Interpretation of sign language via Contemporary Dance

 

Last night was AMAZING!

 

I met with some of the dancers from

LegaC Dance Troop at Whitland Town Hall

 led by Development Dance Manager for

Arts Care Gofal Celf, Laura Jenkins.

 

 

 

The dancers watched the film I have made of Maggie Hampton, Director of Disability Arts Cymru, signing the lyrics to Mermaid Scales the first set of songs in the production

 

 

Laura asked the dancers to take 2 signs that stood out to them the most and to make them into dance, listening to the full track which is now recorded.

 

Laura was brilliant at building the dancers skills and confidence in a very short space of time, giving them a set 4 instructions to change and move, increasing their creative development.

 

They then worked in pairs giving each other the the intructions to build Direction skills.

 

 

From here, they were asked to interpret each other's dance improvisation back to each other.

 

 

 

This is the genius part .. she then asked them to do the piece with their eyes closed. The difference in their dance was staggering! ... Explaining that they need to find that same place with their eyes open.

 

 

Then they interpreted each other's work with their eyes closed, so they were really feeling the piece and the movement.

 

All the dancers visibly grew through this process.

 

It was a very moving experience indeed to watch this development of my lyrics and music, via sign and rhythm through to dance. I felt myself overwhelmed by a sense of awe.

 

 

Honestly, I have worked with lots of people throughout my life long career in the arts and there are not many people like Laura Jenkins .

 

Not only is she a visionary manager, her ability to facilitate in way from the inside out, teaching how to dance from the soul ...

I was quite literally blown away.

 

 

 

 

 

I thought, 'I wonder how Maggie will feel when she sees this ... ' having done the sign language film for me and seeing these dancers ... WOW!

 

I think she'll be as blown away as I was.

 

The dancers are coming to Morfa Isaf with me in October for a film shoot, where Maggie will be Guinivere, the Mother all Mermaids signing in the sea, Simon Morgan Thomas will be Dafydd, Rachel Hargrave and her drummers will represent the sea against the rocks and the dancers will represent the mermaids and the waves/shipwreck, as well as the souls of the sailors lost.

 

 

 

They will also be performing live with me as part of the tour in January and February 2013.

 

 

If you live in Carmarthenshire or Pembrokeshire and you're thinking ... 'Mmm I'd like to get into dance.' then all you have to do is to have a look at the Arts Care Gofal Dance schedule because they run many different classes across the 2 counties.

 

Click the link & see if there's one near you folks!

http://www.acgc.co.uk/dance_community.html

 

 

 

 

 

Fusing with Contemporary Dance

What an AMAZING time I had filming the Contemporary Dance Troop today for Fusion Inspire. 

It was a real learning experience for me because it's the first time I have filmed a large group for my OWN piece! I am always supporting others to film their creative vision, but today I filmed MY creative vision and it felt absolutely WONDERFUL to the point that I had tears in my eyes about 4 times!

However, in my usual exuberance and enthusiam I forgot that I am a nearly 50 year old woman who doesn't usually dive bomb across a wooden dance floor for 'the shot' and am now literally covered in bruises! Pain for my art darling ;)

Sadly, we weren't able to do the film shoot as planned in the Bishop's Palace at St.David's because it was absolutely pouring with rain and so the troop ended up in their rehearsal space in the Town Hall in Whitland.   





It was a once only opportunity to film them rehearsing with their wings and masks ready for the Cultural Olympiad so it was frustrating for everyone that the rain scuppered us. But let me tell you, I have got some AMAZING footage! The dancers look fabulous on slow motion and it would look so art-y and out there if only ... there wasn't a fire extinguisher or radiator guard or .... etc in the background. Even with clever (or not so clever) editing, it just doesn't work! What an amazing learning opportunity though! I have learnt ...

That LOCATON is EVERYTHNG

So  have emailed Laura to see if there ia any chance at all that I can sort out filming them somewhere else, preferably the orignal plan at ST.David's but if not, anywhere beautiful! (Oh and hide all the shoes and jumpers and bibs and bobs!)

KNOWING THE ROUTINE

How great now that i know exactly what i'm looking for next time i get to shoot them cos I'm trusting the uiniverse that I will!) And this time I know the bits I need to focus on which I don't usually get the chance to do when collating material on the hoof.

BAD WEATHER CONTINGENCY!

This is the most important learning experience. I don't know why I hadn't put one in place for Fusion Inspire but I will need to. Have emailed already with an idea so will keep you posted on that one! But ALL of my shoots are outside and weather dependent so can you imagine! Usually I say, Oh well whatever the weather is how it's meant to be for filming but you can not film with my limited set up in howling wind and rain ... and you can not expect people to dance, sing, act or play in in it!



 

HUMANS CAN DO AMAZING THINGS
And I kind of knew this already, but the dedication, the sweat, the heart and the love that the Dancers had, the obvious committment on such a long and complex routine, well, I was absolutely blown away.



I knew some of the dancers from community projects they have taken part in with me in the past, but they are like different people! They have developed so much it's unbelievable ... 

And this is undoubtedly due in part to the Dance Team at Arts Care Gofal Celf led by the visionary and inspirational Coordinator, Laura Hackett.

But off course, it is the growth, development, hard work and passion of the dancers as individuals and as a troop that make what they do somehow bigger than dance.

I had a go at trying to 'hide the room' by filming and photographing through the materials that the girls were dancing with but the answer is defo to do the shoot again ...

I like some of the pictures through material and they do hide the room but you can not beat outdoors ...

... especially when you live in West Wales 

anything will work, urban, rural, the mesmerising kiss of the sea ... woops am having a mermaid moment there! But I learnt more from this experience than I would have if it hadn't rained so I will count my blessings (and knee bruises: photo to follow cos you seriously will not believe how battered I am! lol)

Many thanks to Arts Care Gofal Celf Dance Dept.

And thank you to The Arts Council of Wales and Welsh Gov.t for my Individual Mainline Grant

More general information about Cheryl Beer available at

www.cherylbeer.co.uk