Hi guys,
I am sorry I couldn't keep my online journal as I wanted to last week but it has been an incredibly intense and wonderful time for me. I am here to share a little bit about my experience last week in DanceHouse after being away from the studios for a long time due to the Covid-19 Crisis. Before I start I'd just like to leave a big thank you to DanceHouse for the opportunity to research at length a new piece in their incredible facilities and also to their staff who went out of their way to make sure we were all brought back to a safe and welcoming environment.
The week started with me having the daunting task of getting back into a big empty studio, with nothing but a script and an idea of a character, completely on my own to start a new work from scratch. What at first seemed like a difficult task turned into a really special self-knowledge journey. I think one of the hardest parts of this work for me was to detach myself from the character. Not in the sense that I was not present when performing Annika but in the sense that I knew there were some aspects of Annika's experiences that were based on myself. However her cruel and vindictive attitude could at times put me off or make me feel afraid of behaving that way.
Nonetheless, as the week went on I started to find more and more pleasure in allowing myself to investigate the different dimensions of the character, from her complex relationship with her partner, to her feelings of endearment towards the demon she is about to summon and to the most angry and violent reactions she portrays throughout the piece. During my time in DanceHouse whenever I met the staff on my way in or out from the studio they would ask me if it was weird or difficult being on my own for such long periods of time and I have to say it was actually really delightful.
Recently I have found myself on a new path towards a more aware, self-caring and spiritual version of myself and I realized that that takes a great deal of discipline.; waking up every morning and not forsaking my daily practice, meditating almost every day (I still haven't got to the place where I do it consecutively but I am working on it). But it was this path that has definitely given me the tools to embark on the "being alone in a creative process" journey with a smile on my face.
I cannot remember being in such an intense creative environment, of so many hours in a studio moving and researching without distractions since I finished my undergraduate degree. And the best thing about it all is that I really gave myself the chance to experiment with no preconceived intentions. The piece is a real exploration of the darkest corners of human behavior, a dive into my own shadows and an investigation of a mystical storytelling through movement and text. And yet I haven't felt that much in contact with my inner child in a long time.
I have become quite fond of Annika and her witchcraft story and I am grateful to her for allowing me to dig deeper into my own shadows and hidden emotions. I hope we get together again soon, but in the meantime I will be showcasing part of the journey I took into her world this Thursday 30th of July 2020 at 4pm as part of the New Movements showcase with DanceHouse. If you, like me, are eager to learn more about this character and her spiritual experience please join us by clicking in the following link:
I hope you have enjoyed reading this week's material,
Until the next time,
Yasmin.