-4</sup><sub>IV</sub>
design because it only requires 16 runs; I figured 16 one-minute segments was
an acceptable amount of time for an audience to sit, while 8 would have been
super short (and statistically limiting) and 32 might have felt long or
confusing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Typically, with a high number of factors (eight is
considered high), it is helpful to have multiple replicates of an
experiment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means for each
level of settings (or for our purposes, each <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">run, </i>each dance piece), you need to see the output multiple times. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately for us, this is built
in!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each audience member records
his or her own response, so we have as many <i>replicates</i> as there are audience
members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For each of the sixteen runs, I assigned a level for each
factor A, B, C, and D, and used the aliases E = BCD, F= ACD, G = ABC and H =
ABD to assign the remaining factors for the 2<sup>8-4</sup><sub>IV</sub>
design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s what it looked
like.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-riTfdk4zQ4w/VJC9JM32ayI/AAAAAAAAAZY/iozi0ChKZV4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-16%2Bat%2B6.15.19%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-riTfdk4zQ4w/VJC9JM32ayI/AAAAAAAAAZY/iozi0ChKZV4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-16%2Bat%2B6.15.19%2BPM.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For this experiment, I kept it really simple and ran the
experiment in order, from run 1 to run 16.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More on that later.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QgEDtlImmhM/VJDOOwN5CzI/AAAAAAAAAa0/7iGxP9DPxT8/s1600/IMG_3862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QgEDtlImmhM/VJDOOwN5CzI/AAAAAAAAAa0/7iGxP9DPxT8/s1600/IMG_3862.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Assumptions & Limitations</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are operating under several assumptions, and there are also limitations in the experiment itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here they are.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1. It’s all my choreography.</b><b> </b> You can only get so much differentiation in one person’s
work, and while I like to consider my tastes pretty diverse, it is
necessarily an extremely limited sample of choreography as a whole.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2. We stayed in the realm of “contemporary modern
dance.”</b><b> </b> I chose to stay within one
(albeit very general) “style” of dance for a couple of reasons. First, it’s what I do. (Other than a significant amount of tap
dance choreography in college – hey TONIK! – and dorky hip-hop mostly for
eleven-year-olds, that is.)
Secondly, though, it also brings the performers’ talents to the same
level. I had an amazing cast of
dancers; the differences in their strengths/preferences may have been more
apparent to the audience (and therefore may have affected results) if we
introduced different styles of dance.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3. The order wasn’t randomized.</b><b> </b> We ran the show in the same order every time, largely
because it was much easier on the performers. As audiences were filling out their forms, they were
understandably using the first few runs to “calibrate” their results. The first few runs will skew to the
middle for most audience members simply because they haven’t seen enough to be
really comparing them yet. A few
of the audience members called this out on their response sheets:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“I would have rated differently, in retrospect.” – regular
dance watcher, age 29</i></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I did create a “normalized” version of each audience
member’s responses to combat this, which I’ll explain later.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re only
measuring what we’re measuring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></b>This is a limitation inherent in any of these types of experiments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Experimenters do their best to select
and test variables that can be controlled and that likely have an effect on the
outcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did my best here,
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we began rehearsing,
though, there were already factors I wanted to change and add.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I know there could be factors out
there that I never even considered that were affecting the outcome, but that I
wasn’t measuring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But anyway, onward with our experiment!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Artistic Goals</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I get asked all the time, “where did that idea come
from?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer is a meandering
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rm_HpKf9b3I/VJDOWbq3cWI/AAAAAAAAAcE/m0Kf7ONiu3c/s1600/IMG_4048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rm_HpKf9b3I/VJDOWbq3cWI/AAAAAAAAAcE/m0Kf7ONiu3c/s1600/IMG_4048.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>First off, I was poking fun at what I see as a division in
the dance world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one side,
there’s academic modern/postmodern/experimental dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These folks have devoted their careers and lives to learning about
the language of movement, how we interpret things, the cultural and
gender-specific implications and ways of viewing, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have the utmost respect for dance
scholars and the work being done at the academic level, and I think it's crucial for artists to also be scholars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also think (blasphemous, I know) that
parts of that world and that mode of thinking can be a little ...silly. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the other side, there’s the dance competition/reality
TV/acrobatics/cheesier musical theatre side of the dance world, where how high
you can kick and how you can throw your partner around are marks of success and
unison jazz hands are a given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Th</span>ere’s nothing wrong with that – it’s often physically
impressive, and I’m happy to get dance in front of larger audiences even as
weekday-night TV entertainment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
an exposure to the art form, though, it’s extremely narrow, and I do think it
sometimes undervalues audiences and what they want to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be an effective “gateway drug”
to the dance world (“ooh, I saw that choreographer on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">So You Think You Can Dance</i>, let’s get tickets to her show in
NYC!”), but I believe producers and audiences themselves might be surprised by
how much higher the average dance-watcher’s threshold is for the art of movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I consistently find myself at what I see as the crossroads
of these two extremes (as I suspect many choreographers do),
and this project was a way to play with that, and potentially strip down some
of the style elements (lights! music! costumes! stars!) that affect a viewing
of dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re forcing folks to
look at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">movement</i>, and it is my
wager that audiences dig it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EkAf3nQxcmQ/VJDOaMQML0I/AAAAAAAAAc0/afX5x_2Q6CM/s1600/IMG_4115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EkAf3nQxcmQ/VJDOaMQML0I/AAAAAAAAAc0/afX5x_2Q6CM/s1600/IMG_4115.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a>Also, when I go see a dance work, I can easily identify
choreographic choices that I respond to emotionally (musicality/rhythmic
interest is a big one); however, speaking intelligently about the work is
difficult with friends and colleagues of mine who don’t share my educational
background. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are so many ways
of talking about dance, so many frames to put on it, and so many layers of
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t unique to
dance, of course—this happens with any art form, or arguably, any subject at
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My goal in creating this
project was to illuminate for audiences <i>what they’re responding to</i>, and to
provide different ways of viewing/talking about dance, particularly for
non-dancers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, again, is a
pitfall I see in art all over the place – a high percentage of dance audiences
are often made up of dancers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
isn't that boring?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we bring more diverse points of view into the dance process?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I can give even one person a more
specific vocabulary for speaking about dance, I think this project is a win.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qrlPUQrdELM/VJDOR5UIhCI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/77JBxPRMj7U/s1600/IMG_3937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qrlPUQrdELM/VJDOR5UIhCI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/77JBxPRMj7U/s1600/IMG_3937.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">The Factors</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>Right. Back to the nitty-gritty. </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I started coming up with a list of potential factors for
the experiment, I created a big ol’ brainstorm and wrote out three notebook
pages full of things I considered influential in dance viewing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I combed back through the list and
began categorizing the factors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
also rolled similar factors together to create more universal/applicable
versions (for example, I chose to combine “pedestrian movements” and “gestural
movements”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three categories
emerged: movement factors, which were about the actual vocabulary each
performer was using, speed, dynamics of the movement, etc; compositional
factors, which dealt with how movement was put together for the stage; and
musical factors, which I included because I expected the choice of music to
produce opinionated responses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
chose a few key factors in each category, and ended up with this:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zuu7zc3i52s/VJDBDsQ-I8I/AAAAAAAAAZk/2eLFmwKAyGo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-16%2Bat%2B6.32.07%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zuu7zc3i52s/VJDBDsQ-I8I/AAAAAAAAAZk/2eLFmwKAyGo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-16%2Bat%2B6.32.07%2BPM.png" height="162" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Choreographic Rehearsal Process</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I worked with the performers twice a week for five
weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We used some improvisation
and experimentation, but largely I walked in with specific work to set on
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I shared the factors we were
testing with each piece and used them as a basis for coaching their
performance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I chose roles for
each performer within the work that I felt were natural for them to perform; I
also structured it so the audience saw each of the four dancers for a roughly
equal amount of stage time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kb-TgWi3reo/VJDOYtkBYrI/AAAAAAAAAcc/noRfUW1Smbw/s1600/IMG_4101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kb-TgWi3reo/VJDOYtkBYrI/AAAAAAAAAcc/noRfUW1Smbw/s1600/IMG_4101.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>I also think it’s worth noting up front how much time and
attention we took to remove personal bias from each piece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took care not to place judgment on
the pieces I created, even though I loved some of them and really disliked some
of them; I gave each work a specific intention in terms of focus in the face and body, facial
expression, attack of the movement, etc—we wanted to present, as much as
possible, and equally committed set of sixteen pieces to each audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe a huge part of the success of our first showing
was due to the dancers and how willingly they jumped in and engaged with the
process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A number of audience
members noted how much the dancers seemed to enjoy working together, which is basically a dream come true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are individually wonderful
artists and it was a treat to have them all together!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">The Results</span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O_8lytNXfuM/VJDOMV-9IRI/AAAAAAAAAaU/z_vfuUnn5jc/s1600/IMG_3802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O_8lytNXfuM/VJDOMV-9IRI/AAAAAAAAAaU/z_vfuUnn5jc/s1600/IMG_3802.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">you know i'm serious because i'm wearing a blazer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now that you have the history, it’s time for the exciting
