The Making of a Dance @ The ICA: Week 2

ICA Site Project
Stephan Koplowitz
July 18, 2007

 
Yes, there's been quite a gap in entries. This has been due primarily to having too many things outside of rehearsals to deal with. I've been occupied with working on sound/music, costumes, press, creating a title and other things.... It seems the closer we get to the performance, the shorter the days become.

The title: (iseea)

I didn't want the title to be metaphoric, refer to any one image. This title is a play on the "name" of the building (which is how we are "playing" with the building) and is visual, which is what the work is. Putting the brackets around the title refers to how the building brackets each section of choreography and there's also a slight reference to a math equation, which refers to our numbers (performers) and how we relate to the design of the building. It's a not title one can easily refer to verbally, but most people will see the title in the program on the day of the performance.
 
Choreographically, I'm now working on sections five and six, hoping to be finished with section five today (which takes place on the long expanse of the area in front of the grandstand). Unfortunately, the weather, which has cooperated beautifully until now, has decided to turn towards the wet--so, I'll just have work around this. One hopes that rain is short lived.

We have rehearsal at the ICA today and I'm hopeful that if it is raining, I can still manage to see something without getting the dancers too wet. If there's water on the ground, then it's too dangerous to do anything. But I may be able to simply see how the bodies are in the space even without doing the movement full out. I  worked on section five in the studio, so I am anxious to see something, anything on site. We are under a large roof at that end of the building. My big concern is not necessarily getting wet, but also the temperature. There is always much wind and any dip in the temperature is augmented greatly.

Earlier this week, I met with Laura Coulter who will be helping me design the costumes for this work. My ideas for costumes are again, simple. Given that the work is abstract, we are working with mostly form fitting tops (like t-shirts) and pants. She found a supplier of different tops and bottoms which are cotton/lycra and cut in different forms, all white. Laura will dye them colors we feel are complementary to the site and work. We also plan on having the dancers wear different tops at different times, depending on what section they are in.