Solo Performance: "Slow Poison"

Introduction

Because I am a dance major with a concentration in Performance, it was decided that I needed to perform for my senior capstone. That did not pan out as planned, but this piece was supposed to be the cornerstone of my presentation. I had the absolute privilege of getting in contact with Annmaria Mazzini, with whom I worked at my 2019 Paul Taylor Summer Intensive, and she agreed to choreograph a modern dance solo on me for my senior project. The first video is the one we took when I first learned it in rehearsals, and the video on the right is the “final” performance that I filmed in my living room. This project was so close to my heart and incredibly important to me as a performer because it was really in the style that I seek to perform in as a professional, and it was a chance to work one-on-one with a former professional dancer and current professional choreographer and freelancer. In between rehearsals, I was able to chat with Annmaria and get some valuable insight into being a professional, including hearing about her first employment as a dancer and the journey she was on before, during, and after her time with the Taylor Company, which is a group I would love to be a part of in the future. This was an invaluable experience in performance as well. This piece demands incredible mental focus and stamina from me, and every time I perform it I can feel myself connecting with the piece and getting stronger from each performance. It highlights my focus, which is a strength, but it also challenged me to just get into the reactions that this piece demands, and to step away from the traditional “style” or “technique” of, say, ballet or jazz dance. This piece is not an incredibly technical piece, but I doubt that I could have performed it as well a few years ago because I think it requires a depth of understanding and maturity of the subject matter that I’ve only developed over the last year or so of study.

I was unable to film a final staged version of this piece, but Annmaria encouraged me to create one regardless with what I had available to me. The final piece on the right was filmed in my living room, where I created the backdrop and set up the lights and camera. This presented its own challenges - I was limited by space, by my sound (from my laptop), by film (on my cell phone), by my options for lighting, costuming, and location. However, I'm still pleased with the final product! In fact, as I mention in my video, Annmaria choreographed this in her living room, so my performance of it in my own living room acts as a completion of a creative circle. The context of the piece also takes place indoors, the relationship of the dancer to the unseen opposition is a private one, and I think the location actually contributes to that context rather than taking away from it. This was also a challenge I'll face going forward - finding motivation to keep myself strong and focused even when I'm unable to see other people or take regular classes. This time in quarantine was acting almost like a test, to see if I can keep working and pushing myself to dance even when I feel unmotivated or "trapped.”