part… results!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll start with
what the final regression was for each showing as is, and then I’ll present
some other slices of analysis.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Friday Showing 1</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first showing on Friday had eight audience members
(starting nice and easy), with a median age of 29.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This crowd found none of the main effects to be
statistically significant; however, there were four second order interactions
that were significant:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
AG: classical shapes and syncopated movement <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">or</i> unfamiliar dance movements and
arrhythmic musicality<br />
BC: many dancers dancing to pop music <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">or</i> a solo/duet to non-pop music<br />
DE: full-body big movements in unison <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">or</i> isolated movements in the dancers’ own time<br />
FH: fast music and dancers interacting with one another <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">or</i> slow music and dancers in their own
world</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, this allowed us to create a final piece of movement to
present on that evening, but it doesn’t really give us that much information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of our
alias setup (remember, factor level E = BCD, level F = ACD, G = ABC, H = ABD),
main effects of factors don’t overlap with 2<sup>nd</sup>-order interactions,
but 2<sup>nd</sup>-order interactions <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do
overlap with each other</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
while it’s exciting to think that there are four interactions that are
significant, the math deflates us:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
AG = A(ABC) = BC<br />
DE = D(BCD) = BC<br />
FH = ACD(ABD) = BC</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
… so they all overlap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We can’t really tell what’s significant here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s also worth noting the other alias-generated overlaps:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
CD = GH = BE = AF<br />
FG = CE = BD = AH<br />
EH = BG = DF = AC<br />
EG = CF = BH = AD<br />
EF = DH = CG = AB<br />
DG = CH = BF = AE</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whenever one of these shows up, all of them show up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This happened every time, dang it.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eugqf1OIf4c/VJDOQxgiKXI/AAAAAAAAAbM/U3OiyYdAyKQ/s1600/IMG_3917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eugqf1OIf4c/VJDOQxgiKXI/AAAAAAAAAbM/U3OiyYdAyKQ/s1600/IMG_3917.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><b>Friday Showing 2</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second showing on Friday had thirteen audience members,
median age 31.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This crowd, too,
had our same four significant 2<sup>nd</sup>-order interactions… However, they
also had a significant main effect – they enjoyed movement in unison and/or
canon (factor E).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Saturday Showing</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Saturday, our sample size was a bit larger at twenty-two
responses, and slightly younger, too, with a median age of 27.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were also a little more consistent
with what they liked, and had four significant main effects:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>they liked unfamiliar/gestural dance
movements, they liked pieces to pop music, they enjoyed unison dancing, and
they liked syncopated movements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><b>Of those effects, pop music and unison dancing had the greatest positive
effect on the piece’s score. </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since each showing was pretty close to the same (the same
dancers, wearing the same clothing, doing the same movements in the same timing
in the same order), we're gonna lump the data together to one superset.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Data Totals</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pooling all of the demographic data together yields a result
that’s almost the opposite of my hypothesis; not only were there statistically
significant factors, almost <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all of the
factors</i> were significant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
start with null factor β(0) = 6.15, which corresponds
to the overall mean of all the responses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then, the significant factors have a certain effect on that score,
either raising or lowering it based on what the audience likes.<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span>Mathematically, it looked like
this:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
OUTPUT = 6.15 – 0.328(A) + 0.402(C) + 0.534(E) – 0.216(H) +
0.280(AB) + 0.297(AC) + 0.310(AD) – 0.221(AE) + 0.229(AF) + 0.573(AG) -
0.254(AH) + 0.573(BC) - 0.254(BD) + 0.229(BE) – 0.221(BF) +0.297(BG) +
0.310(BH) + 0.229(CD) – 0.254(CE) + 0.310(CF) + 0.280(CG) – 0.221(CH) +
0.573(DE) +0.297(DF) – 0.221(DG) + 0.280(DH) + 0.280(EF) + 0.310(EG) +
0.297(EH) – 0.254(FG) + 0.573(FH) +0.229(GH)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
…Which is a lot to look at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The standard error in this experiment meant that anything with a main
effect larger than 0.4 (or smaller than -0.4) was significant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we bump that up and (kinda
arbitrarily) say that we’re only looking at factors and interactions that are
significant assuming a higher error of 0.8, we get a little more manageable
equation:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
OUTPUT = 6.15 +0.402(C) + 0.534(E) + 0.573(AG) + 0.573(BC) +
0.573(DE) + 0.573(FH)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Much better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
we know that those 2<sup>nd</sup>-order interactions overlap; but for fun,
let’s assume that because C and E are significant, the interactions involving
these factors are the ones driving the 2<sup>nd</sup>-order significance,
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Qualitatively, this
translates to:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Audience starts at an average score of 6.15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the music is pop-y, add 0.402, and
if it’s not, subtract it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the
dancers are in unison, add 0.534, and if they’re not in unison, subtract it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there are many dancers on stage and
it’s to pop music, or there are only a few dancers on stage and it’s not pop
music, add 0.573.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the dancers
are using full-body movement and moving in unison, or they’re using gestural
movement that is not in unison, add 0.573.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SZ6AwC-yOwA/VJDOUc26cgI/AAAAAAAAAbw/bpqTeAZ7pFE/s1600/IMG_3998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SZ6AwC-yOwA/VJDOUc26cgI/AAAAAAAAAbw/bpqTeAZ7pFE/s1600/IMG_3998.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">i promise we're still talking about art</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Statistical Means by piece</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now that we have all this data, we get to nerd out with
secondary analysis!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Don’t all
choreographers feel this way?! ….no?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of the most common questions I got from my dancers and from friends
was “which one was the favorite?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here is each piece and its mean audience response:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IK620YQ9HdA/VJDEttL9aYI/AAAAAAAAAZw/7j6CauJvfaA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-16%2Bat%2B6.47.42%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IK620YQ9HdA/VJDEttL9aYI/AAAAAAAAAZw/7j6CauJvfaA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-16%2Bat%2B6.47.42%2BPM.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(I grant this means a lot more to you if you actually saw
the pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you didn’t, here
are the means lined up with their factor levels.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QcZ-RA1jxm4/VJDGnhyruPI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/VIqvxDLaQqc/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-16%2Bat%2B6.54.57%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QcZ-RA1jxm4/VJDGnhyruPI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/VIqvxDLaQqc/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-16%2Bat%2B6.54.57%2BPM.png" height="123" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_BhF3g3WPi4/VJDGnhJyJvI/AAAAAAAAAaA/zoqSNaEuvPM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-16%2Bat%2B6.55.43%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_BhF3g3WPi4/VJDGnhJyJvI/AAAAAAAAAaA/zoqSNaEuvPM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-16%2Bat%2B6.55.43%2BPM.png" height="263" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Normalized results</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wBT6MihL_kY/VJDOUVGRiKI/AAAAAAAAAbs/ItW8R6iprZo/s1600/IMG_3987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wBT6MihL_kY/VJDOUVGRiKI/AAAAAAAAAbs/ItW8R6iprZo/s1600/IMG_3987.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a>Another very common question, and one I grappled with quite
a bit in the rehearsal process, is this: How does performance order affect audience
responses?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And also, related, a
scale of 1-10 is so subjective! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
asked audiences up front to be harsh with us—a response sheet full of 6’s and
8’s doesn’t help us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe our
audiences did attempt to show a range of responses, but many ranges were
limited—some audience members never rated anything below a 6; some never rated
anything above a 7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One responder
kept hers between 10 and 6; another was between 7 and 4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To combat this a little bit, I created normalized responses
for each audience member, using this conversion for each data point:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
y = 1 + (x-A)*(10-1)/(B-A)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
where y is the normalized response, x is the audience
member’s original response, A is the audience member’s personal minimum, and B
is the audience member’s personal maximum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result is that each audience member’s highest-rated
piece becomes a 10, and their lowest-rated piece becomes a 1, and their
middle-rated piece ends up at a 5.5 (halfway between 1 and 10).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>our middling audience member number 57 gave these responses:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; text-align: center; width: 19px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
6</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
4</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
7</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
6</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
4</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
6</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
5</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
5</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
7</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
6</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
6</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
5</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 12;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
7</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 13;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
5</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 14;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
7</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 15; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .15in;" valign="top" width="11"><div class="MsoNormal">
6</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we normalize them, they become:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-insideh-themecolor: text1; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid black; mso-border-insidev-themecolor: text1; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 19px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 12;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 13;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 14;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 12.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 15; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: 1.0pt; border: solid black; height: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid black; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-themecolor: text1; mso-border-top-alt: .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black; mso-border-top-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 19.0pt;" valign="top" width="19"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SZ6AwC-yOwA/VJDOUc26cgI/AAAAAAAAAbw/bpqTeAZ7pFE/s1600/IMG_3998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The highest-rated pieces (7s) became 10s, the lowest-rated
