ALL RIGHT! How did I get up there and What am I doing, anyway?!
Ah, the story of the "Floating Cloud" will be told in 6 Parts.
Firstly, we had done an exercise designed to build trust and spatial awareness onstage. It called for us to all mill about and then WITHOUT talking or eye contact with each other, we would "as a collective" FEEL which person would be lifted up above everyone's head and lowered back down again. This was quite something to experience. In the morning sessions, we practiced this exercise. I was never chosen to be the one lifted up, something I had absolutely no problem with!...
Secondly, we had been doing yet another exercise that involved us having a conversation with another choreographer and using that conversation as the basis of a dance segment. I told my choreographer partner that I slept so well at the La Quinta-my bed being so soft and in fact, so AWESOME, that it felt like I was floating on a cloud....Then, the Music Director also was going to "randomly" add music from his IPOD to score our dance segment. We were exploring how juxtaposing unusual elements can create an awesome dance...doing things that you would never think about using for dance ideas.
Thirdly, my choreographic partner and I "performed" my Floating Cloud dance during our morning session. The Music Director "scored it" by adding Beethoven's Symphony #6(Pastoral) to it. (1st.mvt) I LOVE Pastoral Sym., so I "really went to town" floating around here and there as a beautiful "cumulus", "fair weather" cloud.
Everyone loved it...I was invited to give an encore performance during that night's Showing....Floated around some more-here and there-Beethoven's Pastoral blasting.
Fourthly, during our choreographers' end-of-conference dance (where we sought to try to touch on all important and notable happenings from the fortnight), it was discussed that we should incorporate one of our "trust-pick up a person and hold them over our heads-exercises" into the dance.
Fifthly, in reviewing each choreographer's "signature move" of the conference, it was decided by my fellow choreographers that my "floating cloud" best defined me.
Sixthly, someone (I don't know who) "somehow" put these 2 ideas together and felt that by choosing me to be the one lifted up (depicting the trust exercise), I'd be in a PERFECT position to wave around "Floating Cloud" style from up there and kill 2 birds with one stone. Great! Thanks for that thought! Once uttered-it took on a life of its own, no one would brook any deferral by me, and up I went. LOL :)
Still, it was an enjoyable way to end the conference. Feeling carefree and having fun-floating my way to the finish.
