The pandemic definitely changed us all in many ways… but what happens when a project that is at the heart of your artistic practice and a requirement for graduation can no longer exist in a world that is without physical contact? You adapt, collaborate, and create a new path for yourself! An interview with choreographer Rachel Repinz allowed me to peek inside her creative process of ALL YOU CAN EAT, as she journeyed through creating this dance film.
Rachel began creating a dance concert set for the proscenium stage in fall 2020 that has themes about the ritual of eating practices. In a highly innovative work around human connection and experience at the meal table, there is much touch and close proximity in the movement. The groovy music and bright costuming builds a positive atmosphere around eating a meal together, and ultimately building a community. Since the school’s restrictions on theater performances, however, she had to switch modes for a dance film that she presented in an online format through Vimeo.
In order to keep her themes of meal times and human connection, she found that she had to choreograph in a unique way to communicate this to her audience in isolation. One element of the process was that she had to host rehearsals through Zoom to protect everyone in the beginning stages of the pandemic. She found that having all dancers essentially be soloists in their rectangular screens required a lot of verbal communication to describe the movement she was envisioning. After some time, she realized that she was missing the element of human connection with this screen barrier. She conversed with the dancers and they all agreed that in order to fully actualize this piece, and to keep everyone safe, they would have to commit to a strict isolation practice for the next few months as they rehearsed in-person together. They were very protective of each dancer’s physical health in this community bubble, while taking care of each other’s needs for mental and emotional well being. They were tested regularly, didn’t meet with people outside their immediate family, and rehearsed in a Philadelphia studio called the Fidget Space that followed CDC cleaning guidelines. The act of commiting to this project as a community filled Rachel and the dancers’ choreography with the heart of human connection that Rachel was seeking.
In this newfound confidence in a breakthrough of human connection, Rachel was able to reach out to musicians, editors, and writers to influence the work in a collaborative endeavor. This was furthering her relationship of human connection in an interdisciplinary arts way. Rachel said that the writer and choreographer experience became reciprocal art as the writer would observe choreography, make a poem based on what they were seeing, and then Rachel and the dancers would conversely use those words to create a new phrase of movement and incorporate sign language. This helped to evolve the choreography into the connective experience for the audience. Ultimately, she felt that the poems were such an important part of the unity of this project that added them into the website along with the Vimeo of the choreography at https://allyoucaneat.online/.
One of the dancers communicated that their father could provide a space to film the work in a beautiful, empty countryside home with a brand new kitchen space as that was important to the atmosphere of the work. In this element of the collaboration, Rachel was able to build a relationship with the Great Marsh Institute (a nature preserve), to mutually support each other and learn about their mission. Rachel said that the Great Marsh Institute was very supportive of the work and even recorded and photographed the choreography to aid in the documentation of the artistic process. This was an impactful moment for Rachel and the dancers to see how their art can be incorporated into a larger context of the world beyond the “stage.”
Music is an integral part of this project as the movement was highly influenced by the groove of the music at its first inception. With the online and recorded nature of the new version of this project, however, Rachel would not be able to use the copyrighted music. She took a chance to reach out to a musician that she barely knew, and asked them to create music for her that could complement the quality of the movement. This turned out to be a wonderfully supportive collaboration that showcased this new musical artist as well as her artistic choreographic vision.
Finally, Rachel had all the elements and material for her thesis concert to come to life, but she needed a film editor to put the pieces together. Rachel used her resourcefulness in asking if a filmographer from her undergraduate university, SUNY Buffalo State College, would be available to help her in the short turnaround of about three weeks to connect this dance film together. She found that while it was difficult to hand over control of her work to a film editor, it was also refreshing to have someone look at the project with fresh eyes to pull out the most striking parts of the movement to pair with the music. Racher recognized if she wanted her thesis theme to be about human connection, it wouldn’t make sense that the procedural workings of the project be completed in isolation by just her. She knew that this was a “practice what you preach” moment. By including many artists in this project, it would reinforce the connective nature of this thesis performance just as much as the experience of the choreography is.
In a quote from Rachel Repinz about artistic collaboration, she says “Collaboration is hard because it (the project) is so close to your heart.” She said in advice to young artists seeking to create collaboratively, especially in the pandemic, to just try it! Don’t get caught up in perfection as creating is a perpetual cycle of imperfection. “Each rendition drives you to make a better rendition.” She believes that being flexible to “throw away” parts of your artistic work or “cut and paste” other elements of your art that you may not have been as focused on is actually an integral part of the creative process. Rachel says that you may find that you return to those cut pieces of your work later in the project or it may inspire a new work! This whole process develops “modes of creating” for your artistic practice. Because of this process she found, she is super interested in this medium to create an entirely new choreographic film set for spring 2021, and envisions many more works in the future of her dance company in this capacity. In this, she believes “Dance can continue to live.”
Rachel invites all to engage with her MFA Dance Thesis Concert through her website https://allyoucaneat.online/ that will be available until the end of 2020.
She is also having a feedback discussion online about her work ALL YOU CAN EAT on November 6th at 7pm. This is an online event that is open to the public, but you must reserve your spot at https://events.temple.edu/mfa-thesis-presentation-megan-bridge-rachel-repinz.
If you would like to take a dance class from Rachel or be in the know about future works, please follow her on Instagram @rachelanddancers.
References:
https://events.temple.edu/mfa-thesis-presentation-megan-bridge-rachel-repinz
@rachelanddancers
http://www.thefidget.org/fidget-space/
https://www.greatmarshinstitute.org/
https://suny.buffalostate.edu/
http://www.temple.edu/boyer/academicprograms/dance/