15/09/09
Dear LUTSF
Please find
enclosed my report on my participation in European exchange/professional
development programme Dance Beyond Borders.
Dance
Beyond Borders: 5 x 2 Week Residencies
K3
Choreographic Centre,
Escola
Superior de Danca,
Retina
Dance Company,
K3
Choreographic Centre/Sprechwerk,
*The LUTSF
covered the travelling costs to three of the five residencies.
Through these residencies I created a solo, Seven Skins,
which was performed at DanceKiosk-Hamburg in July 2009. The residency programme
was an extremely beneficial and rewarding process - I learnt much from the
exchange between peers from different countries and mentors from different backgrounds,
and began to understand and make contacts within the dance scene on the
continent. I feel very much that I got the maximum possible benefit from
participation in Dance Beyond Borders, and that it will have creative and
practical resonances within my work and working methodology for many years to
come.
All parts of the project were
enjoyable and beneficial. I particularly enjoyed being brought into contact
with a motivated and inquisitive group of peers (the other project
participants). We have established friendships and working links and I am
certain this will lead to many future possibilities and projects.
I have completed a report for Dance
Beyond Borders, which will be used primarily to report back to the European
Commission (who funded the project) as well as for internal assessment and
management. Seven Skins was performed at DanceKiosk-Hamburg, and will be
performed this weekend at Theater Outlet in Braunschweig. Further festival
performances already scheduled include Soft Cuts,
I plan to continue my research in
future work, implementing skills and engaging with the subject more fully, and
taking it into dialogue with collaborators from other mediums.
Thank you
so much again for awarding me the scholarship which enabled me to participate
in such a rewarding project, it has been of such benefit to my work and I am
very grateful for your support.
Yours
Sincerely,
Rachel
Birch-Lawson
REPORT
Dance Beyond Borders (DBB) was an incredibly valuable
experience, rich, varied and rewarding. An exciting project in itself, I feel that
the benefits to my future career are incalculable. On an artistic level, my
working processes and methodologies developed considerably, my analytical and
critical skills were exercised and honed, and my confidence in my ideas and my
ability to realise them grew. On a practical level, the course has led me to
explore the dance and arts scene beyond
Dance
Beyond Borders took place over five two-week residencies:
Residency
1: K3 Choreographic centre,
Residency
2: Escola Superior de Danca,
Residency
3:
Residency
4: Retina Dance Company,
Residency
5: DancKiosk-Hamburg - production time / performances at Sprechwerk.
These were
attended by ten young choreographers from around
ARTISTIC PROCESS
My artistic process was an incredible journey. I feel
convinced that this was only possible given the context of DBB: the peer group,
the mentors, and the total concentration of the residencies abroad.
During the first residency my
preconceptions and previous methodology for making work was entirely shaken up.
We undertook deep body exploration and movement research, which led me to a new
point of departure: I reexamined my own body and movement, and came to
understand that what I had were many ideas as to HOW to make a piece - a list
of tasks and building blocks - but not ideas for a piece in itself: I had all
the structure and composition tools, but without anything to put into this
structure. From this point on I threw out all I had planned, all my
preconceptions, and began making from what was, for me, a new and strange
perspective: from the inside out. This fascinating process of working directly
from my own body: taking a body experience into a feeling experience, and, by
walking the fine line between the two, generating a movement language and set
of associated qualities; from that opening back out to theme and narrative; from
that into compositional structures; and finally returning to the movement
language to hone and shape it to my now developed theme and ideas. This took me
in directions I would never have imagined exploring. I challenged my body history, and my
perception of my body history, and so challenged myself in my dual role of
choreographer and performer.
I initially planned an experiential
installation piece, but gradually the subsidiary elements (TVs, sound sources,
text placards) were stripped away through practical considerations, and I
finally decided on a staged performance piece. However, the key content and
themes endured. I learnt through this process to be flexible and adapt to
change and practicalities: my installation ideas were just not feasible given the
performance space and the nomadic nature of the residencies, so I had to adapt,
and see not the limitation, but the other possibilities.
