Had a solid rehearsal today for the musical I am choreographing. This is my newest challenge as I approached it with a bit of disdain, but now it's a study in professionalism. Long story short, my gig choreographing Chicago for a group I like working with turned into choreographing Legally Blonde, the musical. The first is a respected show with integral movement in a style I've lived, breathed and lusted after since I turned double digits. The second is a newer creation based on a comedic movie (yes, musical based on movie :/) with no grounding idea for movement or really plot/songs etc, with too much time spent milking humor from sorority girl, bro and harvard student stereotypes. Since I am getting paid well and I do like the group, actors and creative team, it's been a commitment to doing as good of a job as I can with what I am given without letting the animosity towards the show itself grow.
Honestly, I am having laughs in rehearsal and at the end of the day I am enjoying my work on the show. While the personal success and adrenaline isn't felt watching the story come together and the plot develop while seeing my work sparkle within the greater picture, I am finding feelings of success and happiness through the creation process. Today I taught a number that involves a crazy assortment of theatre dance, colorguard/drill team movement, body music, African dance, tap and gymnastics (whaaaa?!). We went through it segment by segment, and I tried to be a good teacher in addition to choreographer. The cast worked hard, they were proud of themselves, and they did a good job with the movement. Each of these little sections of the bigger number is a success- teaching it, coaching it, finessing it, praising. Process, not product. When my dancers in another number are jumping hardcore rope in unison, to music, and feeling confident, that's a success.
Culminating thought. Sometimes a choreographer needs to take herself out of the picture. This is no time for selfish. I am being paid to do a job I love. It IS my responsibility to create numbers that work for the show and the bigger picture. It's my job to teach the performers what they need to know, and to coach them so that they do the movement well on stage. This IS NOT the job where I invest myself into my work. Is this something I deem 'my product', care about artistically, put lots of intelligent creation effort into? No. More importantly, that's ok. It's ok not to try to make an artistic masterpiece out of Legally Blonde, the musical. It's ok to take this project on (ohhhhmygooood she can't possibly be a real-life-modern-dance-artist-creator if she does an especially trivial musical?! say my invisible snarky peers in my head!), and it's ok to talk about it and enjoy it, even if it's truly meaningless, it won't diminish me as an artist (mantra). In fact, perhaps it's impressive that I can be a good choreographer in my own world and simultaneously take on an atypical project and do an equally good job over there in musical theatre land.
Point of the story. It's not Chicago, I'll unfortunately have to wait to Fosse it up another day. I am being paid to choreograph a musical, and even though it's by far not my favorite I owe it to myself, my legitimacy, and the show to do the best job I can with it. There is NOTHING wrong with choreographing a musical, whatever genre you consider yourself based in. If you are a creator, create, like what you do, no limits.
Eh?
so mature! At least you are not waiting tables or walking dogs to pay your bills as the fact is that not just anyone in the filed of dance can be hired as a legit, well paid choreographer. The problem is there IS an "I" in Artist....be aware of when it
ReplyDeleteI love so much about this post. This reminds me most of my work as a designer.
ReplyDeleteWhen, at a recent interview, my portfolio was handed back to me along with the challenge "I know what I like in here. I know what I don't like. The question is, what do YOU like. What are you really selling to me?" I instantly turned to my pages of Luminarium designs. In those pieces, I feel proud and creatively inspired, not just by the designs themselves, but in the subject matter at hand.
Does that diminish the work I do for organizations that are looking for a style that's not always within the boundaries of what I personally consider attractive? Not at all! As a designer (and in this case for you, hired choreographer), it is my job to present my ideas, and my visions. But at the end of the day, I want to know that the client is happy, that the product is good and gets the job done. And I want to feel confident (in just the way you're saying) to leave it be for what it is.
Still, I'm so glad I answered that challenge the way I did--we always show our true selves in the work we care about the most. :)