Essays

Artemisia

I will now talk about my experience choreographing for artemisia and how I incorporated the 5 elements of storytelling into my choreographic process taking into account US copyright law.

Synopsis:  artemisia portraits a day in the life of a performing arts student. School, home and the internet.

1. Familiarity: artemisia is a film I created with some friends: It starts with opening credits as many films do and then it shows the audience a group of students in a dance studio, they are speaking everyday language.

2. Know your Limits: I recorded the film in studio 1100 in UCI as well as some scenes in studio 128 and the school restrooms. I reserved the studios and asked for permission from the school. I also hired a small and knowledgeable team: Everyone involved in the project is an expert in their fields: music, dance, lighting, sound and video recording. I also knew I only had 1 day to get all the material I needed since it was hard to get all the collaborators in one place at the same time. I paid every collaborator $100 dollars and agreed to share credit and any possible revenue the project might generate in the future. I also told my collaborators that when the film was finished, they were free to share it at their own discretion as I register the film as a joint work

3. Subvert expectations:  The film ends with a ten-minute psychedelic sequence emphasizing the sense of helplessness and desperation students feel towards the growing climate crisis and ocean pollution[AT1] …

Trip_

By danniel monroy 

Since I came to the USA almost 7 years ago it was frustrating not being able to communicate complex ideas. When you open your mouth and speak from your heart, and all you hear is a soft laugh and the constant questions, “wait… what did you say? What was that word? Where are you from?”. I remember how I was taught the story of Hernán Cortés and I wondered how I would have felt if I had to come to México from Spain to a world where everyone wears different clothes and speaks a different language.

The Role of Storytelling in my choreography

Storytelling is the most important element of my choreographic aesthetic. I make every choreographic decision in support of the story I’m trying to tell. Through telling stories people from different backgrounds can create connections. Stories unite communities and bring people hope.  Stories mirror life: we are inspired by the stories we tell and we tell stories inspired by what happens around us.

 If people don’t understand your background they'll struggle to understand your reasoning. Telling a story through dance is much more convenient as it penetrates language barriers.

The Choreography of Homelessness

To be stateless then is to be less than deserving of the most basic rights. To be stateless means not having a name, not having a sense of comfort or security, to be stateless is to be invisible, silent and inmovil. A person without a permanent address is someone that will struggle to find a job because most employers ask for at least two forms of ID. To obtain a US passport you must provide proof of US citizenship, a government issued ID and a form of payment. To obtain a driver’s license in California you also need to provide a payment, proof of your date of birth and proof of legal residency in the united states. Finally to rent a small apartment or room in most cities you need to provide two forms of ID, proof of income and you are often asked to place a deposit or to pay a move-in fee. It is impossible to get a legal form of employment without a government issued ID, it is very difficult to obtain an ID. It is a cycle that serves to disenfranchise people.

Meaningless Movement and Dance Studies

When I was asked what the future of dance studies was, the answer seemed really obvious: dance, a different type of dance, theoretical dance. In my previous paragraphs, I briefly described the past and present of dance studies, how we went from criticizing the aesthetics to criticizing the meaning, but whenever I read about dance, I read about what was and what is and—very rarely—what could be…

Telling

What is the telling ? 

Through this choreographed movement exploration I am going to analyze the way I deal with strong and sometimes shocking emotions. 

I have previously mentioned that what brings me the most joy in the world it’s the final minutes of a performance: when I can see and feel the culmination of months of hard work. And how that feeling of great joy is immediately contrasted with a great sorrow and resignation once the performance is actually over and I realize “I don’t know what to do with my life now”.