Meet Choreographers Amy and Ivy

Meet Choreographer Amy Roby: 

PC-Veritydance

Where did you find the inspiration for your piece/concept? 

I have found inspiration for this particular work from questioning the definition of hope. There are people who I've investigated, Judy Garland and Maya Angelou, to make a foundation for the theme. I also investigated poetry by Emily Dickinson and referred to many other scholarly resources that have written about hope, and it's explicit and implicit associations.

What are some strategies you use during the rehearsal process for Afterimages? 

During the rehearsal process, I come in with a time line of events that might occur to communicate the overarching theme of the piece. I make use of repetition and experiment with different energies to execute the movement given. The dancers are a big part of the process. I take into consideration what their natural rhythms are for movement.

How have you grown as an artist through creating a new piece of choreography? 

This process has pushed my limits in use of spacial design and focus. I question what draws my eye, and what I would like the audience to focus on.

How does one of your typical rehearsals usually run? 

Rehearsals usually begin with a run of where we left off. Then I begin working with dancers on new material. Prior to rehearsal, I make sure I listen to the music to find details that I may have missed previously

What do you enjoy most about the Afterimages process? 

I enjoy the discovery process of rehearsal and working with the dancers to find purpose in the movement. The question I ask myself most often is: how does this translate? 

Meet Choreographer Ivy Boudreau: 

Where do you find inspiration for your piece/concept?

·     I found inspiration for my piece by reflecting on the natural progression of the concept of the solo I choreographed for Solo Composition last year.  This solo, titled “Roots”, was about finding a sense of belonging and home within oneself and knowing that wherever life takes you, home is within you.  This year, inspired by the constant growth and evolution in my own life, I am exploring the idea of branching out from this rooted place of home to find connections with others.  Sometimes these connections are challenging to find, sometimes they come about in the most unexpected times and situations, but they always require a high level of honesty and trust.

What are some strategies you use during the rehearsal process?

I like to spend time doing improvisation to free verse I wrote about the piece, as I hope this allows my cast to discover ways to personally connect to the concept.  It also helps me to see how they naturally prefer to move.  I also like to let my cast take a phrase I’ve choreographed and change it up - maybe take a movement that was originally performed by the arms and move it to the legs, or perform a movement on the floor that was originally a jump.  Some of the most beautiful movements have been created by a cast member making a variation of my choreography.    

How have you grown as an artist thought the process of creating a new piece of choreography?

·     

      This is my third year choreographing for Afterimages, and it has been interesting to see how my approach has changed from year to year.  I continue to struggle with the process of translating something I can see in my own mind and body into the body and mind of another human, but I’m realizing more and more that communicating through movement makes a lot of sense to me.  Seeing the world as something in a constant state of motion, flux, change, ebb and flow, is the only way of experiencing life that truly makes sense to me, and it’s a great joy to echo this state of change by figuring out ways to process my ideas through movement.

How does one of your typical rehearsals work?

Depending on where we are in the process, I usually choreograph a phrase or two ahead of time and teach them at the beginning of the rehearsal, after reviewing whatever we did at the previous rehearsal.  Then we begin trying the phrases in different formations, orders, with and without music, and with changes like I mentioned above.  I figure out where I want the movement to happen in the piece, watch my cast perform it multiple times, and make adjustments as I need to. However, this is just one way that a rehearsal could potentially go - it’s always a little unpredictable!·    

What do you enjoy most about the Afterimages process?

·     

     I love the experience of connecting with some of the beautiful dancers I work with every day to create something that would never have existed without the efforts of each and every one of us.