pieces (4s) became 1s, and the rest of the numbers effectively “stretch out” to
fit the new range.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How does this change our regression?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not too much. It does emphasize the
effects of our statistically significant main effect factors, and,
interestingly, it adds one more factor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our β(0) factor reduces to be a
little closer to the middle of the range at 5.94.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (The audience liked us!) </span>The effects of factors A, C, and E now create a difference
of almost half a point each, when before they were more subtle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can additionally eliminate the
effect of factor H (the amount of interaction between the dancers), while factor
G (level of syncopation) emerges significant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Artistically, that makes a lot of
sense to me – I could see dancer interaction as a 2<sup>nd</sup>-order
interaction, maybe tied to non-unison movement, but I was a little surprised
that it was significant by itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Full disclosure, I also think dancer interaction was one of the least
clear elements in my choreography, which surely didn’t help my results, while
syncopation/musicality is something that matters a lot to me and is something I
consider myself good at. It's hard to hide that.)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bnx1PXAZNH0/VJDOPPjw-LI/AAAAAAAAAa4/HBGkWACN-i8/s1600/IMG_3863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bnx1PXAZNH0/VJDOPPjw-LI/AAAAAAAAAa4/HBGkWACN-i8/s1600/IMG_3863.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Cross-sections by demographics</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also wanted to take a look at results for different
demographic groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I used the
normalized data for these results.) I threw out two
responses because they chose not to provide demographic data.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Gender</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-auE_estj5M0/VJDOVS54szI/AAAAAAAAAb8/nt7i-yN0nkU/s1600/IMG_4018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-auE_estj5M0/VJDOVS54szI/AAAAAAAAAb8/nt7i-yN0nkU/s1600/IMG_4018.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a>Do men have different preferences than women?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The results for <b>male responses</b> contain the same significant
variables as the group as a whole; however, the greatest predictor of a higher
score was the amount of unison movement there was in the piece, with a
regression coefficient of 0.894 (if there’s a lot of unison, the men in the
audience ranked the piece almost a whole point higher, on average).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The highest mean score was awarded to
piece #9, a quirky, gestural solo.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The women</b> keep significant factors A (prefer unfamiliar
dance shapes), C (pop music) and E (unison).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drop G (level of syncopation).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each factor has a smoother effect – nothing singularly jumps out the
way it did for the men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This,
however, could also be due to the fact that the majority of our audience was
women; 29 female responses vs. 12 male responses-- more data tends to be smoother.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly, the highest mean score was a tie between #15
and #16, two group pieces with lots of unison to pop music—as predicted by the
regression—while the male favorite #9 was merely average.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Age</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The vast majority of my audience was in their twenties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Like the performers and the
choreographer, so … not shocking.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For fun, we’ll split it at age 35. (GenX + Boomers vs the Millenials?)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jY8-Y1MrikQ/VJDOMiCAWbI/AAAAAAAAAaY/eSpm45Yvwcc/s1600/IMG_3819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jY8-Y1MrikQ/VJDOMiCAWbI/AAAAAAAAAaY/eSpm45Yvwcc/s1600/IMG_3819.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the under-35 crowd, the preferences are nearly identical
to that of the group of women; therefore, also pretty similar to the group as a
whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mean favorite, a hearty .7
points ahead of the pack, was #16, easily the cheesiest number of the
bunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>Sigh, youth. (Kidding!)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For 35+, something kind of fascinating happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Almost all of the statistically
significant factors fall away</b>—we are left with a highly significant preference
for unison/canon movement, and two sets of our overlapping 2<sup>nd</sup>-order
interactions, including a preference for classical dance shapes to pop music
and unfamiliar dance shapes to non-pop; also, many dancers moving with high
syncopation and few dancers moving arhythmically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The older crowd had a mean favorite in #8, a group
number with classical shapes to Billie Holiday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also interestingly, the <b>mean favorite here was really set
apart from the rest – a mean score of 1.2 points higher</b> than the three
second-favorites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dance-Watching</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BpGd78Tmggw/VJDOXa_cCcI/AAAAAAAAAcU/7oKHqZX6_30/s1600/IMG_4085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BpGd78Tmggw/VJDOXa_cCcI/AAAAAAAAAcU/7oKHqZX6_30/s1600/IMG_4085.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>This is the demographic comparison I was most interested in
before this experiment began; my expectation was to find that audience members
who are familiar with the art and see it regularly might have a more unusual
preference, veering away from the “flash” of familiar pop music, unison group dancing
with classical dance shapes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was half right. The group that self-identified as watching dance “very often”
(there were 11 of them) fell beautifully into my original hypothesis – <b>none of
the factors and none of the 2<sup>nd</sup>-order interactions were
significant.</b><b> </b> This is the only group that broke down this way! These experienced
viewers had completely varied opinions that didn’t create any trends.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the moderate dance-watchers who said they see dance
“regularly” and “occasionally,” the data matched the group as a whole with one
key difference… they <b>dropped their preference for pop music.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m really not sure what this one means,
but I think it’s very interesting!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the newbies, who identified themselves seeing dance
“rarely” or “this is my first time!” had an e<b>xtremely strong preference for
unison movement </b>(high levels of unison bumped their average response up a whole
point).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This makes sense to me
artistically – unison movement is organized and easier to take in and
follow quickly, so it was likely pleasing to those who don’t watch much dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This group also had a v<b>ery strong
preference for pop music</b>… again, I’m not really surprised by that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They ranked highest the numbers that
had both of those qualities, with sassy #16 in solid first place.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">So there you have it – all in all, the short answer: my hypothesis is still inconclusive with
this smaller data set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">So, what’s next?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Analysis</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even with this limited data set, there are so many ways to
analyze and glean results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My next
step (stay tuned!) is to remove the variables we know not to be significant and
use the data set as additional replicates for a “smaller” design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I would also design it so that 2nd-order interactions don't overlap with each other. </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
PS. I made a version of my spreadsheet
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz0V135DZou9YzE0ZGR2LTVCakk/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">available to the public</a>, so if any data nerds out there wanna give it a go with
other analysis, I welcome you!</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BZGhHqDDZPg/VJDOP7a95ZI/AAAAAAAAAbA/6orNJMGeREE/s1600/IMG_3915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BZGhHqDDZPg/VJDOP7a95ZI/AAAAAAAAAbA/6orNJMGeREE/s1600/IMG_3915.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><b>Further experimentation</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I mentioned above, even early on in the rehearsal process,
there were some variables that I wanted to adjust—specifically, the
lack of choreographic clarity between “isolations” and “syncopated movements,”
and a clearer representation of interaction between dancers (more partnering,
for example).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'd add a factor to measure level of repetition/motif. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also want to
explore more about the effect of music on an audience perception, which could
be an entire separate presentation!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is additional power in simply gaining more data—I want to
go through another rehearsal process to work out some kinks and then get this
in front of larger audiences and more opinions!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>I see opportunity to go bigger with this in three main
settings:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Dance/Theatre presentation. </span></b>With a larger audience, the
typing-the-responses-into-a-spreadsheet method of calculation isn’t scalable; I
would gather responses electronically through a voting system, or I would
develop a free app for audience members to put on their smartphones and collect
responses that way. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mX9bQGl9Uq0/VJDOWnyJu3I/AAAAAAAAAcI/EdUGEvdyXdU/s1600/IMG_4081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mX9bQGl9Uq0/VJDOWnyJu3I/AAAAAAAAAcI/EdUGEvdyXdU/s1600/IMG_4081.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><b><span style="color: #990000;">Schools</span></b>. I am passionate about connections between the arts and science, statistics, and data. Blended projects like this
are a wonderful opportunity for students at the high school or university level
to work together with students with completely different strengths and
interests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if this exposes more engineering/math/statistics students to artistic applications?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if this illuminates the power of
data analysis for artists?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want
to travel down that path! (If you are interested in collaboration, get at me.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">Online</span></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
question came up in almost every post-show talkback – what if the one-minute
videos were online, and there was a massive collection of data from all over the
country? The world?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've hesitated on this one because I feel like the anonymity of the internet allows
biases like “that girl is hot, I’ll vote for her” and “Sia fans unite!” to skew
the voting; I also think there’s something imperative that is lost when dance isn’t seen live, and
when there isn’t a human face in front of the audience asking them to be
impartial and to look carefully at the movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do see, however, the power of so much more data, and I’m
interested in exploring it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbEc8gPBD64/VJDOYtSb0iI/AAAAAAAAAcg/X9PPdBlEJ2A/s1600/IMG_4107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbEc8gPBD64/VJDOYtSb0iI/AAAAAAAAAcg/X9PPdBlEJ2A/s1600/IMG_4107.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Unrelated Observations</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbEc8gPBD64/VJDOYtSb0iI/AAAAAAAAAcg/X9PPdBlEJ2A/s1600/IMG_4107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GJ_XWjBjcl4/VJDOZkJ5l6I/AAAAAAAAAcs/XKyNhN49xSk/s1600/IMG_4111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbEc8gPBD64/VJDOYtSb0iI/AAAAAAAAAcg/X9PPdBlEJ2A/s1600/IMG_4107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>
<li>There was one audience member who admitted that this show
was his very first live dance experience.
