alannarcpsarts-blog

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

Part 3 - Tumblr Process Assignment

A clear connection I saw between my project and the projects of those in my group is ‘personal connection.’ It was evident that everybody had an inspiration, motive, passion, and driving force behind their project that allowed for organic/raw emotional expression to come through in the projects. I found it really interesting to see how all of our interests are displayed differently in our projects, yet holistically, art if a uniting factor.  I found the feedback of asking if I was presenting the video or performing live helpful because it helped solidify why I will be presenting a video (not live performing).  By presenting the video, I will be able to display the actual storybook side-by-side to my video.  Then, people can look at the book, and watch my video, which will show how my art form of dance was able to bring the storybook to life.  I was happy to hear positive feedback about the clip of the video I posted because it shows that my concept idea is being translated to others in an effective manner.  The most helpful feedback I received is curiosity about the connection between arts and schooling.  This helps me recognize that proceeding with my project, I should focus on the research aspect to gain knowledge about the relationship between art and schools.

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

I love the snip from the upper right hand corner with the “Behind the Shadow” caption, and the dancers all in the dark shadow -- that is really impactful!!!  I can’t wait to see how you will combine your experiences into one single entity.  Will you include words or quotes in the video that symbolize your thoughts/feelings throughout the process of going through this experience?  What was your major take-away from participating in observing these cultural groups?  How will you display that to viewers in a way that will resonate with them?  Everything looks awesome - I can’t wait to see the finished video!

                                      Tumblr Process Assignment

                                                 Submission #2

Caption 1: This photo shows a glimpse into the editing process at the moment. Essentially, I have been working on editing the footage I have from the two teams I have shadowed so far, and incorporated music in the background.

Caption #2: This is my current rough draft of my showcase poster. Primarily, I followed the theme of having the picture of cultural groups being the only source of color. Due to the sense of joy and confidence expressed in their movements.

Date: 3/31/2016

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

This looks incredibly fascinating!  I can tell you are hard at work and really diving into your project!  I am interested to see what all of these sculptures will transform into.  I wonder how long it takes to sculpt such things.  Have you encountered any difficulties?  I think the transformation process of your project is really engaging and interesting: to see how all of these small pieces come together into one unit.  Will you be able to show this process/all the hard work at arts fest?

sculpting things to put inside the house

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

I understand where you are coming from with this concern.  I think this is something most people struggle with: when you are creating something from your own passions, how do you translate that to others?  It is also hard because every individual is different.  I think you have good ideas on how to approach this obstacle.  I would also give you the advice: keep this in mind, but don’t let it take away from your interests as well.  You will never be able to please everybody in life, so make sure you stay true to yourself and your vision!  

Prompt

My biggest challenge thus far with this project has been and probably will continue to be: finding inspiration to write jokes about. What is funny? What will resonate with people? I have to write jokes that not only reflect my own experiences, but the experiences of other people that I’m performing for. I’ll have days where something strikes me as funny and then other days where I don’t laugh at anything. Some days I don’t have anything to try and build off of. I think that watching John Oliver And Stephen Colbert will help with the whole making comedy out of the news thing, since that’s part of my project. And reading the news will probably help too. I think that’ll do it.

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

I think writing down your thoughts is a great way to approach this conflict you are having.  Personally, I think there is artistic beauty in leaving some things up for interpretation.  By writing a paper displaying the representation of each song, I almost feel that takes away the opportunity for the viewers to develop their own connection, and form their own thoughts.  On the contrary, I also think having reference of your thoughts would also be helpful.  Maybe after you write down all your thoughts, you can pull out select words/phrases, and have them on represented.  These types of strong words/emotions/thoughts you had would connect yourself to the emotion of the song, without straight up defining what each song reflects.

Process Binder

I’ve been trying to think of ideas of what to present at Artsfest.  I know I want to present Who?, but I was advised to possibly have a paper that displays what each song represents so that the audience knows what is happening.  My problem is that I don’t whether I want to put all my thoughts & reasons for using each song or whether I simply want to put what song represents which personality.  And if I do the latter, should I simply just put the personality name & what emotions they embody or should I put why I think the song reflects the personality?  This is a lot of thinking I’ll have to do, probably closer towards Artsfest.  As of right now, I’ve decided to just write down all my thoughts & opinions so that I don’t forget any of my thoughts during the creation process.

