R&D Insights week 5: The Deluge

Photo credit: Jamie Morgans. Dancer: Sarah Golding

Day 1  

So here we are... Entering the final week of our process for The Deluge and we are taking this final step at The Point in Eastleigh, Lîla's longest supporting partner. If you have not visited The Point's creation space it is worth saying it was designed as a blank canvas rather than an empty space - it always feels like it is waiting for its next journey (like Mr Ben waiting for his next costume!). 

So here we are... bringing The Creation Space to life through the complex journey of our characters and their interactions. These have grown in their physicality, and more importantly, in the performer's understanding of how to develop who their characters are. 

As dancers, our decisions feel more authentic - informed by a greater connection to the layers of narrative and art forms that are coming together around it - it's a bit like reading a great novel where you start to know how a character might react to information/situations before they have entered the scene. 

When I move within this work, I can honestly say I am moved what is happening around me, and because the audience is all around us, I feel encompassed by the parameters of the world we are creating. This week is going to be really significant in the character's finding their 'breath'.... 

.... Oh and thanks for coming to class! 

Carrie xx

Day 2 

It's great to be back in Eastleigh dancing with the sunlight blazing through the huge window at The Point. Thanks to last night's amazing stir fry cooked by Aya and Jamie, I felt energised and ready for the day. Jamie lead today's open class. I really felt like I needed time to get into my body this morning and it was great to spend time finding my weight into the floor during Jamie's exercises. The class started off with a relaxing floor exercise. I think these types of exercises are really good for me as I often struggle to organise my body efficiently on the floor, but thankfully Jamie is great at floor work so I can learn a lot from him. He then lead us into for some more travelling floor work. This felt quite animalistic - it was the type of thing that is hard to pick up but once you have the rhythm of the movement in your body it's a lot easier. 

We started rehearsals by recapping the changes we had made yesterday. I think yesterday was the first day that it dawned on me that it really isn't long until we do this in front of an audience, this is such an exciting thought because I KNOW that by the time that this happens everything will be perfect and we will all feel confident with every aspect of the piece. 

There are a lot of aspects to The Deluge that won't be able to be finalised until production week for example how and where we move in the space when we aren't the central focus. We will also be finding out new information during each performance as the work is highly responsive to how the audience react, and we will only receive that information in a real performance situation. 

Jamie, Carrie and I also started working on a section for the installation section of the work. It focused around book reading, page turning and reflecting on the information on the pages. The idea behind this section is that the group will be reading a diary or their favourite book to pass the time while they are waiting to hear news regarding the emerging wave. We realised with this that it doesn't have to be perfect unison instead a clear structure that can be performed in individual ways. We explored this with The Point's over 60's group Retrospectìf who brought the action to life beautifully and thoughtfully. The subtle differences in their performance made the work more human and more intriguing. 

Sarah xx

Day 3 

Thank you to Sarah for a high energy class this morning, it was great to see so many dancers in the Creation Space with us this morning. 

We were also very excited to work with a collective of fantastic dancers from The Point's community exploring creative ideas in and around the venue as part of our instillation for The Deluge. Firstly, a huge thank you to these dancers who fully grappled with the tasks and came to the day with heaps of creativity and imagination. Secondly what a fantastic day in which we positively furthered the vision of the opening of The Deluge. It was wonderful to hear that staff from The Point, who came to a presentation of our explorations, felt extremely moved by the experience and also excited by the new direction Lîla's work has taken. 

One of the questions we asked ourselves and the participants was "in a situation where you face a disaster what do you do to preserve some normality?" 

We were seeking out the mundane routines, the attempt to stay calm, to find control, to organise and maintain your sense of self... These mundane tasks, displaced and fairly pointless under the circumstances, create a sense of simmer anticipation - why not just run?! 

A second question that arose was a need for peace/calmness... A collective in-breath metaphorically speaking. Within this section there is an agreement to listen, let go of the personal panic, and above all share in a collective inner quiet. Voices and bodies harmonising. 

There are many other interesting questions that spill out into this work ...Come and see the show to get a closer look! 

Carrie xx 

… a collective in-breath metaphorically speaking. Within this section there is an agreement to listen, let go of the personal panic, and above all share in a collective inner quiet…

Day 4

The aim of the day was to fine tune the work and add all the little herbs and spices which bring out the flavours. We worked on rhythms and timings, as well as the transitions between scenes. Then it was time for our first full run through without the extended cast. It was like the moon landing. We were stepping out of the explorer for the first time to take out first steps into The Deluge. What an enlightening experience it was- The aim was not perfection, but a chance to feel the story, develop characters, find relationships and try to embody the essence of what we are trying to portray to the people that will come to experience this work. I left the rehearsal with a newfound excitement about the possibilities of this work and how individual it will be to each venue that revives it. 

Jamie :) 

Cover image and photo 1 by Jamie Morgans, photo 2 by Dougie Evans. Dancers: Sarah Golding & community cast performers from The point, Eastleigh.