I wonder what this will do to the rest of his dance-viewing life!</li>
<li>It’s fascinating how many people went for it with the
feedback – not only did they score each piece, some audience members wrote me
full out choreography notes for each piece, including things they thought were
interesting, what they would have done instead, and how the dancers could step
up their performance. None of that affected my analysis, but it was informative for my process!</li>
</ul>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>From audience response sheets:</b><br />“Probaby not an awesome critic, but the music impacts me for
sure.” – first-time dance watcher, 29<br />“[I look for] a depiction of emotion through movement.” –
occasional dance watcher, 23<br />“Something that moves me – gives me a gut reaction.” –
occasional dance watcher, 27<br />“[I love] ugh, commercial trick-heavy dance! I’m a heathen!”
– dancer, 26<br />“Teach me something/REVEAL something” – regular dance
watcher, choreographer, 63<br />“I look for work to wake me up – something that transports
me spiritually. Also, an appreciation for ‘time’ as an element in the art
work.” – dancer, 46<br />“Character development, athleticism, musicality.” – very
often dance watcher, choreographer, dancer, 39<br />“Correlation between emotion & music” – occasional dance
watcher, 23<br />“To be exposed to new ideas/perspectives.” – dancer, 24<br />“I look for something or someone to inspire my own dancing.”
– dancer/choreographer, 30<br />“I look for a clear movement vocabulary that helps me
compare moments.” – non-dancer, regular dance watcher, 29<br />“A depiction of the way the music makes me feel.” –
occasional dance watcher</span></blockquote>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GJ_XWjBjcl4/VJDOZkJ5l6I/AAAAAAAAAcs/XKyNhN49xSk/s1600/IMG_4111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GJ_XWjBjcl4/VJDOZkJ5l6I/AAAAAAAAAcs/XKyNhN49xSk/s1600/IMG_4111.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
Thanks for reading along! I'd love hear your thoughts/reactions-- comment here or email me at <u><a href="mailto:info@jaemajoydance.com">info@jaemajoydance.com</a></u>.<br />
<br />
Much gratitude for all the photos on this post, by <a href="http://www.travismagee.com/" target="_blank">Travis Magee Dance Photography</a><br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
table.MsoTableGrid
{mso-style-name:"Table Grid";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
border:solid black;
mso-border-themecolor:text1;
border:1.0pt;
mso-border-alt:solid black;
mso-border-themecolor:text1;
mso-border-alt:.5pt;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-border-insideh:.5pt solid black;
mso-border-insideh-themecolor:text1;
mso-border-insidev:.5pt solid black;
mso-border-insidev-themecolor:text1;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment-->
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-sbEc8gPBD64%2FVJDOYtSb0iI%2FAAAAAAAAAcg%2FX9PPdBlEJ2A%2Fs1600%2FIMG_4107.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbEc8gPBD64/VJDOYtSb0iI/AAAAAAAAAcg/X9PPdBlEJ2A/s1600/IMG_4107.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GJ_XWjBjcl4/VJDOZkJ5l6I/AAAAAAAAAcs/XKyNhN49xSk/s1600/IMG_4111.jpg" with "https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GJ_XWjBjcl4/VJDOZkJ5l6I/AAAAAAAAAcs/XKyNhN49xSk/s1600/IMG_4111.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbEc8gPBD64/VJDOYtSb0iI/AAAAAAAAAcg/X9PPdBlEJ2A/s1600/IMG_4107.jpg" with "https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbEc8gPBD64/VJDOYtSb0iI/AAAAAAAAAcg/X9PPdBlEJ2A/s1600/IMG_4107.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-GJ_XWjBjcl4%2FVJDOZkJ5l6I%2FAAAAAAAAAcs%2FXKyNhN49xSk%2Fs1600%2FIMG_4111.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GJ_XWjBjcl4/VJDOZkJ5l6I/AAAAAAAAAcs/XKyNhN49xSk/s1600/IMG_4111.jpg" -->jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-53030232389166623942014-04-24T16:42:00.004-04:002014-04-24T16:55:26.309-04:00show up and be honesti stumbled across <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-warnecke/one-dance-critics-view-on_b_5140918.html" target="_blank">this article </a>today and totally identified with it. <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">as a side note, i loved it before i realized it was written by one of my favorite dance articulators, lauren warnecke (follow her @artintercepts on twitter, really valuable). </span></i> and like i usually do, i got thinking, and thinking got me writing, and here i am.<br />
<br />
she's talking about the grey, wavery line professionals in the dance world walk every day.... dancemaker? dancer? dance critic? dance teacher? theatre choreographer? social media manager? grant writer? mentor? mentee? producer? director? i find myself in any (usually many) of these roles on a given day; we all do. she also discusses what she likes to see, as a dance critic, and asks what dance artists are looking for from their critics. <br />
<br />
ah, the many roles of "dancemakers." i am fortunate enough to live in new york city, a place basically teeming with performers and artists. i know teachers at basically all the major studios in the city; i walk into any given class at city center or at mark morris and see friends and acquaintances. i run into people i know in rehearsal at 100 grand dance and gibney dance center. freelance dancer life, you know how it is. but nearly all those people, all the wonderful artists i consider friends, are hustling their way through various jobs, and roles, and tasks. and for most of us, those roles are part-time or full-time jobs on top of the other part-time or full-time jobs we take to make us money. i don't need a degree in process efficiency to know that this is not optimal. <b>this is just plain not working. </b> is it any wonder we, as a field, aren't great at marketing? at showing our communities that art is worth paying actual dollars to see? at taking care of our performers and our critics and our administrators? at preserving our culture and our history? it's actually ridiculous! <br />
<br />
we are smart people. we are artists with a plethora of strengths and talents. i propose a new model for the dance world; one that supports diversity and allows individuals to specialize without jeopardizing their status as an "artist." i'm envisioning a dance world in which the marketing is slicker than the ads for silicon valley. i'm envisioning a world where venues small and large are sold out all over the country; where the "cool" date night is seeing a performance of an emerging dance company (and you don't have to know someone in the company to know about it). a world in which performers make enough money to take care of themselves. a world in which dancemakers feel they have the space to be generous and supportive of one another with time, talent, money. <br />
<br />
we are responsible for this. this community is filled with beautiful, brilliant, hardworking individuals. i propose we work smarter. <br />
<br />
how do we create in a way that fulfills ourselves and that fulfills our audiences? not everyone is going to love watching dance, of course, but i see so much opportunity to make our art a bigger cultural phenomenon -- <i>without watering it down.</i> i believe audiences want to be challenged. they want to be trusted. they want to learn, be touched, form their own opinions, take big bites of juicy delicious work. how do we support each other? how do we change the way WE think so we create the dance community we want? <br />
<br />
i'm not really sure, but i'm all in for working on it.<br />
<br />
and in response to the question about what i'm looking for in a dance critic... just what i want from any dance professional: show up and be honest! feedback is crucial to what we do and how we connect. the more i can learn about what other people -- friends, colleagues, random folks -- see in my work, the more specific and sensitive an artist i can be. the clearer a communicator i can be. the easier it is to see where my work can make a difference. the more intentional i can be about my contribution to the community surrounding the art form i adore!<br />
<br />
i guess basically my thesis is this: let's get accountable, show up, work smarter, and actually collaborate on <i>creating the community</i> we want. <br />
<br />
in the meantime, i'm gonna go post this on facebook and twitter and then work on this grant application i'm in the middle of...jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-51190086559494887072014-02-01T12:00:00.003-05:002014-02-01T12:00:53.442-05:00THE SEVEN by Will Power, Directed by Carl Cofield, choreographed by ... (you can guess)as many of you will remember, 2013 was all about the decision to be <span style="font-size: x-large;">big</span>. as the year came to a close, i was presented with one more opportunity that's taking me into 2014... choreographing a musical!<br />
<br />
i am always interested in the ways we use movement to create characters and tell stories; working on a musical seemed to me to be a natural extension of the work i've been up to. and so it is! granted, i didn't expect my first foray into musical theatre to be a rap/hip-hop musical retelling of a greek tragedy by aeschelus. but i mean, go big or go home, right?<br />
<br />
so how is it?<br />
<br />
first, i have to tell you, it is a thrill and a relief to be working on a project that doesn't need me to be the sole propelling force behind it. there is incredible freedom and pride that my self-produced work has given me, to be sure, but it's been pretty fun to have a stage manager who calls actors when they're late, and a producer (and heck, a university) to handle space rentals, lighting design, etc. my job is literally only the movement. and the team and the cast are so wonderful. <span style="font-size: x-small;">there's also the more subtle and personal pleasure of people i've only just met actually taking the movement i'm giving them and giving it back to me. that's just really cool.</span><br />
<br />
secondly, this project lies in contrast with much of my career in that most of the performers are actors and singers first. for choreography projects, i typically work with dancers with similar training to mine; on the same note, i am usually hired to perform by those who value working with a skill set and training that i have. here, though, the important thing is each person's character <i>outside</i> of the movement. then it's up to me to translate both the character's essence and the quality each actor brings to his or her character to create a set of gestures and a movement personality for that character, played by that actor. it has forced me to be more specific with how i speak about my movement. it has illuminated for me how i cue improvisation, how i specify an emotional motivation with gesture, and how i teach movement with maximum efficiency.<br />
<br />
and i get to enjoy some pretty cool moments: the very first stumblethrough in rehearsal, i got to see my work (and the work of the rest of the team) in order for the first time, and the arc i created in my mind played out in front of me... there's magic in that. <br />
