Graduation!

All of the Study Abroad students got together to have one final goodbye party. At this graduation I was asked to present, which was very exciting. The assignment? To present a slideshow of pictures that showed my design aesthetic. Basically, show a slideshow of pictures that I like. What a great presentation assignment! Some of the main concepts I covered were: smoke bombs, fabric that you can feel through the picture, texture in scenery, and different style groups.

Now, here are some pictures from my graduation:

Me with one of my British friends Rachael 

Basia and Hannah, the study abroad advisors, with Lloyd and I

 Kate and I with our leather-working teacher Anderson

Our ISU fashion advisor Ann Thye came over for the graduation

My styling teacher Michael with Kate, Lloyd, and I

He is my absolute favorite teacher. Completely love him!

Overall I am definitely going to miss my initial adventures in London. However, all is not lost, as I plan on moving there in May. Can't wait!

Days 7 & 8

Not having anything pre-planned for the Friday, I decided to go to as many rehearsals and performances as possible since some other groups were performing today as well.  It was like heaven being able to watch theatre all day.  That night I went to visit my friends that live in D.C.  It was great being able to visit with them and hear about how they are making something out of themselves in a huge city.  After visiting with them I joined up with everyone else at a major D.C. actor's party at their penthouse.  Yeah.  We are talking about complete social irresponsibility here.  I felt like Dionysus was there with us, but even he was too drunk.

Saturday was the last day of performances and wrapping everything up.  It was definitely a saddening experience.  But it felt great being a part of something that is bigger than what I knew.  It was such a great learning experience in life and in the theatre.
 

Days 5 & 6

Wednesday was our last true work day because we performed on Thursday so we worked on clarifying everything else, which wasn't much as we had already come in with a play that was on it's way to be produced.  That day I sat in on the workshopping for one of the plays Jeff was working on.  I really fell in love with the people involved.  There was a definitely magic in the air.  That evening I went on a night wake to see the monuments.  I was moved by the tranquility that each monument had as they transcended the world around them and seemed to make you think that anything is possible.

Thursday was the day of the show!! We had enough time to work a little more and then do a run.  It went extremely well.  I was extremely nervous to be doing the stage directions in front of all of these people on a piece that I genuinely cared about.  It was an eye opening experience to the world of playwrighting.  I went to another play workshop and was continued to be amazed at the level of dedication of each person involved.  That night I decided to go to bed early.  My old man was showing.

What I Learned

The biggest challenge I faced while teaching Emily the dance was that sometimes she can be very lazy. I have no tolerance for that, so I had to be hard on her. Choreographing dances is my true passion in life. I do think I have a knack for it, but after doing this I am unsure that I have the patience to do it as an actual occupation. This all really made me rethink what I want as my career. I absolutely love choreography, but dealing with undesirable people can ruin it. I can't imagine dealing with that every day. Would it be worth it? Nothing makes me feel the way choreographing does, but working with people who sometimes have a bad attitude, like Emily, can have a bad impact on it. Now, I am unsure if I really want to be a full time dance teacher and choreographer. 

Despite the trials I faced during this experience, I am so glad I did this. It was my first time ever choreographing a dance by myself that would compete, so it was a really big deal for me. I have choreographed many pieces by myself before for recitals and such, but none ever competed. Despite the fact that she was sometimes hard to work with and I think she could have performed better, I am very proud of her and myself. 

The Competition

After her, I stayed and watched her competitors. Like I knew would happen, most of them were lyrical and several were jazz. There was nothing like Emily’s, which made me proud of myself. I grew up doing company competitions, never a state competition. I always knew they were very different, but watching the state competition really solidified that. There isn’t as much variety on styles of dances, and in my personal opinion, the technique, tricks, and skills aren’t as strong. To me, all the routines looked the same (except Emily’s). Another difference is that this competition took place in a gym instead of a stage. Because of this, lighting wasn’t used to set a scene and make the piece more picturesque. The thing I disliked most about the Iowa Dance Solo Competition is that the performers are not allowed to wear costumes that show their stomach. I think if a dancer has a beautiful body and graceful dance lines, they should be able to show it off. A costume is a big part of the story-telling aspect of any routine, and I think it would have been fitting for Emily to wear a two-piece costume that would show off more skin since it is about the Garden of Eden. This is something you see a lot more of in company competitions like I did. 

