Fall has always in some way signified change for me. Whether it was starting a new school year or moving to a new city, there was always something “new” come the turn of the season. Lucky for us this Fall, we have had the privilege of having our own new choreographic work. For the past few weeks we have been in rehearsal with Crystal Michelle Perkins creating a piece via Zoom. The process has been an adventure and throughout the month of October we, as a company, have seen the work mold itself into a true work of art.

For non-dancers, the art of choreography can sometimes be a mystery. I often recall my parents asking me “where do you even begin?” It’s a valid question – does it start with the music, the concept or idea, a specific storyline, or maybe a sequence of movements that you like? For each choreographer it’s different, but the process itself feels so familiar. With Crystal’s currently untitled work, it began with two phrases of choreography made in silence – ‘Part A’ and ‘Part B’. Everyone learned these two phrases quickly, and then came the deconstruction. This is where the choreographer’s mind gets to let loose and be creative. Crystal utilizes what many of us refer to as a ‘toolbox’ for choreography. Using those two base phrases, Crystal paired us off in duets and gave each of us a task. One group sped the movement up, the other retrograded it (which is SO hard on the brain if I may add), and another did all of the movement on the ground (talk about bruises for days). These adjustments are all considered choreographic tools. Using these new variations of Phrase A and B, we started to mold the piece together. Crystal placed us in formations, played around with who dances when, and saw how the movement traveled through the space. We are currently still working on the overall structure of the dance, but that’s the beauty of choreography – it’s a process and there is freedom in the construction!

I love being a paint color in an artist’s palette. It’s where I find my place in the dance world – supporting another’s artistic creation and watching it come to fruition. Crystal has been and continues to be a pleasure for us to work with. Now that you have insight on our choreographic journey, be sure to check out all of the work at South Chicago Dance Festival coming up!! We cannot wait to share our art with the community!