<br />
and i know it's dorky, but i still can't discount these old new york theatres. there's a little magic in the space. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(another personal note: actor's equity is sweet. breaks for everyone, all the time!)</span><br />
<br />
anyway. it's about time for you to see all this for yourself! <br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">THE SEVEN</span></b><br />
February 12-15th<br />
The Connelly<br />
(E. 4th Street between Ave A and Ave B)<br />
<br />
get tickets <a href="https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/34263/1391302800000" target="_blank">here</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(super affordable - $15 or <b>FREE</b> with any student ID!)</span><br />
follow on <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSeven2014" target="_blank">twitter</a><br />
follow on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/506751389438194/?source=1" target="_blank">facebook</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mDl3WuQhPy4/Uu0lwqszHCI/AAAAAAAAAQI/QGlxkV7MSjs/s1600/THE+Seven+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mDl3WuQhPy4/Uu0lwqszHCI/AAAAAAAAAQI/QGlxkV7MSjs/s1600/THE+Seven+Image.jpg" height="640" width="456" /></a></div>
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-55992657794437167192013-10-26T16:51:00.006-04:002013-10-26T16:54:09.346-04:00intrepid abberation: a collection of thoughts on dance & filmit's been a little over a month since i finished <i style="font-weight: bold;">intrepid aberration, </i>a short film i have written about here before.<br />
<br />
now the film has been out there on good ol' youtube for the world to see (below), and after just now watching it again, i have some stream-of-consciousness thoughts and associations to share.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/IQQCF9PghAs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
1. "improvisation" vs. "choreography"<br />
what ended up in the film is probably 70% improvisation, 25% improv-based material from the rehearsal process, and 5% material that i "choreographed" in the sense that i went in a room, made it up, and then taught it to kim and britt.<br />
<br />
i nearly always work in an improv-based way; it's a great way for me to get a pulse check with my dancers on whether material is resonating with them. it's also a great way to steal inspiring authentic things from my dancers (my secret's out, i'm a thief). i think i used my improvisational tools similarly for this project as i have in the recent past.<br />
<br />
in live performance, though, i would say it's more like 60% "choreography," 35% improv-based choreography from rehearsal, and 5% live improv. why? ... probably because i can control it. with live performance, i love happy accidents, but i usually have something specific to get across, and in order to communicate clearly i choose to shape the events the audience sees with a steadier hand. on film, and through the editing process, we could just let it all happen, and i could choose the moments that i loved - the moments that otherwise i might see in rehearsal but would never quite be recreated on stage, or the moments that half the audience would never see in performance because they were looking at someone else, or the moments that are otherwise overshadowed with what comes immediately after them... etc. i could curate.<br />
<br />
it allows me to immortalize choices i only made once out of the sixty times i picked up some sand, like tossing it (at 13:50). it allows the viewer to be surprised when kim kicks up a little sand (at 14:37) instead of allowing an audience to watch the movement of her feet that inevitably led to it.<br />
<br />
a thought.... is it really improvisational once it no longer lives in space and time? since i'm editing it?<br />
<br />
really, it's about ME as an artist being in control, which was the point of the whole project. <br />
<br />
2. collaboration/ownership<br />
with this higher proportion of "chance" that made it into the final cut (so much of the improv was so much more interesting than the macro proscenium shots of the "choreography"), i started to wonder more about the ownership of the creative material. a shot of all of us included direction from me, movement from each dancer, a cinematic eye from eric, and an edited beginning and end from me and eric together. so who "owns" that? is it really "my" art? i credited each person as a collaborator. it feels more accurate to call it a "jaema joy dance film" (translation: this wouldn't have gotten created if i hadn't decided to do it) than a film with "choreography by jaema" (translation: i made this up), because it was my "choreography" sometimes, but it often wasn't, in the closed definition of choreography i mentioned before, at least.<br />
<br />
now i'm comparing this to live performance. if i credit eric with creating a beautiful shot for the movement (choosing to let a dancer slip out of the frame, ie at 5:50), which feels like some "ownership of the art" of that moment, do i also credit an audience member when she allows a dancer on stage to slip away from her focus while she watches another? it creates a different experience than her friend's, who continued to watch the first dancer. it could be a whole different piece. do they have some ownership in the art, then, too? <br />
<br />
or maybe not, because they are taking responsibility for their own view, not affecting the piece of art for others, as eric's lens was? <br />
<br />
anyway. i'm sticking to "ownership" of this as shared with my fellow creators, and the fact that it's out there at all means the world has a little bit more of my point of view in it.<br />
<br />
3. why do we choose to move/act/stay<br />
as friends and family have watched the film, and for me as i rewatch it, i notice viewers struck with the question "why did she decide to do that?" why did kim decide not to go through that door? why didn't britt just walk away after i ran into her? why did we get on that train? why did we all go to the beach and play in the sand? <br />
<br />
this is really satisfying, because part of what i was exploring is what it takes to NOT do what you always do, and choose to do something different instead. you go dance on the sidewalk by the high line instead of continuing on with a busy day and a full bag. you decide to get on a train instead of letting it pass by. you choose to create something instead of just going to work and going home. et cetera.<br />
<br />
4. a time capsule<br />
in a different way than just a video-taped performance, the film allows me, as an artist, to remember very viscerally what some of that movement felt like. what it felt like to start sweating on the beach and have sand stuck to my whole back (i can see it). to remember what the scrape of my sneaker felt like on the pavement (i can hear it). it allows me to travel back to the moments of creation, which are the feel-in-your-gut moments of rehearsal and performance that artists are constantly chasing. the memory of the art doesn't lose-- or gain-- as much when it's always there to be re-experienced.<br />
<br />
5. what's the point of this being out there?<br />
another part of what i was exploring with the film medium is something that was "dance" that still exists after the fact. it's not just over, like all live performance is. it was created to be recorded; it doesn't exist without the recording, and it was created to be out there any time someone feels like looking at it.<br />
<br />
but let's say no one ever watches it. is the world different? i think so. i think it's somehow different because a bit of me, and a bit of kim and britt and eric, has been expressed in a new way. i think that changes something. of course, there's also the <i>potential</i> for a change in someone's moment, or day, or how they look at a certain subway platform, when they watch. and i think the existence of that "potential energy" changes something. <br />
<br />
isn't the world just <b>better</b> when folks are creating rather than coasting?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-91387262375617666942013-08-28T22:34:00.000-04:002013-08-28T22:36:06.181-04:00getting uncomfortably uncomfortablei'm working on this project. it's one of those pieces of art that's about art. i never thought i'd make one of those. but here i am. the thesis question is "what holds you back from making the kind of art you want to make?"<br />
<br />
now, the more appropriate question might be "what <i>doesn't</i> hold you back," but i digress. despite the news about <a href="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/dance-new-amsterdam-files-for-bankruptcy/" target="_blank">struggling dance institutions</a>, lack of public <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/24/kickstarter-funding_n_1300275.html" target="_blank">funding for dance</a>, lack of time, lack of space, 99.9999% of what holds us back is <i>us</i>. we all know that. and that's what i'm interested in.<br />
<br />
so i've boldly set out creating a dance film (a medium i've never worked in before) to explore a creative-process narrative (subject matter i've never danced about before) with a sports-media-video-journalist (who i've never worked with before and has never filmed dance before) incorporating more improvisation and less rehearsal than i've ever worked with before. all in the name of NEW ART. and PUSHING MYSELF.<br />
<br />
and you know what? i hate it.<br />
<br />
in rehearsal today i felt confused, frustrated, unclear as a director, uncertain if i should be doing this project at all, unsure i can pull it off/do it justice, embarrassed, sorry for my dancers, and sluggish. for the whole two hours. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkaLES0Mw98/Uh6yAPUbxWI/AAAAAAAAAMw/ChIAZFj0dgM/s1600/rehearsal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qkaLES0Mw98/Uh6yAPUbxWI/AAAAAAAAAMw/ChIAZFj0dgM/s640/rehearsal.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pretty sure i can see the discomfort in my eyes even here. it was that kind of a day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
i like to play the part of a high-minded artist. it turns out, i feel a lot better when i'm engineering-school-prepared. but i mean, that's not really a surprise. and when i decided to try this very un-jaema creative process, throwing myself into things i don't know, i knew it was going to be uncomfortable. that was the point! and still, STILL, when discomfort creeps up during the artmaking, i freak out. i knew this was coming, and somehow i expected the <i>awareness</i> to be enough to fight off the anxiety and allow me to create freely. it doesn't work.<br />
<br />
so here i am, slouched on my couch on a wednesday night, stressing about rehearsal in the morning and two filming sessions next week. i see three options.<br />
<br />
1. i cancel everything.<br />
<br />
