When I first moved to Atlanta in September, I was eager to explore the artistic community. I was excited to discover Fieldwork, which offered the perfect opportunity to jump right into a creative process.​

Before this fall, I had never participated in Fieldwork, but had been in similar processes where I presented works-in-progress and received both structured and unstructured feedback. When signing up, I was especially excited to work with artists of other mediums!  My cohort was of all ages and various art forms. I was the youngest as a 20 something year old, with the group ranging all the way to retirement. We represented dance, music, singing, performance art, theatre, and storytelling. Some of us pursued our art full time, some part-time, and some were casual hobbyists. We were an eclectic group, to say the least. Despite our differences, Fieldwork brought us together as artists and audience members.

Each week we’d come together and give every single person feedback. During the very first session, our facilitator, Sheronda, explained the nature of Fieldwork, its purpose, and (most importantly) how to give useful feedback. We attempted to stay away from “I like…” and “I dislike…” Don’t get me wrong, that can be helpful to a degree. But we challenged one another to get deeper, especially trying to articulate why we responded a certain way. We were given useful tools: “This reminded me of…” “I was distracted by…” “I connected most to…” Most of us in our cohort were new to Fieldwork, with only two veterans, so of course we’d occasionally slip. Whoops! Luckily, Sheronda would help us rephrase what we were attempting to relay.

There are several parts of Fieldwork that I especially enjoyed as a participant:

• If I decided not to share one day, it wasn’t a problem. I still got to watch curious works and give my reflections. There was no pressure to show each time we met.
• I got to practice translating my thoughts into a verbal form—a huge challenge for me— Fieldwork gave me the chance to work on it.
• Our facilitator helped us eloquently give our feedback to one another. If we slipped, she gave us an opportunity to rephrase.
• I was guaranteed a performance platform at the end of the 10-week session.
• We could show completely different works each week.
• Unless the artist specifically asked, we were not to compare works from past weeks.
• The artist had an opportunity to ask specific questions about feedback after hearing from everyone.
• There were soft deadlines that kept me accountable.
• Everything for the day of the Showcase was taken care of by Core Dance. They had a stage manager, tech crew, box office, etc. I got to come in on performance day and focus solely on my performance. We even had a professional photographer come in and take pictures (which I think is just so invaluable for artists). And for a small fee, I got a professional recording as well. My portfolio is HAPPY! :)

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The 10-week journey went by very quickly. I expected to have a perfect finished work by the end of Fieldwork. Ha! I definitely put that pressure on myself. This process made me realize that I need a long period of time to choreograph a finished work. I learned something new about myself as an artist: who can be upset about that?

Personally, showing work is daunting and makes me feel vulnerable, especially when I tell myself that it’s unfinished. But the work has come a long way since it’s first showing on Week One. What was neat was at the end of the show, the audience was given an opportunity to take a swing at giving feedback on the presented works. Especially since I considered my work one that was still in-progress, I was grateful to receive feedback that I can use for my next rehearsal.

I was surprised by how much I received from this process: a newly presented dance, invaluable feedback, a high quality video recording, beautiful pictures, personal reflections on my craft and my own creative process, and a new network of artists that I can contact if I ever wanted to collaborate. Would I do Fieldwork again? Absolutely. I loved the structure of the program and I encourage anybody who is even remotely interested to sign up or inquire for more details.

Cheers,
Jacque

Despite the cozy environment of the evening, the call to action was clear - we need to make a major change in our relationship with the Earth. 

If… a memoir opened with falling bodies and subtle movement. The choreography later escalated in an improvisational fashion. Flashing overhead, images and video footage by cinematographer Simon Gentry, displayed magnificent scenes from both natural and urban areas in Europe. The dancers moved to a soundtrack by Christian Mever, resulting in a powerful audio and visual experience.

During the Q&A session after the performance, an audience member compared if... a memoir to the acclaimed Philip Glass/Godfrey Reggio film Koyaanisqatsi. Koyaanisqatsi similarly depicts the harm we have caused our planet. Alarmingly, 35 years later artists are still creating work about this destruction. Both Koyaanisqatski and if... a memoir are important works that insight meaningful dialogue.

Although some audience members craved an ending section performed in unison, I found honesty in the chaos of the individual phrases. While a unison sequence may provide a sense of resolution, I do not feel that it would fit the theme, because:

• It might further prove how jaded our perspectives are in regards to ongoing environmental issues
• A piece that calls audience members to confront issues regarding our Earth and mankind's harmful effects should, in fact, leave us feeling unnerved and unresolved.​

The unsettling composition of this piece has already proven itself effective in its purpose. The potential of if... a memoir to impact future audiences is extremely promising, and I am excited to see the work in its next stage of development.


Join us at our next salon event on Thursday, December 6th to see excerpts of another work in process, Architecture of Space. Register here!

This week, we check in with Sharon C. Carelock, our Production Coordinator. Read on to see what Sharon's up to this summer, from her own dance projects to updates around the Core Dance studios!
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Summer Project 1: Dance Film
    For a year, I have been working for a pick-up dance company called sunday morning at 7, headed and directed by Anicka Austin. In May, we presented a live performance of Austin’s disco ballet, "Sanctuaries and Fortresses." A part of the process was the creation of a dance film directed by Lev Omelchenko called, "The Birth of Pleasure." In this film I played the character, Venus, which required lots of costume changes and makeup :) We were able to film on location in some amazing spots, including The Bakery Atlanta and the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. The cast and crew were stellar. I felt like a Hollywood movie star the entire time. I can’t wait to see the film which is set to premiere late summer/early fall.

Summer Project 2: Summer Refresh
    At Core Dance, the summer is for relaxation and recuperation for the dance artists, and it is also a great opportunity to renovate, repair, and clean out some areas in the office and studio spaces. We call this the Summer Refresh. I get to work alongside contractors and help make decisions about flooring, paint, lighting, etc. It feels very rewarding to walk into a room and know that I was an integral part of the change that took place there. I also use this opportunity for reflection. I think about what has transpired over the past season, and going through all of the closets makes me consider the time Core Dance has spent in this space and the impact we’ve made on the community.