Shadowbreak
Beginning at the end. This is the final dance I choreographed in 2014 for Idaho Dance Theatre in Boise, Idaho. For this project, I invited my long time friend and collaborator, composer Jim Cockey, to compose a work. As in the past, we spent much time talking about our current phase of life and how our work reflects some of the things we individually were experiencing. As we are both about the same age, we often mirror each other in our interests and concerns. Such was the case here.
Jim and I both bring to our artforms lives of quite divergent natures. He from his classical training in music as well as a tenure with the Moody Blues, and I from athletics, theater, and music. We both share a love for nature, and we both share a deep relationship for Kathy Troutner-Johnson. She was his mother and my mentor in dance and we miss her.
Our pattern of working has been to talk about such things for as long as we feel necessary. I would also convey to him the things in his music that attract me. After we felt we had updated our relationship both personally and artistically, I left him alone. He composed the entire score without any input from me. I trusted him because I know his talent and his instincts, and I know he understands dance. He chose his ensemble makeup. Several weeks later, he handed me a computer generated score, and I loved it. I knew at once it was a terrific piece and exactly the kind of music for which I enjoy making movement.
It was inspiring as well as challenging. One of Jim's strategies for making his music unique is to use unusual time signatures and to change them frequently. This greatly influences choreography because the usual 3/4 or 4/4 rarely appears in his music. Phrasing movement to these "quirky" rhythms is a delightful challenge. You can hear this in the very first notes of the music.
Jim initially titled his composition "Shadowbreak", and once I heard it, I immediately seized on its possibilities. The idea of light and dark came to mind, both for the visual theatrical setting and for the tenor of the piece. As that idea evolved, we each commented on our marriages and how they at times have that stark contrast. Ultimately we dedicated the work to our wives, Tracy Rowe and Bernie Cockey.
To view a video of Shadowbreak, please click here: https://youtu.be/06PdMOnfBOg
Jim and I both bring to our artforms lives of quite divergent natures. He from his classical training in music as well as a tenure with the Moody Blues, and I from athletics, theater, and music. We both share a love for nature, and we both share a deep relationship for Kathy Troutner-Johnson. She was his mother and my mentor in dance and we miss her.
Our pattern of working has been to talk about such things for as long as we feel necessary. I would also convey to him the things in his music that attract me. After we felt we had updated our relationship both personally and artistically, I left him alone. He composed the entire score without any input from me. I trusted him because I know his talent and his instincts, and I know he understands dance. He chose his ensemble makeup. Several weeks later, he handed me a computer generated score, and I loved it. I knew at once it was a terrific piece and exactly the kind of music for which I enjoy making movement.
It was inspiring as well as challenging. One of Jim's strategies for making his music unique is to use unusual time signatures and to change them frequently. This greatly influences choreography because the usual 3/4 or 4/4 rarely appears in his music. Phrasing movement to these "quirky" rhythms is a delightful challenge. You can hear this in the very first notes of the music.
Jim initially titled his composition "Shadowbreak", and once I heard it, I immediately seized on its possibilities. The idea of light and dark came to mind, both for the visual theatrical setting and for the tenor of the piece. As that idea evolved, we each commented on our marriages and how they at times have that stark contrast. Ultimately we dedicated the work to our wives, Tracy Rowe and Bernie Cockey.
To view a video of Shadowbreak, please click here: https://youtu.be/06PdMOnfBOg
Music Jim Cockey (commissioned)
Musicians The Langroise Trio
Cello: Sam Smith
Violin: Geoffrey Trabichoff
Viola: David Johnson
Piano:Dr. Betse Hodges
Percussion: Jared Hallock
Bass: Brenton Viertel
Dancers Casee Hoag
Nell Rollins
Sayoko Knode
Jessica Lui
Leah Loper
Jason Hartley
Yurek Hansen
Rebecca Aneloski
Musicians The Langroise Trio
Cello: Sam Smith
Violin: Geoffrey Trabichoff
Viola: David Johnson
Piano:Dr. Betse Hodges
Percussion: Jared Hallock
Bass: Brenton Viertel
Dancers Casee Hoag
Nell Rollins
Sayoko Knode
Jessica Lui
Leah Loper
Jason Hartley
Yurek Hansen
Rebecca Aneloski