2. i get out a notebook and do what i've always done for every piece i create... write out <i>everything</i> that happens. stage directions. choreography notes. music cues. i go to rehearsal comfortable, prepared, and confident.<br />
<br />
3. i show up to rehearsal tomorrow with an open mind, plow through the blegh in my mind, film a bunch of stuff next week, and hope for the best.<br />
<br />
okay, so, we throw out number one, because it's totally lame. now number two... is very tempting. i know how that works. i'm pretty good at that one. but how do i create something completely different and completely new and completely uncontrolled if i do what i've always done? alrighty, so number three. that's a scary option, because it didn't work today at all. and how smart is it to walk into rehearsal tomorrow with the same kind of preparation (lots of thought, not a lot of specifics) that i had today, knowing how it turned out? <br />
<br />
i suppose my bigger question is: how useful is the discomfort i feel? is the battle about letting go of control (which i consider positive for this project)? or is it discomfort of ill-preparedness and therefore mediocrity? am i so trapped in these questions that i'm not even creative anymore? is this really even my project? is it really even dance?<br />
<br />
who knows. i'm not sure. for now, i commit to you, internet, to lean into the confusion and see how it goes. fortunately, the only thing i am certain of happens to be my definition of an artist - i refuse option number one. over and over again, i refuse it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-29510947565863693242013-07-19T10:54:00.000-04:002013-07-19T10:55:01.875-04:00eight hours of creative time<div class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">isn't it interesting how what you put out in the universe comes back to you? after i finished TWWDTT last year, i found myself yearning for collaborative art. i also got so curious about the impermanence of my art form. live performance is there, in time, and then it's gone. this is why we love it, of course. but it also creates a bit of sadness for me -- we work so hard for so long on a project, and in four hours spread over two days, it's over.</span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />
so fast-forward to about six weeks ago: a friend called me up and said "i was given a certificate for eight consecutive hours of rehearsal space in manhattan. do you want it?"</span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />
um, yes i do.</span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />
i decided to take this as a sign. the vague project idea (a dance film?!) in my head suddenly had a start date: july 13th, 2013. </span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />
more on the project itself later. for now, stop and think about what EIGHT CONSECUTIVE HOURS in a dance studio means. that's an incredible opportunity. it's like going to the office for the day. some of my dancers were out of town, so i had short rehearsals and ended up with a lot of time for myself. alone. in a big studio. staring myself down in the mirror.</span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />
in the spirit of embracing things i fear, i'm sharing the experience with you. i took notes, and i took almost an hour and a half of video footage. (which i conveniently edited down to a bite-size five minutes, don't worry.) i have to admit, i'm a little wary of the "artist showing the process" thing, because it can take away the mystery of the creative process <i>and </i>let an audience in before you want their input. but i trust you. and bear with me. this is not a finished product - this is an experiment to develop something new, and an exercise in sharing the thought processes that are the less-charming part of the artistic brain. here's what the day was like:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>eight hours to create.</b><br /><b>9:30am</b> - I am on the C train. i want to go back to bed. "Resistance" is going for the kill. My body doesn't feel like moving. There seems to be an inordinate amount of that kind of resistance with this project. It's always hard to know the difference between the kind of resistance that is helpful, guiding me steven pressfield - style towards the projects my soul needs... And the kind of resistance that means you're not supposed to be doing this, you're in over your head. Maybe thinking the latter type exists at all is a construct of the former type. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I'm scared that this venue will kick me out because they'll see I'm a fraud, not deserving of nice rehearsal space. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I'm scared that no one will give me any trouble but that I won't get anything productive done. Or anything innovative. Or anything worth showing to anyone. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">As of yesterday, all the ideas and music concepts and shots I wanted to put into this project seem suddenly flat and boring - and/or too logistically challenging. But I didn't think that last week. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And there's no deadline. So I can take all the time I want! I wrote August as an initial deadline. But really for me the final cutoff is before I leave for the wedding. So let's say: this film is created, edited, and posted by September 15th 2013. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>9:45am</b> - thinking through the phrases I want to create today (at the very least, a draft of them) - a gesture phrase for the recognition that your facade has broken. It's like when you run into someone on the street who you didn't expect to see in that context. Does that make everyone else uncomfortable like it does me? </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Sometimes in dance classes, when I surprise myself with what I can do... in a physical way that happens in dance, in yoga, during a workout, on a run. Sometimes it's the intangible feeling of energy during a thunderstorm, or after a really great conversation, or when I find myself doing or thinking something I wouldn't have dreamed possible 2, or 5, or 10 years ago.... That's the feeling of the second phrase. It should be gooey. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Logistics for today as well:</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">-one more rehearsal or two to learn the second phrase</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">-practice camera shots/plan out camera shots for whole film </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>10:02am</b>- I'm in! Intimidating entrance. It's right on 43rd street and there was this slim French girl smoking a cigarette outside. I followed her in and on to the elevator with like seventeen other people. We get out on the 8th floor, and everyone strides confidently past the reception desk while I'm all like high-pitched "hi there... i think i have a rehearsal booked????" The girl at reception took pity on me and was super nice. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I'm glad there's lots of furniture to move. Gives me a way to get started. I'm also glad it's just me for the first hour. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>10:36am</b>- there's no way to play music in here. Interesting. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>10:54am</b>- I wish I had some chocolate </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>12:22pm</b>- First dancer just left. Felt so great to move! And to try to articulate what I'm going for here. With varied success. She talked about control vs release. I think this piece is more about control (and lack of it) than I originally realized. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>12:36pm</b>- I want to do this every day. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>12:55pm</b>- watched the video while I scarfed a little lunch. There's some good stuff in there, so today isn't a total bust. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I better do a second warmup so my body doesn't fall apart. What up, central air. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>1:21pm</b>- warm. And now nervous again. Now what?!? </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>1:42pm-</b> I have about 5 seconds of choreography that I like. I'm feeling scared. What if I get super bored?! I still want chocolate. I settled for water from their filter... it's not as satisfying. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>2:09pm-</b> it's better when I'm warmer. Layered back up. Didn't Twyla Tharp say that too? </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>2:39pm</b>- almost 45 minutes of dance footage recorded. I'm taking that chocolate break.</span></blockquote>
<div class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">and that was it until 6pm! no more notes, just video. and as it turns out, after watching an hour of myself dancing (where most of the time i was like "wait, i don't remember doing that!!"), phrasework <i>did</i> appear. here's some of the video.</span></div>
<div class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/70629027" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vimeo.com/70629027">untitled july 13</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/jaema">jaema joy</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-11084864158749738942013-05-15T12:45:00.001-04:002013-05-15T12:54:45.818-04:00my own open letter to the dance communityi finally clicked through and read <a href="http://www.danceusa.org/ejournal/post.cfm?entry=letter-and-apology-to-dancers-about-to-enter-the-dance-world" target="_blank">sydney skybetter's letter</a> to the dance community that's been dominating my facebook newsfeed since it was published on monday. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">in other news, isn't it interesting that i thought i was impossibly behind, reading an op-ed two days after it was posted?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
anyway. i got to the bottom of that blurb and i kinda kept scrolling, expecting there to be more to it. (where's that advice? where's the new information?) there wasn't any more, and my initial reaction is basically "well, duh..." i appreciate that we're talking about this, but this is not really news, and there have always been routes for artists to take that are different than the path described in (beloved, flawed) dance movies. <br />
<br />
i'm not performing in a full-time company. i've never received funding for my work from outside organizations. the NEA would clearly never look at what i'm up to. i've never performed at lincoln center. or in a basketball arena. i've never been in a viral music video. i've never been reviewed by a new york newspaper. the vast majority of my dance pals haven't, either.<br />
<br />
what i <i>have</i> been doing? performing work that is engaging, fun, and very different one show to the next. performing regularly, professionally, in new york city. creating my own dances, developing my own choreographic voice. training in "old-school" modern dance traditions and with contemporary dance artists of several generations that i cherish the opportunity to learn from. this is what being an artist is about. you tell stories. you learn. and most importantly, you create.<br />
