Think about it. Dances are handed down by observation and repetition. There is no written "score" for what the dancers are doing. You might write down some very basic notes (arabesque, jete or jete battu, etc.) but what are the arms doing, how is the head turned?! Nice that the modern world can observe using film.
Saturday, June 29th, I attended an open rehearsal of the Chamber Dance Project. The rehearsal included 5 dancers and the choreographer, Claudia Schreier. They started creating her new ballet on Monday, June 24th, with daily rehearsals. Claudia explained that they had completed about 12 minutes of a final 15 minute ballet.
Here's Claudia's biography:
Very impressive for someone who looks so young, but at my age, everyone looks young.
The rehearsal began with Claudia and the dancers working on a 12 second segment. For almost an hour we saw them repeat, make small adjustments, and repeat. I was fascinated at how Claudia remained deep in concentration and the dancers were examples of muscle memory in action.
It reminded me of my dance recitals as a child. While waiting in the wings to go on stage, I would be "finger dancing" my routine - or using muscle memory to practice without actually moving. Even today my muscle memory is stronger than oral or visual because I started developing it at the age of 3. That's when I started dance lessons. Best if I write someone's name down if I'm going to remember it. I digress.
While the dancers took a break, Claudia answered questions from those of us in attendance. It was impressive to hear questions from true lovers of dance and to see several very young people in attendance.
When the dancers returned, they repeated what they had just developed and then showed us the total work so far. I look forward to seeing the finished work in performance next season.
A few words about the dancers - all are excellent:
Davit Hovhannisyan is very athletic and approached everything with great concentration.
Luz San Miguel may be tiny, but she is a strong dancer. I watched her feet - she must go through toe shoes at a very fast rate. She has a strong arch.
Francesca Dugarte is graceful and has marvelous extension. It was lovely to see the lifts she and Copper did together.
Cooper Verona went swimming in the same gene pool as Ben Affleck. Similar facial features. He was a terrific partner for Francesca.
Jonathan Jordan must have been a nightmare for any high school teacher he ever had. He cannot stay still. Even when others were working and he was on the sidelines, he was stretching, doing handstands, etc. He is a very powerful and accurate dancer.
My husband is rather new to ballet. He had never been to a dance performance until he met me. This was his first experience up close and in a rehearsal. He came away with a new appreciation for how accurate every step must be. It would be easy to slip and fall or crash into another dancer, etc. So glad he's willing to join me in attending these events.