Performance Time

The competition took place on November 3^rd in Newton, Iowa. Like I had predicted, most of the pieces were the typical jazz or lyrical. The piece I made Emily was special. I knew there would be nothing like it, and I was correct. Since her technique was nowhere near perfect, I hoped that the uniqueness of the dance would help carry her. I ended up being right, because her dance scored 8^th overall (the competition had hundreds of competitors). This was the highest anyone had ever scored from her 3A high school. She was beyond excited. The nonstop critiques and me being tough on her even when she didn't like it had paid off. Her mom was really happy too. I was very proud of her. She definitely could have done better on her technique, and I had seen her do it better in practice, but that is often just from first-performance nerves. While I was happy for her, I was proud of myself too. This was my first competitive piece that I had ever choreographed, and it scored incredibly well. It was a great day for all of us.

 

Teaching and Practicing

Part of being a good choreographer is being exactly sure of what you are working with, meaning use what you know what will work. For instance, I knew Emily was flexible, so I choreographed the dance in a way that she could show that off. I made the movements of the dance very raw, organic, sharp, and powerful. However, Emily didn't always do them this way. We practiced a lot on making all the moves "bigger" and more impactful. She did not take direction well like I had remembered. She had a bad attitude a lot of the time which made it really hard for me to work and for her to improve. Not only was she lazy, but also very out of shape aerobically. Her skills had improved since I had taught her as expected, but her technique still needed improvement. She also wasn't practicing as much outside of practice as I wanted her to. I had to be hard on her at times to get her to fix what I wanted. Despite all this, we made it through all the practices in one piece. I knew I had prepared an excellent dance for her, she just had to perform it the way it was intended to be. It was in her hands now.

Getting Started

I had never competed in the State Solo Competition, but I knew what it was like. Most of the pieces performed where either lyrical or jazz. To me, they all seemed the same. Emily is a good dancer, but can struggle with technique. I knew if her dance was unique and unlike the others, she would stand out more. This would then hopefully lead to a higher score. I choreographed her an “open” dance. It was about the Garden of Eve. I had had this song as an idea for a dance in my head for a long time. Though I originally wanted to use it for a small group, I thought it would be good for Emily too. When Emily first listened to it, I could tell she didn't like it, but I had a vision. I knew it would end up being a very special routine. It was a nightmare trying to cut the music since there are certain length requirements, but it ended up turning out well and she ended up liking it. As for a costume, I knew I wanted her to wear some sort of jungle-like costume. My initial thought was to have it be a two-piece covered in leaves, but the competition requires the stomachs cannot be showed. We then decided on a green leotard, and at the last moment changed it to a more elegant and ordinary black shirt and shorts. I think it really showed the "raw" side of the song.
 

The Start of my "Dream" Career

I have been dancing since I was 4. I was part of a national competitive dance company, and I lived and breathed dance. When we were young, and teachers and adults asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up, I always said "a dance teacher." Most of my fellow company members just wanted to be a dancer when they grew up, and a part of me did too, but I knew I loved making up my own routines more than anything. As we grew up, my fellow members started to realize their dreams of being a professional dancer were no longer so realistic. I however, stood by my claim. When I got into high school, my company dance teacher hired me to teach classes. I absolutely loved it. I started teaching more and more, and even ended up choreographing a routine that would go on to compete. When I got to college, while most kids were changing their majors several times, I still knew exactly what I wanted to do. I chose dance as my major and got hired as a teacher and choreographer for a small recreational program. This all brings me to where I am now.

Before her family moved, Emily Peters was one of the girls I taught in my company back home. Remembering this, she contacted me this summer about a very special choreography job. She was currently a junior at Carroll High School and was on their dance team. Her team had try-outs to see who would perform at this year's State Solo Competition. She obviously ended up being chosen and was in need of someone to choreograph her routine. Remembering me from teaching her at the company, I got the offer. At first, I was excastdic. I felt so honored and knew this is what I needed to get my future career rolling. I then remembered what it was like teaching her. She was sometimes hard to work with. She tended to have a bad attitude and did not take authority well. Deep down however, I knew this was a great opportunity for me. I knew I had to accept.

Intro

Howdy everyone! I am Kat Simpson, a student at Iowa State University studying dance and athletic coaching. This summer I got a very special and honorable offer, and knowing that it might just be the start of my life-long goal career, I couldn't pass it up. After accepting the position, I kept a journal of the process I went through and my endless thoughts and debates to eventually blog about and share with the world. With that being said, these entries of mine are especially for those who have interest in being a dance choreographer. I hope you all enjoy, and can possibly even learn from my experience!
-Kat

Styling

For my final project in styling class we were to do a photo shoot. We were allowed to choose our own model, style the aesthetic and the clothes, pick the location, etc. In charge of the whole deal.

