They Woke Dreaming
Choreography: Emily Schultz
Dancers: Olivia Marion Grant Barclay Lukas Gerlitz Liam Gerlitz Garrett Wilkinson Music: Geoffrey Castle "Mist on the Mountain" I would sit in the dark with this one. The dark was solace for me nowadays. I would put my headphones in and my brain would get carried away. The images filled the night and spoke with me. And what I saw was a strong female presence. Where I had recently felt the fragility of my being; that which comes with the torment of a cruel breakup of one you loved so dearly, I now sensed the strength within myself taking rise. My confidence grew in every passing night. The visuals for this piece poured in as the rain poured on my window. Where the time to sleep had once been a place to notice the shadows, now the shadows danced and played with me.
Where They Found Themselves
Choreography: Emily Schultz
Dancers: Richard Nevel II Amanda Coleman Aja Lamb-Hartley Lorianne Barclay Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky "Andante Cantabile" *To watch this choreography click here. I was shaking from nerves. But it was a different kind of nerve. This time, for the first time, I was off on the side and completely helpless. I had choreographed and gave as much as I could to the dancers but it was up to them now. As I stood there with the other audience members who had come to watch the first ever Student Choreography Workshop at Portland Festival Ballet, I could swear that they all knew the piece was mine. I could feel the stares alienating me even though I knew that was impossible. I felt exposed; like I should not be there. Like a poser or a sneak. The people sitting in the chairs weren't nervous. I envied them for their calmness and ability to enjoy and judge without care. Then, before I had any chance to change things or make them better, the cello started to fill the silence. I watched. My heart felt like it was going to grow wings and explode into flight, breaking free from my ribcage. But as I watched, something magical happened. I forgot about nerves and I got sucked into the world that was unfolding in front of me. The world I had imagined inside my head was becoming reality through the dancers. It was ten times better for the performance than it was during rehearsals. All the feeling behind the movement that I hadn't quite seen earlier was ever present now. Everything had come together. Everything had clicked within the spirit of the dancers. I was left breathless afterwards. I felt that someone had sat on my lungs. I knew I was going to have to speak to the audience and I didn't know if I would be able to find words. Because, you see, I did not know that this piece was straight from my life. I was blind during the creation process. If I had had my eyes open I would not have been surprised to see that this was straight from my heart, mind and soul. It was something produced from my unconscious; something that I was having a hard time acknowledging. But here it was; staring me straight in the face. The beauty of that overwhelmed me. Somehow I found the words to thank the dancers for their wonderful gifts and share that even though this was my first time choreographing, that I had found a new love. The piece was so well received that my director chose it to be put on stage for our spring show. The honor and pride I felt were indescribable. Even more so when I was backstage during the show a couple months later and I saw a group of little girls whispering to each other,"This is my favorite one.". |
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