<br />
furthermore, believe it or not, people are actually interested. people are wonderful and smart, and in general, understand the art of movement much more than we dancers generally give them credit for. i have received such valuable feedback from people in my life who are acquaintances or friends of mine who don't really know much about dance... but they come to my shows. they talk with me about my work. the fund my kickstarter campaign. they think about what they see and feel. and isn't THAT what it's about? creating work that speaks to you and speaks to others?<br />
<br />
my life as a dance artist in new york is not really glamorous, hasn't brought me fame, and i get my health insurance from a separate job. <i>but i'm still a dance artist in new york city - </i>which, i will say, is more than this girl ever thought possible growing up in northern michigan. i refuse to consider that anything but success.<br />
<br />
when young dancers - from my studio growing up, from my college dance program - ask me for advice, first i chuckle, because i'm not sure they really want my advice, but then i tell them the best thing i can tell anyone: <b>just decide to do it.</b> you'll figure the rest out.<br />
<br />
the point is - none of this is new. the structure of the dance world has changed, no doubt, but the changes we're discussing today are rooted more than twenty years ago, around the time most of today's young artists were <i>born</i>. we know that we aren't stepping into the dance world that was around for the previous generation, or the generation before that. each generation has had its own journey and its own artistic climate. we can define success as any number of things. maybe we aren't showcasing work for hundreds of art patrons at the joyce -- maybe we're touching ninety people at a little old speakeasy theatre in the east village. it's all changing. it always has been. and we know it. and we will figure it out anyway, because we're here to create.<br />
<br />
at the end of the day, we dance because we are artists. and the essence of any artist is just having the tenacity to do it. and continue to do it. start it. do it. figure it out. <br />
<br />
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-62741399175666973892013-04-27T23:46:00.000-04:002013-04-27T23:46:03.276-04:00a good reminder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oG3TJWV06iU/UXyaVE6zpHI/AAAAAAAAALA/ISm1ifevI9s/s1600/you+belong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oG3TJWV06iU/UXyaVE6zpHI/AAAAAAAAALA/ISm1ifevI9s/s320/you+belong.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
in college, a professor once told me that my most specific work was the work that had the widest appeal. here i was, worried that my work was too specific to <i>my</i> experience, <i>my</i> thoughts -- but so many of us learn the same lessons and feel the same feelings. we just get to it differently. clear communication of your own experiences and your own ideas get you to a place that others can relate to.<br />
<br />
a week from tonight, my sister will have received her diploma from the University of Michigan. (what a badass, right?! proud.) i've had my sisterly responses to this -- giving advice, analyzing her performance, and so on... but hearing her talk about her experience of "being done" and moving on to "the next chapter" just takes me right back to spring 2008, and how wonderful and confusing and, frankly, bittersweet the whole celebration was. <br />
<br />
five years later, i can hope that i've done my 22-year-old self proud, just as i know grace will be. <br />
<br />
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-73901369586937872252013-04-23T23:41:00.002-04:002013-04-23T23:53:55.710-04:00thoughts on theatre choreography: flashy visuals? part of the story?The other night, my composer/music director fiance and I saw an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/04/19/theater/deconstructing-pippin.html?_r=0" target="_blank">article and video</a> featuring the new opening number of the Broadway revival of the musical <i>PIPPIN</i>. Part of the article's stance is that the success of the show will depend on the success of "the fusing of signature Fosse touches with acrobatics, contortionists and trapeze acts imported from the circus" in an attempt to recapture what was so special about the show in the first place. <br />
<br />
If you were to ask theatregoers who saw the original 1972 production what singular impression they took away, forty years later, there's a good chance they might mention some of Bob Fosse's imagery before they sing you a few bars. (Ben Vereen's authentic jazz hands!) <i>PIPPIN</i>, more than most other musicals, is a show where the choreography is integral. (Another notable exception, of course, is Jerome Robbins' <i>WEST SIDE STORY.)</i> Bob Fosse's choreography for <i>PIPPIN</i> was exciting; it was very stylized, and it was provocative. It was not, however, integral enough to director Diane Paulus and (legendary, talented, Fosse-protege) choreographer Chet Walker to be maintained for audiences in 2013. <br />
<br />
I will note: the point is not that the choreography will not be <i>respected</i> - surely if the work is to be safe in anyone's hands, it is Chet Walker's. <br />
<br />
My point is - choreography in theatre, specifically in musicals - is not considered a component of the piece of art. It's an add-on. When reviving an old show, directors wouldn't dream of changing a melody line. Scenes and songs may be cut, or even reordered, to serve a modern audience, but they don't hire a new composer. Not true of choreography - that's different all the time, and it's hardly ever mentioned. (Again, <i>WSS </i>is an exception... both in that it featured original choreography, and, for the 2009 Broadway revival, in the translation of some lyrics to Spanish. Even then, director Arthur Laurents made a point of bringing the show to today "without changing a word or note.") It would be huge news to write a new song or a new ending for a revival of <i>INTO THE WOODS</i>, wouldn't it? No one blinked, however, when Kathleen Marshall created her own steps for <i>ANYTHING GOES.</i><br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
Lots of other parts of the show change, too, of course. The orchestrations might be redone to work with a different number of musicians. The lighting design would undoubtedly change to take advantage of a new space, new technology. The costume design would likely change. The performers, of course, are different. Where does the essence of the old show get lost? Perhaps the dividing line is at what's merely visual. The songs and the dialogue are what we hear and what pushes the story along -- what it all looks like, including the dancing, changes. But if that's the case, why isn't a concert performance of <i>OKLAHOMA! </i>considered a revival? Because there's no physical acting? Choreography is surely part of the acting. It's what the performers are doing: they're singing, they're speaking, they're dancing. A concert performance of a musical is kind of like the Paul Taylor company performing <i>Fancy Free</i> - that's not a musical, of course, because there's no singing, no dialogue, just dancing and music. A concert is not a musical because there's no dancing and perhaps no dialogue, just music. The other visuals may be there -- lighting, costume -- in both of these situations... but neither is considered a "musical."<br />
<br />
Some shows don't have all of those elements, of course. We just saw <i>THE LAST FIVE YEARS</i> - no dialogue and no dancing there, but it's clearly a story told via musical. It would feel very strange to add big dance sections for Cathy and Jamie into that score, and it would be equally strange to add scenes of dialogue for the characters. I'm not saying that a show has to have all these elements to be considered a "musical" - I love seeing shows that push those boundaries - but I do think it's inconsistent the way we add or drastically change those elements when we revive existing shows.<br />
<br />
Well, okay. What, then, makes a musical revival different for a new generation? What can the new director do to create something fresh? If we treated choreography the same way we treated the book and the score, perhaps the director would be "translating" the choreography - for space, for time, for number of performers. Say the star needs to sing the hit song a half step down. Not really a problem. Say the star doesn't have the perfect extension the original cast member did, so she goes for just above 90 degrees instead of pushing 180. Also not really a problem. The essence of the song and the essence of the choreography is the same. Say the old staging had an ensemble of sixteen that filled up the stage, but this time around the house is smaller and there's only space/budget for ten. Stretch out the staging a little bit and keep the movement, and the stage will be filled and the essence of the movement is maintained.<br />
<br />
Now, granted, maybe the director has an idea to change the movement that will really add something to the story, to the tension in a scene, to the audience's experience. That could be a wonderful decision - maybe the show becomes richer, clearer, or more accessible. But my point, again, is that we don't allow music directors or other composers to come in and change the tune of a song for any of those creative purposes. Why?<br />
<br />
Another demarkation of what's essential: chronology. The composer-lyricist-librettist team creates the core material, and everything else comes later. The choreography is secondary, then, because it is dependent on the score. The choreographer is very rarely part of the original creative writing process. Granted. But what if the creation of the movement <i>was</i> part of the construction of the show? Would that shape the songs written? The dialogue needed to push the story along? Would performers have a more embodied performance experience?<br />
<br />
There's another obstacle to including choreography in the "package" of what's considered a musical. You can't package it. You've got your scripts, you've got your sheet music, you've got your... Labanotation? It doesn't happen, because the dance world hasn't created (or decided upon) a way to document dance to be recreated later. In the old days, you had to have someone who was a part of the original production come "set" it. The only new alternative is to have someone learn the choreography from a video in order to teach it to a new cast. It's much more difficult and more time-intensive than reading something off a page. (Enter motion-capture technology. Maybe a musical will, in the near future, come as downloaded pdfs, mp3s, and a motion-capture choreography file...)<br />
<br />
