4. Chance Method
Chance method choreography is a technique/device created by Merce Cunningham. Chance method refers to choosing material through randomisation. For example, throwing dice to select from an index list of movements is traditional. I find chance method to be a helpful tool when facing a creative block as it is a way of overcoming the limits of imagination at the time and redistributing the predictable choreography. (Preston-Dunlop, 2014) (Barbican Centre, 2019) (Merce Cunningham Trust, 2022)
When making our word motif, we went through our music broken down into sections and the words we associated with those sections. Split into pairs and worked on a short sequence associated with each chosen term. Jessica and I were working with the word Anxiety In relation to the 'Visions of Giaeon' section just before Olivia's solo.
When making these 16 counts Jessica and I considered different aspects of experiencing Anxiety that we could incorporate. Due to the sequence being earlier in the piece, we did not reference paranoia too much and instead focused on a feeling of resilience against the disorder. For example, our movement phrase began upright but progressed to the ground; we incorporated reaching movements to indicate an attempt to escape the Anxiety Charnley would have been experiencing. After a final failed attempt to recover, our phrase ends crumpled on the floor. Jessica and I also referenced one of the physical symptoms of Anxiety in the form of abdominal pains at the beginning of the phrase, where we use a sharp gesture to swipe across our midsection. (Ferreri et al., 2011) (Wilson, 2022)
(Bailes et al., 2022)
The method to implement chance choreography was labelling every four counts of our phrase 1 through 12, then using a random number generator to dictate what order the phrase would run in. This process also implemented fragmentation on the piece, which entails separating a string of movements and rearranging or utilising them independently. (Preston-Dunlop, 2014)
Our final phrase after applying this method was:
'2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 19, 11, 12, 3, 8, 10',
When watching the result of this process, the piece had more of a disjointed feel as the predictable movement pathways we had set between phrases had been replaced. However, this could be a helpful phrase to incorporate later in the piece to highlight a deterioration in mental clarity, perhaps as a motif.
An aspect of the task that our group found challenging was understanding and memorising the fragmented version of the section. We found this problematic as we had already rehearsed the section in the original order; however, going through the new transitions while smoothing and adjusting them made this process much more manageable. For example, if a phrase had been cut so that the dancer finishes on the ground, but the following phrase begins standing, incorporating a quick movement to ensure they can stay on time and continue the piece.
Throughout the choreographic process to come, we will be sure to continue to explore the use of chance method and fragmentation, as well as revisit the sequence we created today, as they are valuable tools to help enhance the engagement of our piece through reducing predictability.
Bibliography:
Barbican Centre, 2019. Exploring the creative legacy of choreographer Merce Cunningham. [video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZCV5l9ARZo> [Accessed 17 October 2022].
Chance Choreography Method. Available at: https://youtube.com/shorts/nH7Q2axT8SA?feature=share (Accessed: October 28, 2022).
Doogan Jones, C. and Bailes, J. (2022) Word Motif 'Anxiety'. Available at: https://youtu.be/CYhdOt_VvhU (Accessed: October 28, 2022).
Merce Cunningham Trust, 2022. Home - Merce Cunningham Trust. [online] Mercecunningham.org. Available at: <https://www.mercecunningham.org/> [Accessed 16 October 2022].
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