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Choreographer seeks women's life experiences

By SUSAN GINGRASSO
Special to The Gazette
Here I am, about 9 months away from Danstage 2000 and I am already starting on the next piece. Why start so early? In the 30 years I have been choreographing, I have found I need to let an idea germinate for a long time during which I sketch and write about it in my choreographic notebook. When I finally make the movement and craft the dance on the dancers in space and time, I have lived with the ideas long enough for the movement phrases to convey my intent. This pre-choreographic process mirrors that of many other artists and writers.

The next question you might ask is how do I get an idea for making a dance? Doris Humphrey, one of the modern dance pioneers and great choreographers of this century, said in "The Art of Making Dances" (1958), that the best material for making a dance comes from one's own real life experience.

In May, immediately after this year's Danstage, I had two related ideas, both of which drew from my life experience. One was to explore mother-daughter relationships and the other was to work with women from our own community to bring their stories to the stage.

These themes sprang from a series of oral histories I did with my own parents in 1996. My favorite aunt, the family historian, had died the previous year before I could tape her stories. Then, I realized my family's oral history would disappear when my parents died unless I preserved it.

In today's society the personal and meaningful parts of this history can be lost to the next generation without active intervention. I still cherish the several days I spent with my mom and dad getting their life histories on videotape. After researching how to conduct an oral history and writing extensively in my notebook, I decided to tackle the second idea first. After all, a collaborative work that highlights the lives of the community's women seemed like a natural progression after the two pieces I did for Danstage 1999.

John Kedrowski, a state Department of Transportation employee, conceived of "Down at the Club" to Sade's music and collaborated with me throughout the rehearsal process. For "Perform in a Well Ventilated Room!" set in a chemistry lab, I utilized the expertise of UW-SP faculty chemists Don Showalter and Marvin Lang, and faculty physicist David Tamres for background and specifics. I collaborated with Jennifer Seymour, top student chemist and tap dancer, without whom I could not have created such an interesting, sparkling work.

Having decided on a topic, how did I start? In one of my note making sessions, I wrote "call Clara Cleve," long-time dancer and supporter of our program, to see if she was interested in working on this project. She was thrilled and after we talked we have a clearer sense of our next steps.

In addition, I already knew I wanted the accompaniment to be selections from the participants' stories told in their own voices combined perhaps with music meaningful to them or composed specifically for the dance. I also knew video and slides would play an important part in the work as will props and a set.

The actual shape of the piece will depend on the stories and inspiration of the women who choose to participate. I also knew we needed about six months to tape oral histories and sift through ideas before beginning to create the movement you ultimately see in next year's concert.

Now, Clara and I want to make contact with women interested in working on this project. During the fall, we will meet at the YMCA on Tuesday nights from 8:15-9:30 in the all-purpose room beginning Aug. 24.

We will move, talk, tape oral histories, make huge discoveries, have a good time, and eventually generate the seeds of a piece that will reveal the flavor of women's lives in our community. In the spring semester, the women may elect to continue with the piece in any way that feels appropriate.

Participation can range from recording selections of the oral histories collected, to submitting photographs to be used as background, to being a supportive audience member, to actually participating in the piece on stage with selected university dancers who will join the group.

Anyone interested in more information or in participating should contact Susan Gingrasso at the UW-SP theatre and dance department, 346-2500, the week of Aug. 16.



	Choreographer seeks women's life experiences By SUSAN GINGRASSO Special to The Gazette Here I am, about 9 months away from Danstage 2000 and I am already starting on the next piece. Why start so early? In the 30 years I have been choreographing, I have found I need to let an idea germinate for a long time during which I sketch and write about it in my choreographic notebook. When I finally make the movement and craft the dance on the dancers in space and time, I have lived with the ideas long enough for the movement phrases to convey my intent. This pre-choreographic process mirrors that of many other artists and writers. The next question you might ask is how do I get an idea for making a dance? Doris Humphrey, one of the modern dance pioneers and great choreographers of this century, said in "The Art of Making Dances" (1958), that the best material for making a dance comes from one's own real life experience. In May, immediately after this year's Danstage, I had two related ideas, both of which drew from my life experience. One was to explore mother-daughter relationships and the other was to work with women from our own community to bring their stories to the stage. These themes sprang from a series of oral histories I did with my own parents in 1996. My favorite aunt, the family historian, had died the previous year before I could tape her stories. Then, I realized my family's oral history would disappear when my parents died unless I preserved it. In today's society the personal and meaningful parts of this history can be lost to the next generation without active intervention. I still cherish the several days I spent with my mom and dad getting their life histories on videotape. After researching how to conduct an oral history and writing extensively in my notebook, I decided to tackle the second idea first. After all, a collaborative work that highlights the lives of the community's women seemed like a natural progression after the two pieces I did for Danstage 1999. John Kedrowski, a state Department of Transportation employee, conceived of "Down at the Club" to Sade's music and collaborated with me throughout the rehearsal process. For "Perform in a Well Ventilated Room!" set in a chemistry lab, I utilized the expertise of UW-SP faculty chemists Don Showalter and Marvin Lang, and faculty physicist David Tamres for background and specifics. I collaborated with Jennifer Seymour, top student chemist and tap dancer, without whom I could not have created such an interesting, sparkling work. Having decided on a topic, how did I start? In one of my note making sessions, I wrote "call Clara Cleve," long-time dancer and supporter of our program, to see if she was interested in working on this project. She was thrilled and after we talked we have a clearer sense of our next steps. In addition, I already knew I wanted the accompaniment to be selections from the participants' stories told in their own voices combined perhaps with music meaningful to them or composed specifically for the dance. I also knew video and slides would play an important part in the work as will props and a set. The actual shape of the piece will depend on the stories and inspiration of the women who choose to participate. I also knew we needed about six months to tape oral histories and sift through ideas before beginning to create the movement you ultimately see in next year's concert. Now, Clara and I want to make contact with women interested in working on this project. During the fall, we will meet at the YMCA on Tuesday nights from 8:15-9:30 in the all-purpose room beginning Aug. 24. We will move, talk, tape oral histories, make huge discoveries, have a good time, and eventually generate the seeds of a piece that will reveal the flavor of women's lives in our community. In the spring semester, the women may elect to continue with the piece in any way that feels appropriate. Participation can range from recording selections of the oral histories collected, to submitting photographs to be used as background, to being a supportive audience member, to actually participating in the piece on stage with selected university dancers who will join the group. Anyone interested in more information or in participating should contact Susan Gingrasso at the UW-SP theatre and dance department, 346-2500, the week of Aug. 16.