It was important for me on this
occasion to simply make the work that wanted to be made. However, I have
produced a piece that is difficult to stage: it requires the audience to be
able to see small detail clearly. It works best in a studio setting, in
daylight, and something is lost in the transference to stage. This is a good
lesson for the future: to really consider how something will be viewed, and to
ensure that the work I am making can in a practical sense be shown in it’s best
light. As dance is a performance art it is of course essential to remain aware
of the final presentation, its format and possibilities/limitations, whilst
working through the creative process.
I know that I have made a bolder
piece than I could possibly have made remaining at home in London, and this was
due as much to the international nature of the group and working conditions as
the mentor support and mutual support we gave each other. I felt, within this
European context, witnessing work with bite and intensity and drama being made
around me, able to overstep the boundaries of politeness and my
self-consciousness regarding drama/melodrama. This feeling of freedom to take
risks was undoubtedly due to the lack of personal ties and history, the
influence of a variety of cultures and schools of thought, and the consistent
support and encouragement from mentors and peers that I mentioned earlier.
I was also performing in someone else’s work as well as my
own. I enjoyed the chance to step out of my own piece, to work in a larger
group (one choreographer and two dancers, including me), and to work in the
kind of piece I would never have imagined myself doing. Verena’s process and
way of working was very different to my own, and as a group at times it was
difficult and frustrating. However, it was a great opportunity to work on
communication and exchange, to commit fully to another’s work without judgment,
and yet maintain a sense of questioning. Switching between choreographer and
then dancer within the space of a few hours was hard, but I feel that this
experience of both perspectives was useful and refreshing.
MENTORING
Through each residency we received substantial mentoring and
peer-mentoring. On a personal level this was invaluable and always spot on. I
was continually encouraged and supported, and questioned and questioned again.
I also enjoyed the opportunity to support others through their process and give
feedback on their work.
The mentors came from very different
perspectives and had very different skills and viewpoints to offer. Angela
Guerreiro focused on movement research and deep body exploration; Francisco Pedro
on giving us time and space to develop our movement research and ideas; Thomas
Kampe and Stephanie Schober on compositional tools and structures for our work;
and Natalie Gordon and Filip Van Huffel on extending the physicality of our
work, and audience experience (they continually questioned - ‘what do you want
your 
audience to see?’).
Throughout, I felt the feedback was
necessary, concise, and encouraging, but also helped me maintain a sense of
perspective and humility. The different approaches were essential to the
development of my work: the varying viewpoints encouraged me to explore how I
wanted my work to be read, and by whom, and hearing different kinds of feedback
also enabled me to discover when to stand my ground, when to be firm, when to follow
my own intuition, and when to accept.
LABS
AND WORKSHOPS
Through the residencies we participated in workshops which
were varied in content and intensity. All were of benefit and use, specifically
the film (
THE GROUP
The most exciting and rewarding part for me was undoubtedly
working within this peer group. I have made some great friends, great
colleagues, great contacts, and I look forward to working with all of them
again in the future.
Working as a young artist can
frequently be a lonely and frustrating experience, and here being able to
simply share the sometimes painful creation experience made all the difference!
I was able to ask for feedback and support, to give my own opinions and
thoughts on others’ work, and to be supported continually by others
experiencing the same difficulties and joys as myself. The groups’ work was
varied, and I felt privileged to witness 9 such different pieces grow in front
of me. It was useful on a practical level to watch others manage an artistic
process, to compare methodologies, practices, and ideas, and great fun to work
and live within such a great group. For me, this was a key part of DBB: I have
already made plans to work with several of the rest of the group in the future,
to share studios with them and peer-mentor each other through future processes,
and to work together to produce and manage future performances of our work.
RESIDENCIES - CULTURE AND ISOLATION
The intercultural nature of the group and mentors and place
of residency was key. This mix of place and space and perspective encouraged
all of us to explore new ideas, new ways of working, and new ways of
perceiving. The isolation and intensity and freedom from other responsibilities
was also very significant: it was incredibly refreshing and rewarding to be
able to focus entirely on this one piece, on this one process: the luxury of
time and space was great.