The next thing to decide were the trends we were going to present. I ended up choosing:

Grunge/Punk

Celestial

Bright Florals

Embellishments

Mixing Patterns

 The place we shot was Abney Park Cemetery and I decided to use smoke bombs in the background. I made the bombs with Lloyd and he set them off while I took the pictures. Yay for Lloyd!

This was by far my favorite project this semester. I had a great time with my friends working on the shoot and really liked the outcome! Hope you do too!

Days 3 and 4

Monday is our first meeting with the actors and our dramaturg, Celise Kalke, who arrived the evening before.  It was a somewhat emotional experience as cast members got to see other actors that they had worked with before and one of the assistant dramaturgs had worked with one of the actors a decade before doing summer stock.  It was like a huge family meeting for the first time and yet it felt like old times.  After we all introduced ourselves, we got right down to work.  I was blown away.  Right out of the gates the acting was breathe taking.  The life they brought to each moment even on the first read through was mind blowing.  It was incredibly humbling working with people that take such care in their craft. We worked at the table for awhile discussing characters, circumstances and revising some lines.  This was my first experience working actively with a playwright, dramaturgs, directors, and actors all in the same room. The level of care and thought that everyone took in discovering and working through the play was inspiring.  It is definitely something I wish to continue on doing in my career regardless of my position.  Just being in the room as a world is being created and written is something I wish to continue.  After playing for awhile we discussed the needs of the play and what the playwright would like.  One thing in particular was bikes.  Gregg, being the man that he was made that happen.  We had for bikes that were available to us that day and we discussed what the expectations were and how we would use them and then...we mounted them.  We didn't have enough time to run through the whole play with them, we are only given 4 hours to work until Thursday when we perform it as we were the first of the plays to be presented, but we certainly did some damage.  After rehearsal, I headed back to Thurston with the assistant dramaturg and talked about what we were doing that evening. Myself and some of the guys had gotten tickets to see the Studio Theatre's Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.  It was a pretty awesome performance.  It was a small black box that maybe sit 75 people which was just perfect as we all felt a part of the action.  We were quite close to the playing area and we were in a place where the actors would play at times.  After the show we discussed the 2 actors, the leads, that were Equity.  We got into a fairly lengthy discussion over the pros and cons of being Equity, the system, and what our plans were...at the bar of course.  It is interesting listening to how different regions of the country operate and teach theatre and their perspectives on how it all fits, or doesn't, together.

Tuesday was a strong work day.  We made progress in the specificity of the world we are creating.  I also went to sit in on other workshops throughout the week and on Tuesday, it was She Rode Horses Like the Stock Exchange.  It was exciting observing how this artistic team worked differently than ours, but it was still a strong, productive dynamic.  One of the actors working on this show was also working on Bike America and it was astounding watching her develop and be a part of a completely different world.  That evening, Gregg managed to procure 2 $20 tickets to see The Addams Family which was playing in the Opera House at the Kennedy Center, which was just a magical experience to see the Opera House itself.  I actually enjoyed the performance for what it was.  It had it's flaws but I enjoyed the experience regardless and had the added enjoyment of the amazing people I was sitting with during the performance.

Washington D.C.

The Kennedy Center.  What the festival is all about.  It was kind of surreal walking into the Hall of Nations.  Surrounded by young actors, directors, and dramaturgs in a big strange place was oddly comforting as we were all feeling the same way.  Whispers of "Oh that is Mark Bly!  Look, Matt McGeachy is talking to Gregg in a serious tone." as we were making our way up to our first breaking of bread made us look like a bunch of giddy school girls I am sure.  My role was that of the girl that was freaking out because I was the only one not to get the script that we were working on emailed to us.  Needless to say, I was asking everyone if they had theirs.  After dinner I met the director I was assisting, Freddie Ashley of Actor's Express, and Mike Lew, the playwright.  They send me the script, Bike America, that night and I get underway in reading it and catching up.  The second day is a free day as it is Sunday and not everyone has gotten in yet.  So Jeff, myself, and a bunch of the guys strolled the streets of D.C. and hit up the World's AIDS March.  And then later that evening attempted to bar crawl to the Lincoln Memorial...unsuccessfully. These first two days did nothing to prepare us for what would be an intense week of critical thinking and theatre making.