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I Have Lived 1000 Years, Rehearsal Process, Uncategorized

A Dancer’s Perspective: Dancing Through the Darkest Moments

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A few weeks ago, I posted the most commonly asked questions about our show.  One of them was about how the dancers in the company deal with the emotionally heavy subject matter of the show.  One patron even asked what the hardest chapter was to perform.

None of these chapters are particularly sunny, but the hardest chapter for me is one of the most uplifting in the show: Chapter 22:Tattoo.

Stretch - Tattoo1

In this chapter, Elli’s ailing mother is revived by a sudden rain fall.  Elli and her fellow prisoners open their mouths to the sky, tasting their first untainted gulps of water in months.  Many of these prisoners are on the verge of death from thirst, starvation, and overwork, and this sudden downpour gives new life to the shattered lives of the inmates.

It’s supposed to be an uplifting—if haunting—chapter, and is one of the few times we see the inmates in the concentration camp rejoice, if only for a short while.

I suppose that’s what makes this chapter so hard for me.  This was the first chapter where I felt a visceral connection to the material, and helped me find my way into the rest of the show.  It was hard for me to put myself into the shoes of these people—especially because you know that these were real lives of those who lived and died.  My brain understood the connection, but I couldn’t tie my emotions to the thoughts.

Until Chapter 22.

For me, I spend the first half of the number facing the back, which gives me time to settle into the abandoned music box quality of the music.  I remember looking forward to the next break during our first rehearsal of the number, because I was dying for a drink of water.

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The rest of the dancers stand in the back during Anne’s touching solo.

It hit me like a sucker punch to the gut.

I could see the span of what I might feel in a similar situation.  I would hate the people who were slowly killing me, hate that no one did anything to stop them, I would hate myself for my body’s weakness.   I would think that everyone—even God—had abandoned me.

And that was the point in the music where the “rain” began.

Was this an answer to my prayers, or just a cruel trick of nature? I couldn’t help but wonder who else might have had those thoughts during the actual event.  And the relief from the rain brought a dangerous emotion: hope.

There is a safety in being locked in the grim routine of the camps, in not caring about the future.  But to hope?  Hope gives you something to lose in a place where you cannot afford to fall behind.

As I realized this, far from the tragedies of the concentration camps, I was again astounded at the incredibly courage of Elli and her family.  To continue to have such hope, even in the darkest of circumstances must have been almost impossible to sustain.  And yet she did.  And still does, in fact.

So while Chapter 22 may be one of the most difficult portions for me to perform, it is also the most humbling and inspiring of the passages.  I can never truly understand the suffering of those who went through the Holocaust, only someone who lived it can.  But this chapter, to me at least, reflects the greater message of this show and memoir: a message of hope and compassion even in times of terrible darkness.

I would love to hear what my fellow dancers have to say about their toughest or most inspiring moments in the show, if only to give me a break from rejecting the spam comments! 

 

Stretch - Donate

 

 

I Have Lived 1000 Years, Rehearsal Process

Stretching Past the Limitations

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Stretch - Fearless Leader Lyndell 2
Lyndell is always on her game!

I know we make it look easy, but putting up a brand new original production with a young company can have a lot of pitfalls. Luckily, our fearless leader Lyndell has thought of a way around several of the issues.

How does Lyndell choreograph for dancers from different styles?
Our company consists of dancers who have studied anything from hip hop to flamenco, so you’d think it’d be incredibly difficult to make the corps pieces looks cohesive and strong. It probably is, but Lyndell makes it seem easy. Though all of us in the company come from a different dance background, everyone has an incredibly strong acting ability that helps knit us together. The movement in the group pieces is often very fluid and simple, but uses timing, ripples  and acting to keep the pieces dynamic.

Stretch - Anne

The dance solos are a very special treat. Lyndell tailors each dance to the soloist’s abilities and strengths, so each solo is absolutely stunning to watch! The solos are where you’ll see the flavor of where each dancer comes from, which makes the piece much more personal to us as we continue to build it.

How do we get by with just one rehearsal a week?
The great thing about rehearsing once a week is that we can slowly build our company. Many of us perform in other productions at the same time, and all of us have at least one other day job. Though it can be tough to keep the energy going at 9pm on a Saturday night, it’s great to end our week with Stretch! It means that each dancer has some homework when we go home, but it also gives us more time to work on the story behind movements.

It can also be difficult when performers are absent due to work and other shows, but we take a video (not the ones that you guys get to see!) of the combinations each week so that everyone can catch up and stay on the same page.

How do you get the word out about a young company?
Our social media extraordinaire, Matt Lardner, does a fantastic job of updating Stretch Dance Co.’s Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and makes our amazing videos each week. It may sound silly, but social media can mean a lot these days. Besides, it’s a great way to share with our friends and family everything that we’ve been doing!  And of course, we’re using our Preview Performances to get the word out and give you a sneak peak into the amazing work that we’ve been doing.  Hope to see you there!

Stretch - Family

I Have Lived 1000 Years, Rehearsal Process

A Day of Rehearsal in a Thousand Years

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This week I thought we’d take a little break from Holocaust history and take a look at the rehearsal process that goes into building a show like I Have Lived a Thousand Years. If you watched last week’s video, you already have a bit of an idea of what goes on (if you haven’t seen it, then go watch it now!).

Stretch One Big Family
We’re one big happy family!

Since rehearsal is once a week, the first few minutes are filled with a lot of hugging and weekly recaps of our lives. Some of us have known each other from previous shows and start dusting off old inside jokes (This is also the point where we make loud comments about how sore we are in the hope that Lyndell will go easy on us during warm up).

Spoiler alert: she never does.

Lyndell’s warm up is a mix between classical ballet and the exercise routine that Rocky Balboa abandoned because it left him in tears each day.  Since we have dancers ranging from hip hop to contemporary to flamenco, the warm up gets on the same page as far as dance technique goes.

Hold and Cry
The “Hold and Cry” combo, guaranteed to bring a dancer to their knees.

It also serves as a great bonding experience. If I Have Lived a Thousand Years doesn’t work out,  this company has great potential as a standup comedy act, so long as we performing under balletic duress.

After warm up, the rehearsal really gets going.

Lyndell’s way of approaching dance pieces is different from any other choreographer that I’ve worked with. She spends a lot of time talking us through the piece, not only telling us the context, but the greater meaning behind the dance and how it relates to the rest of the show, and the arc of our emotions throughout.  We may even get a bit of a history lesson.

By this point, the jokes have died out and everyone has their game faces on. Each week brings a challenge: sometimes it’s just trying to perform the dance steps correctly or manage traffic patterns. Other weeks, it’s hard to connect to the emotional turmoil of those who went through the Holocaust.

Fearless Leader Lyndell
Fearless Leader Lyndell hard at work!

Once we finish the day’s group piece, Lyndell works with some of the soloists.  Anyone can stay behind and learn the solo, but most give into hunger pangs and grab a bite to eat.  Our social media expert Matt catches a few interviews with some of the dancers, and that’s a wrap!

Be sure to stay on the lookout for the pics and videos coming out this week!  We learned an extra dance for National Dance Day, so mark your Saturday calendar!