SHOWINGS AND PERFORMANCE
After each residency we had a showing. These varied in
formality and structure: some were internal studio showings, for participants
and mentors only, others were more formal, staged, for a public audience. They
were useful as a management tool, ensuring I reached a conclusive point at the
end of each residency, however they could have been more useful if there had
been more opportunity for feedback afterwards: this is something I hope DBB
will address in the future.
The final performance in
REFLECTIONS - WHAT I HAVE LEARNT AND
FUTURE PLANS
I can honestly say that DBB has made the most significant
contribution to my career development so far. I have learnt many, many things
about artistic methodology and practice, analysis and dissection, discussion
and sharing, generosity and openness, intuition and rationality, management and
organisation. On a personal level I have gained confidence in my ideas, my
choreography, and my performance, I have found new ways of working, new ways of
moving, and opened themes out on-stage that have been looking for expression
within me for many years.
Artistically I have reassessed how I
was working and making pieces before DBB, and realised that for now I wish to
begin to work more in the way I experienced during DBB: before I was working a
lot within commissioned work, following briefs, as well as collaborating with
others. I realise that for my artistic development it’s important to be able to
have an idea and follow it to its conclusion as pleases me: for now I need the
freedom to follow my desire, and not be bound by others’ briefs, time constraints,
or musical choices. Perhaps after I’ve explored this I will be able to return
to working more with others, working to brief, but I’ve realised I need to
explore my ideas and how I craft them more fully before I will be ready for
this.
Making a solo on myself was a huge
creative and logistical challenge and managing the dual role of performer and choreographer
was an interesting and difficult task. I dislike working alone in a studio: 
I only felt able to take the
challenge of making a work on myself because of the large group environment and
studio sharing. Having only myself to draw on for ideas and inspiration, having
to motivate and manage myself to create to schedule and to maintain interest
when my enthusiasm began to flag, was difficult. Again, the group situation
made this easier and more enjoyable than I could have imagined, and as several
of us had this experience, we plan in the future to share studios to work on
individual processes.
I plan to take this solo, Seven
Skins, on to festivals and platforms, and, then attempt to move onto new works,
taking what I have learnt with me. On a practical level I am looking now to
apply for residencies and supported programmes to continue to develop these
thoughts and consolidate this experience. I also have realised my hunger for
study and discussion, and now plan to apply for a master’s degree in
choreography starting 2010. As part of DBB I look forward to working as a group
to arrange international performances of our work, to continue to exchange and collaborate
practically, and to work on new projects with each other over the next year or
two. We definitely feel that this is just the start, we have established this
exciting network which we are only beginning to explore. Beyond DBB I look
forward to opening up future dialogues with the mentors and other artists I met
through the project, looking at performance, mentoring and support
opportunities, and to begin to establish myself firmly on the dance scene, with
confidence in my abilities and channels of communication now open.
In
conclusion, DBB met my expectations, but also my desires. I realise now, on
completion, how much in need I was for what was offered, on a practical, a
personal and an artistic level. (Time and space, mentoring, community and companionship,
inspiration and stimulus.) DBB helped me to open doors within myself, and to
the wider dance community - I learnt more about myself as an artist, more about
the kind of work I make and want to make in the future, more about dialogue and
exchange, more about producing and publicizing and managing myself and my work,
than I could have ever imagined. I gained courage in my convictions, a support
mechanism of fantastic mentors, and a network of inspiring and inspired young
artists whose inquisitiveness and openness will, I’m sure, lead to exciting
future possibilities. I have been inspired to return to study, to continue to
make and make, and to get my work seen and heard. This was ultimately a
valuable and rewarding experience, and left me with the conviction that whilst,
as a young artist, I cannot yet be certain of producing work of great
creativity, thought and intellect - work of great moment - all of us who took
part in DBB can now be certain that our input is all of these things: that we can
be assured of making a valuable, creative contribution to dance culture.
R B-B