Art by Amber Heaton; http://www.amberheaton.com/

From Blog Director Jill Randall:

I am currently pursuing my MFA in Creative Practice in the new low residency program at Saint Mary's College in California. Now with new eyes, I have a deeper appreciation for the advice given to choreographers in the artist profiles each week here on the blog.

I have decided to revisit the past artist profiles from the last 3 years, and will highlight the choreographic advice and inspiration. 

These posts can be enjoyed by dance artists of all ages, and the posts can also be used each week within a college level composition/choreography course to offer current, fresh, real-world advice from artists around the United States.

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Trusting my process has become key to my success.   It took me a long time to identify the specifics of my process.  Once I gained clarity in this area, the work started to flow.  

At about age 37, I realized I choreographed differently than I lived, and I needed to engage in a process that reflected who I was, rather than a process that imitated that of artists I’d admired and worked with.

In the beginning I’d walk into the studio and try to make choreography appear from nowhere.  In time, and after many less than stellar works, I came to realize the folly of “making a dance,” by that I mean jumping straight into the craft of choreography before taking time to develop the raw material of movement phrases.  There was little organization, structure, or planning.  I hoped that inspirational material would spring fourth and flow freely from me to the dance.  This lack of a cohesive plan was totally counter to my personality and lifestyle (I have been told that I have a touch of OCD and that I tend to over-organize, compartmentalize, and attempt to maintain order.)  I have no problem with any of these traits and actually find my compulsive need for organization to be traits worth celebrating. 

SO, I needed to develop a process for making art that celebrated these traits.

I began to identify a creative process in which movement is developed, more movement is developed, and even more movement is developed.  Once I have a rich palette of varied material, I then can begin to craft it according to the voice and vision of the work.  I am not precious about the material at this time and regularly modify or delete large chunks of material.  It is during this phase that choreography begins to emerge and can be analyzed and reflected upon for revision, re-vision, and ultimately, completion.

Interestingly, the process is clean and neat, though the work rarely is.  My work continues to have the edge, humor, and physicality it always did; it’s just easier to make now.

To read Damon's full artist profile, click here.

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