I don't mean to get down about this. I don't think Broadway has it wrong. There are a bunch of reasons why we revive shows the way we do, and a lot of it makes a ton of sense. I do think, however, that this is an untapped possibility for the creation of new work, or even a new sub-genre of musicals, where choreography truly tells an essential part of the story. <br />
<br />
It's not all bad. The current state of things does keep more choreographers employed - newcomers are able to create new movement for any show they work on - encouraging more newness and opportunity for innovation (whether or not that innovation is actually happening is, well, a different conversation). If choreography were maintained from all the old shows, the choreographer's job would be less similar to the composer's job and closer to the music director's. We might have "choreographic directors." It's only a short jump from that to the dance industry lamenting that no original work is supported enough to come to Broadway. (Sound familiar, composers? Writers? Audiences?) In this way, the limited view of choreography as essential to the show actually frees us up to create new and inspiring things.<br />
<br />
Anyway. New technology is coming at us all the time. Dance is more in the public consciousness than it has been in years (thank you, reality TV). And theatre creators are constantly looking for new sources of inspiration. I think it's time to shake it up.jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-11642731464432484092013-01-31T21:08:00.000-05:002013-01-31T21:08:28.474-05:00Day 31.well, here we are! the end of january. and in the vein of my 2013 mantra (focus more, worry less), here are snippets of the month's worth of choreographic ideas for one piece.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/58678238" width="500" height="375" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/58678238">resolution 2013</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/jaema">jaema joy</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<br />
<br />
conveniently, you can see the actual finished* piece at steps on broadway on saturday, february 2nd! don't miss out!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w2qhDH8sZGo/UQsa7A4s9pI/AAAAAAAAAKM/IcCXmhBv13E/s1600/775604_10151257756898295_1582393199_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w2qhDH8sZGo/UQsa7A4s9pI/AAAAAAAAAKM/IcCXmhBv13E/s320/775604_10151257756898295_1582393199_o.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />
so, what did i learn? two things. <br />
<br />
one, it's totally freeing to imagine any number of ideas for one piece, but it makes capping the ideas really difficult. and therefore i felt a strange sense of sadness after we completed the material in rehearsal. which reminded me of this:<br />
<br />
<i>"The development of an imagined piece into an actual piece is a progression of decreasing possibilities. . . Finally, at some point or another, the piece could not be other than it is, and it is done. That moment of completion is also, inevitably, a moment of loss -- the loss of all the other forms the imagined piece might have taken." </i><br />
<i> </i> - David Bayles & Ted Orland in their book <i>Art & Fear</i><br />
<br />
so at least i'm not alone in this feeling!<br />
<br />
two, it's really difficult to focus for that long on one thing! i found myself more aware of the inspiration i find in everyday life - i had different ideas on my mind, different rhythms i was inspired by, and by the act of <i>focusing,</i> i was able to not only create what i was focusing on, but i was more mindful of what else was happening around it. pretty cool.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*i mean, it's never really finished. but it's ready for a first staging. :)</span>jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-21570848090324238862013-01-30T10:55:00.001-05:002013-01-31T18:38:34.240-05:00Day 30, and thoughts on space & improvisationthis morning i had the amazing good fortune of being ready enough for saturday's showing that i had <i>15 minutes</i> of rehearsal space that i didn't need to fill. <br />
<br />
so one of my favorite collaborators had the idea to improv for a few minutes, because it's such an incredible luxury to have SPACE. <br />
<br />
which we did, and my goodness it feels good to move. it's rare, in an artist's life, to have space to use without a very specific purpose for it. i cram my choreographic thoughts into my kitchen (as shamelessly displayed here), into my mind as the Q train crosses the manhattan bridge, in the hallways in between classes at Steps, and i really only ever get to do them full out when i'm invested in creating something on a deadline. the show is three weeks away, this application is due, etc. <br />
<br />
the constraints are monetary; everyone and their brother knows that open space is a hot commodity in manhattan. i wonder about these sorts of constraints for other artists. is this similar to what a composer feels when creating a piece of music only on a piano? does "full out" equal "orchestration?" does a visual artist feel this way as she dreams up and sketches up ideas before she invests in the paint and the canvas? i'm not sure. actually, visual artists and composers (*cough* Dan... Grace...) feel free to chime in here.<br />
<br />
regardless, it makes me feel dizzy with possibilities to daydream about having such a space available to me whenever i wanted it. or even just for a couple hours each morning. or even twice a week. it would change my work. the constraints, of course -- the tension of creating in my kitchen -- add dimension and artistry in their own way, as constraints always do. so who knows if the space would be crippling in its emptiness, or how it would change my movement. but my personal opinion is that i would do well with a little more of it.<br />
<br />
anyway. back to improvisation. it's obviously a big part of the choreographic process, and is the source of most of my work. it's influenced by who i'm training with at the time, what the music is, how tight my body is feeling. and sometimes really interesting things happen, yes. but mostly, i know what i look like when i'm improvising. i know what my "things" are. my go-tos. so how to adjust those?<br />
<br />
when i started, in 2010, choreographing something every day to start each year, those questions were a big part of the impetus. it's about the <i>act of creation</i> every day, which is important, and it's also about allowing myself the chance to observe my patterns and my tendencies, and to purposefully move a different way. when i would create a phrase, sometimes i would look at what my body wanted to naturally do next, and i would make it do something completely different - sort of opposite. <br />
<br />
now, of course, i've gotten used to the "opposites." i know what my body wants to do, and i know what my analytical mind likes to make the body do when i'm being contrarian. so how do i get to something altogether <i>separate? </i>as in, not related to my natural tendency at all? <br />
<br />
i don't have the answers, naturally. but in the meantime, here's our work from today....<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/58598663" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/58598663">january 30th improvisation</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/jaema">jaema joy</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-28967054249736833492013-01-29T16:46:00.000-05:002013-01-29T16:46:05.513-05:00Day 29.a little living room improv on the diagonal.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzB6r1GsHw8R2vkN5tfZCijMmmSm0WpK_uusL2Sdol01EYraqI4bKJ58uYuZURZVEK-CMntJaOwrbhv9Vijag' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-18116836661445312132013-01-28T22:40:00.000-05:002013-01-28T22:40:55.621-05:00Day 28.a spatially-restricted version of part of the second section.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxhwK7B4GT41sRzovcIpk9OW3--CPf43EnBK8e5uLc3wdvUXxbVfEQfEnffDWwk8Ht4bnjK9V0PqkfwQmtX6g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-39709932611747128212013-01-27T20:04:00.000-05:002013-01-27T20:04:06.280-05:00Day 27.it has gotten distinctly harder to create hypotheticals since we worked through a first draft of the entire piece on friday. here, though, a bit of an adjustment of the opening bit of my own role.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzdwCLxrk1okWGV4RkNURM2zQZFqmAfW1kHOtTlAge808eAG9AHoPo7lSs1aLYoFTcZQVypbveGllUbmKCgGA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-39359829627731065872013-01-26T16:35:00.000-05:002013-01-26T16:35:19.992-05:00Day 26.a bit of purposeful wobblyness to add to the first section, perhaps.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzjUZL3CZRgHty8jb4GCmmGsZ3oTltAZC3j-sVEkt6xDnrBdQQWthZQpeHDKJG4uyBfPiI-qhkM3qEimpoYVA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-58017773222894048792013-01-25T11:09:00.000-05:002013-01-25T11:09:24.698-05:00Day 25.another day, another rehearsal!<br />
constructed this morning:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy2k5xHiBVnyNrtbnuhNDYPYgSHRYCCS1MErnOU7AyQPLyQxFCrgoJpYOCn3kjZaITUUWKxFjUgtJH0qtSPRw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-2242016486484857882013-01-24T10:50:00.000-05:002013-01-24T10:50:05.952-05:00Day 24.potential for more driven movement at the end of the second section (see yesterday!)<br />
obviously marked. (kitchen constraints.)<br />
food for thought for tomorrow's rehearsal!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzJpSzCiI0OouiwjjKu_6hRV3EgaXlQofQOUObclNvGYTi3Nvyah0Ss4PG6lDE8bmcWIvp_Wcf2QGOIqVHumg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-77642498601330514052013-01-23T21:44:00.000-05:002013-01-23T21:44:05.537-05:00Day 23.got a couple people in on the act today. rehearsal at gina gibney dance center, new york city.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyZDXtRMBLCb33eKTI0QZnSqxY_lenqR8bOnGtvtqfLh_tS4NAEO17W1MABzkQ-v3fA9gmq1cm-0DLrzdzRyQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-66024120006388105192013-01-23T21:31:00.000-05:002013-01-23T21:31:46.476-05:00Day 22.stillness, balance.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwXLKlvIMrPgjR3o4k8xo3tSvjL_JTQHBJac5GZyu5F6yKGtY-o3wGX5Jlq-gvJh0Nh6tH4dwIjmGGeKwWQ0w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-26942212696610536192013-01-21T23:26:00.000-05:002013-01-21T23:26:47.801-05:00Day 21.continual movement as contrast to spoken word.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz-6IkeVJ86GyvmfOz0hfnZxK4EP5Zj6ARow_srrTD9YMYvsgSO1annUF6reLpYyR0YU8fa_4qUE2BiZ4mCWQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890802924464232003.post-78200026858042349222013-01-21T23:18:00.000-05:002013-01-21T23:18:47.578-05:00Day 20.i like for you to be still.<br />
(i pictured this straight on, but i actually like the audience as the camera's view.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzHfsZfysmGa3Hh0ROX_rzngpLH_q6fC9EVtnvb-nDqaIXtbN-5vlLpZOJorZ7xincaVK0HrOAmgBtz0YnAoQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />jaemajoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334489401515629755noreply@blogger.com0