Choreo-graphing to The New Deal

A new week – a new choreography project! While I fully plan on committing time to my “Giving Up the Ghost” solo project when I can, I have some exciting, more concrete plans.

I’ve been over-using this verb ever since I came up with it in this tweet, but I’m so pumped about all the dance opportunities flitting my way!

Tonight I went to a “meeting” for a new D.C.-area modern dance company that is equally focused on outreach and performance. I’d like to give the organization full justice, so I’ll hold off on naming, describing and showing my excitement for it.

For now, I’ll just say my goal is to choreograph an up-beat, accessible modern piece for four to six dancers, and I’m thinking some New Deal is what I need.

Though their live, improv-filled shows are my favorite, I think for a dance performance a studio-quality song would be better. Their entire album “Gone, Gone, Gone” is absolutely shoulder-grooving, and “VL Tone” is probably the most accessible and melody-driven song. Every show I’ve been to so far, the New Deal has closed their encore with “VL Tone.”

My next challenge is to choose my favorite song (most likely the boringly-titled but so, so awesomely ethereal “Intro,” especially since it has sorta-voices), and figure out how to apply modern technique to the New Deal’s uniquely fantastic style.

Choreo-graphing to “Giving Up the Ghost”

My cool L.A. music scene friend sent me this YouTube video after he went to Coachella a few weeks (months?) ago. I didn’t really give the song a shot. I love Radiohead and Thom Yorke, but it must have been a busy day when he first linked me.

Then, I went to L.A. in full-on existential crisis vacation mode (“What am I doing with my liiiiiife?!”) and he kindly gave me a copy of a CD he made to help me with said existential crisis. An .mp3 of this “Giving Up the Ghost” live rendition was on it.

I listened to the song at least 50 times and fell in love with it more every time. The song grows on you just like the song grows with complexity at every verse and chorus.

I knew I had to choreograph to it. And I knew it was the perfect excuse to use YouTube Doubler to put myself next to Thom  Yorke. (Yikes! Who do I think I am?)

Then, I participated in a fantastic, uplifting, great-for-my-resume-too audition-workshop-performance with AXIS Dance Company. We auditioned, rehearsed, tech-ed and performed all in six days. I knew I didn’t have a putting-it-off, oh-this-could-take-forever excuse with my “Giving Up the Ghost” potential solo any more. I knew I could challenge myself to choreograph and record in six days!

But ohhhh of course I let life get in the way. I’m going to a lake house with my boyfriend and his friends this weekend, and I let laundry and packing and getting excited get in the way of my choreography time. So I’m hoping to be inspired and keep choreographing past the first verse this weekend. I will stay self-motivated, I will stay self-motivated…