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

This is a picture of my mom and I that symbolizes my inspiration for this project.  My mom is the reason I chose the book “Love You Forever.”  When I was little, my mom would always read me this book - every time she asked what book I wanted, I would say, “Love You Forever,” and every time she would read it, she would cry.  My personal experience with my mom and the book just proves how important children’s literature truly is, and how it can stick with a person for the rest of their life.  

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

This photo indicates my choice of costume for my Capstone Project:  I chose to wear all black (leotard/skirt).  The first reason I selected all black is because my research shows that infants are actually drawn to colors of contrast.  It is a misconception that babies love the pale blue/pink that are gendered for newborns.  In fact, babies are more engaged to the contrast of black/white.  Also, wearing all black was a way to represent multiple characters of the story.  Additionally, it prevented unnecessary distraction of an elaborate costume.  I chose a skirt because I felt its fluidity replicated that of the movement in order to enhance the quality of the tone of the choreography, and the emotion in the storybook.

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

I find this really inspiring that you were able to go back and make changes to your completed project.  This is relatable for me because I just finished putting together my project too.  As an artist, I struggle with making changes after I complete a work.  I always live by the mantra of it being done the first time - as the first time is when I feel I am most organic and natural with my work.  Reading this helped me realize that improvements can always be made, and even if it doesn’t work out, it is worth a try to alter some parts to see if they can enhance the final project.

Process/Progress

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

This is a video taken from my capstone project!!!!  I am so excited to announce that I completed choreographing, filming, and putting together the video for my project!!!!!!  This section of the video is the motif of the story book - the phrase that continues to repeat continuously.  

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

Research Reflected in Dance

“From Cover to Cover” by Kathleen T Horning is one of the books I used as a reference to gain research about my Capstone project.  I read about how a key technique in Children’s Literature is Repetition because children gain confidence in the words reflected in those key phrases.  This confidence allows for the introduction of more complex terms, concepts, and words to be introduced.  In order to enhance this technique used in the book Love You Forever, I used repetition in my choreography to direct attention/place emphasis on the repetition in the book.

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

Process Binder Entry

Today I recorded the audio for the story book, Love You Forever, for my capstone project.  I am beginning to play around with some choreography to the words.  I find what is most helpful in driving the movement is the vocal inflections of my voice that deliver the feeling of the words.  Some parts of the book are exciting, which to me spark BIG movements.  Some parts of the story are calm, quiet, and soft spoken, which leads me to feel more flowly movements.  I am also using the words to invoke some movement.  I question myself: “how can I symbolize <blank word/sentence/concept” through a dance move?” 

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

I came across this image, and I immediately related it to my Capstone project.  The driving force behind the choreography of my project is the emotion of the story book.  This quote reminds me why I love dance, and the importance of expression through movement.  My goal as I begin to choreograph next week is to fully embrace emotion and portray the story through my movement.

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

My dance team and I were invited to The University of Delaware to participate in a dance convention, “Evolve.”  The event consisted of two Masterclasses taught by professional dancers/choreographers, and then a competition with dance teams from other Universities.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Masterclasses: Contemporary Jazz and Hip Hop.  I love taking class from new choreographers because it introduces me to stylistic choices unfamiliar to me -- every choreographer has their own ‘style,’ it is so fun and rewarding to witness and participate in different qualities of movement.

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

Recently, I have been practicing reading the book to get more comfortable for when I record the audio spoken word.  It has been challenging to read because listening back, I get self-conscious of the way my voice sounds.  I also find I am struggling with pace, and trying to read in a way that will encourage movement.  I feel this is one of the most difficult parts of my capstone because it is the foundation for the rest of the project.

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

Over the weekend, I was lucky to experience an incredible opportunity!  My cousin is the script-supervisor for Saturday Night Live (SNL), and I was able to go!  I was allowed to go into the control room and see how the film magic takes place.  It was so interesting to see what goes into making such an iconic show successful, and how the ‘behind the scenes’ are often overlooked because such a big part of art is making the finished product seem effortless (especially in my art form, dance).

[alannarcpsarts-blog]

[alannarcpsarts-blog]