Gender in Choreography - Independent Study

The purpose of Gender in Choreography is for me to learn three works choreographed BY men specifically FOR men and to document the process. I want to see how my body interprets the movement. I'm particularly curious about what it is like as a woman to slip into masculine-specific movement - what is achievable, what is transformable and what is unattainable.

I'll use this blog to document weekly rehearsals for myself and also for my advisor, Melanie Bales. I'll start this off with the first piece I'm working with, Chalk Boundaries, choreographed by Dante Brown. This piece is an all male ensemble currently in rehearsal for the February 7th Super Sunday event for the Hard Targets exhibition at the Wexner Center. You can read more about Brown's process on his blog: http://dnbdance.wordpress.com.  While I am not performing at the Super Sunday event, I am fully involved in the rehearsals. Thankfully Dante has been really cool with this idea!

January 6th - First rehearsal
I liked being a little invisible as I danced around the all male cast, which happens to be Mike Abbatiello, Dante Brown, Quentin Burley, Eric Nordstrom and Chafin Seymour. Aside from Nordstrom, most of the dancers are in their early twenties - if that. I think I'm older than two of them put together.  So, not only is this a gender study, but it's also an age study.

I spent most of rehearsal observing myself observing.  I really didn't think being a "minority" in a rehearsal would bring up so many memories of growing up with an older brother and wanting desperately to play with the big boys.  But that's exactly how I felt.  I maintained my distance in this first rehearsal though - which wasn't hard.  I think the undergraduate dancers were a little wary of me - they didn't know me and probably didn't understand why I wanted to be a part of their all-male experience.

I continued to run through more internal questioning, like - what does it mean to be a man? I wondered if men had the same question.  All these guys were clearly individuals and I bet they'd answer that question differently as well.  Why is this question so fascinating to me?  I feel like I've been asking myself this question a lot the older I get.  I know what I like in men - but why do I like those qualities?  Would I still like those qualities if I were also a man?  Also, is it just their physical strength that makes men dance differently or is it their gender that asserts other qualities.  I noticed an obvious difference in the dynamics of the cast as opposed to a mixed or all female cast.  The men took up a lot more room and they didn't gossip.  I liked this!

Eventually memories of dancing in Heywood "Woody" McGriff's Dig came flashing back at me.  I remembered how much I enjoyed the athleticism in his choreography.  I remembered how I wanted to jump as high as he did and command the space the same way he did.  Maybe I just like this kind of strong, athletic movement.  And why not?

More to come!