All About the Process

Principal Dancer Wendy Whelan and Soloist Craig Hall
working on a past NY Choreographic Institute

Executing a combination of ballet steps is hard enough, but trying to come up with new steps and ways for dancers to connect is a whole nother ball game. This week I’ve been partaking in the creative process with the New York Choreographic Institute. Founded by NYCB artistic director, Peter Martins, and arts philanthropist, Irene Diamond, the institute gives three promising choreographers the time, studio space, and dancers to create a new work.  The environment is relatively relaxed; over a period of two weeks, the choreographers work three hours each day to make a 10-15 minute piece on NYCB and School of American Ballet dancers, and the final product is performed in a studio without stage lights, makeup, or costumes. The nature of this program allows the choreographers to really experiment with new ideas, shapes, and movements, and simply gain more experience. For the dancers involved, it is equally an enriching experience.  We learn how to make steps work and communicate with the choreographer when certain steps feel awkward.  We also try to inspire the choreographer to create intriguing new movements, and then develop our own artistries by making the movements our own. 

This year I’m in a piece titled “Four on the Floor,” choreographed by George Williamson, who holds the title of “Associate Artist” with the English National Ballet. His style is expressive and more modern than say the classical Symphony in C, so returning from Japan to rehearse this piece made me a little sore.  Modern movement in particular requires being what we call “grounded,” or in other words, feeling a strong connection of your feet and legs to the floor. You have to really engage your quads, which explains why (at first) my quads felt like they were bruised! Perhaps another reason for my soreness was due to the process of choreographing – the dancers must keep trying the same steps over and over again in order to make sure that they fulfill the choreographer’s wants. The process is about trial and error, particularly when it comes to choreographing partnering sections, since figuring out how two bodies can move together is challenging. We had a lot of errors before we reached the desired results – believe me.  There was falling to the floor, girls crashing down from a lift, partners smacking each other in the face… but in the end we managed to get these kinks out, and hopefully presented both accurately and beautifully our choreographer's vision. 

Inside the Artists and Fleas Market 

In light of our choreographer’s creativity, you might want to venture to the Artists and Fleas pop-up shop at Chelsea Market, where you’ll find individuals selling their hand-crafted goods such as household items, clothes, jewelry and more.  You’ll find items here that you won’t find anywhere else. A few weeks ago, my mom purchased a cool 70s-inspired dress, and I found tees printed with old cigar box art that each came packaged in the old cigar box itself! We also enjoyed looking at a designer’s “Man-eater series” of button-down shirts, which had on them tiny cartoon prints of sharks or tigers eating humans.  Seems like a grave subject for a colorful shirt… but they were actually quite cute and made my mom and me laugh. The creativity of these artists is refreshing, particularly since so many of our products are mass-produced and found almost anywhere in the world. The designers will even tell you of the process of creating each piece, which just shows the amount of care and skill that is required to do what they do.

The Highline (on right) amidst the city

The BEST spot to sit at The Highline -
the lawn chairs located at the
southern end of the path

Before you leave, be sure to check out the Chelsea Market food vendors, located in the same building. They offer everything from delicious donuts to classic Italian fare. But next, head to one of Manhattan’s most popular new destinations – The Highline.  The Highline is a public park constructed on an elevated old railroad that offers a show of plants and views of the Hudson River, the New Jersey skyline, and the Empire State Building.  It is only a 15-minute walk away from Chelsea Market and well worth the trip.  Although Central Park is still my favorite, this one is unique because you can see up close the contrasts between the steel buildings surrounding the park’s path, and the vegetation displayed along the way. Like other designers or choreographers, the creators of The Highline clearly had a vision in mind, constructing not just a park but also a point of fusion between modern and natural elements, which interestingly compliment each other.  It is the perfect spot for a peaceful stroll; even on the dreary day that my mom and I walked its path, we felt both relaxed and captivated by the unique blend of scenery.