The Empty Space in Between
LOT C, a free site-specific live performance created by School of Creative and Performing Arts Students , under the direction of Melanie Kloetzel.
Learning confined to the walls of an academic institution has enveloped my life for the past eight years. Though the array of discourse and mentorship has been exemplary, I found academia to be comprised of set and controlled subject matter, decided and thrust upon. The times I had the opportunity to step beyond the studio and create in site-specific environments have been the most fruitful. Practice-based research offers an inlet to new knowledge. By means of investigation and attending to place, understanding of fundamental principles can be enriched. The following reflection provides a collection of journal entries, outlining my visceral practice in a week-long, site-specific process titled Lot C. Under the direction of Melanie Kloetzel, Lot C offered a glimmer of hope as it provided an outlet for shedding stagnant energy in the ongoing global pandemic.
August 31, 2020
A plethora of gray cement extends before me - spacious, vast and abandoned. The sound of wind whistles past my ears, carrying the distant sound of sirens and traffic. I extend my hands into the air and reach for the sky – an abundance of light. The boundaries of cement blocks on the outskirts barricade the protruding vegetation that yearn to overgrow their confines. An impulse from within drives me to soar across the gravel pavement. I don’t hesitate, I unleash my spirit to experience the space for the first time. I glance back and spot the patterns imprinted on the ground’s surface - a swirl, a deep gash, a cloud of dust.
Questions flood my consciousness. Why is this space desolate of human presence? What was here prior to an abandoned parking lot? How can the ‘in between’ moment of stillness and change perpetuate responsible action for future?
September 1, 2020
Within the borders of the narrow pedestrian corridor, a precession of 15 bodies mindfully and quietly familiarize themselves with their surroundings. The placement of cement blocks structures my journey. The absence of human made objects is evident from the dim outlines remaining in the gravel. I notice the resiliency of vegetation and its efforts to reclaim what once used to be a rich ecosystem.
A B C D E
Fallen Signs.
As we reach the end of the path, we are instructed to turn around and accelerate our journey back. I unleash my legs and take off feeling the uneven surface of pebbles beneath my feet. As I glance back, a cloud of smoke lingers in the air from the trampling of feet. The bus stop has me in a trance. I yearn to explore its nooks and crannies and experience the array of sonic possibilities. The site is calling to me.
September 2, 2020
Today the weather took a drastic turn. The wind is hallowing, gray clouds drift across the horizon, and partial rays manage to peak through. The bus stop offers solace from the brisk billowing of air – a shelter, providing comfort. A new soundscape begins to emerge as I sit in stillness and listen. The plexiglass wobbles back and forth from the strength of the wind, a paper sign taped to the inside wall rustles vigorously, and footsteps of birds landing on the rooftop echo throughout the enclosure.
The idea of polyphony from Kloetzel’s “Lend me an ear: Dialogism and the vocalizing site” resonates with me. What voices do I want to amplify in my choreography? I had indeed considered the past function of the site - a constant influx of people, coming and going, waiting, interweaving and departing. Yet, what about the present? As I looked outward to the overgrown field ahead, my mind envisions vines creeping and reclaiming this human made structure; crunching and crumbling the metal cage, crawling up the supporting beams and yearning for direct sunlight. My focus shifts to the cement; tiny beetles camouflage their wings against a gray backdrop – meandering in wavy pathways. Behind me, the daunting red, yellow and blue children’s hospital dominates the entirety of the block. Sirens suddenly infiltrate my awareness; my heart skips a beat.
September 3, 2020
Where has the time gone, it is already Thursday! One day remains before we present our curation to the public. What a dream it has been to direct six dancers through space. As I reflect on my creative process, I realize the value of providing clear and concise movement scores. Using a choreographic strategy of characterization, I ask the dancers to embody one of the following personas when gathering into the space: the pacer, the germaphobe, the groover, the homeless, the dreamer, the late runner. From there, rather than choreographing in a chronological manner, I find it useful to create sections that I can then manipulate and structure. Inspired by my earlier observation of the site’s percussiveness, I instruct the dancers to choose a significant rhythm that can then be repeated. Captivated by the sounds that emerge, like a conductor, I organize the development of an accumulating jingle. In conjunction with Robin’s expertise, the sound of the site comes to life. My biggest struggle seems to be withholding from incorporating physical touch between dancers. To my surprise, the see-through plexiglass offers an ingenious solution. I instruct them to playfully offer different body parts for ‘connection’: hand to head, elbow to bum, belly to knee, etc. I enjoy witnessing the subtle humor seeping into the work. In my phenomenological exploration of the bus stop, the bench emerges as a significant structure. The final section I want to incorporate is the bench dance as it offers the possibility for a multitude of level changes and inversions. Rather than setting specific choreography, I encourage the dancers to improvise using five distinct movements: side lunge, bum lift, splat to ground, abrupt turn, and inversion. The exploration that ensues is breathtaking – a visible connection emerges by sharing movement vocabulary, yet it is unpredictable and different each time. The last step in completing my choreography is placing all the sections together and creating transitions that are meaningful. The feedback I receive helps me organize my thoughts and zero into aspects that remain lacking. I look forward to the final day of revisions and performance!
September 4, 2020
Site dance is filled with possibilities not typically accessible within a proscenium setting, yet it also come with challenges. Remove the pristine double sprung floor and dancers face a greater risk of injury. With a heavy heart, we saw that risk become reality as one of our colleagues suffered a partial tear to the anterior talofibular ligament of the ankle. Coupled with prolonged sun exposure, long exhaustive days and other external factors, this incident is a reminder how impactful an environment can be. The site as a protagonist was exercising its agency, pushing back against the human influx. What was the lesson here? My takeaway is to have a greater awareness of my physical alignment through space, to be conscientious of what I ask of my dancers, and to allow time for self care and recovery. Yet despite this incident, the show must go on.
Utilizing the concept of the “tour” as mentioned in the book Site Dance: Choreographers and the Lure of Alternative Spaces, the audience takes an active role in the viewing experience. Beginning at letter A, they leisurely stroll down the long and narrow pedestrian corridor allowing for proactive engagement with the site as well as a multitude of sightlines. Talking with members of the audience afterwards, it was valuable to hear that their awareness of the site had changed, to say the least, some had no idea this parking lot even existed. As a dancer, choreographer and spectator, the culminating product is invigorating. The array of compositions, featuring solos, quartets, sextuplets and full group choreography, offers a diverse viewing experience. With a site of such expanse, utilizing strategies of foreground and background is fundamental in the organization of bodies.
Reflecting on the process, I am charmed by the complexity of the site and the multitude of dialogues that emerged. The thematic idea of the ‘in between’ was prominent in this location: in between transformations, in between two hospitals, in between periods of uncertainty. It is within this space that all possibilities exist and decisions manifest into reality. These decisions must come from a place of accountability for all life, human and more than human. I find that through practice-based research, more opportunities to be creative can arise. One is challenged with finding solutions to problems that would otherwise not exist in a pre-defined setting. Site specific work forces us to be adaptive and responsible - qualities most valuable in a society that changes with increasing pace.
Works Cited
Kloetzel, Melanie., Carolyn. Pavlik, and UPSO. Site Dance : Choreographers and the Lure of Alternative Spaces. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2009.
Barbour, Karen Nicole, Victoria Hunter, Melanie Kloetzel, and ProQuest. (Re)positioning Site Dance : Local Acts, Global Perspectives, 2019.
Images from Kloetzel&Co. https://www.kloetzelandco.com/portfolio/lot-c/
