About the dance: A whole series of events led to the
creation of Angelus, my first ever choreography. I was in a very well
paid job and felt that my bank balance was healthy enough for me to buy
myself a present, a new synthesiser with which I could (hopefully)
rediscover my musical creativity which had become dormant over the
previous few years. By wiring the synthesiser up with my home computer
and using some clever software I was able to 'record' my playing and
multi-track it, so that I could 'play' several parts together and make
my own 'ensemble' of different instruments.
While finding out what the machine could do (and brushing up on my very
rusty keyboard skills) I realised that one piece I was working on would
make a nice circle dance tune. With that in mind I deliberately
extended it to make it a good length for dancing to and added a musical
'cue' for the last time through. The voice (sound) that I was using on
the synthesiser was called 'angels' and I'd just come upon the
expression 'the Angelus' (in a comic book) referring to a higher being
or archetypal entity, so 'Angelus' it was.
I'd decided to keep the steps simple, the music was quite slow and
meditative and I didn't want to overreach myself on my first
choreography. The rhythm was 4/4 but the strongest musical part was
split 3-3-2 and 3-2-3, so by having a short-long (3-5) step sequence it
fitted with the musical beat all the way through. As the chord changed
on each bar this emphasised the first beat, so I used the first, short
beat for a moving step and contrasted it with a gentle touch-close with
no weight for the longer step. When danced with the music this second
step felt more like a quick close and a pause, which reminded me of
monks walking while chanting and fitted with the 'church choir' sound
that I could hear in the music.
(This sounds very clinical and intellectual, in fact I decided on most
of these things because they felt right and only later, when analysing
the dance, was I able to describe them this way.)
There was a distinct verse/chorus structure to the music which was
beginning to suggest meanings and associations for me. The verse had a
melody that seemed to return to its starting point and repeat, which
suggested 'everyday life' to me with its cyclic repetitions. The
chorus, on the other hand, had a definite downward musical progression
which in combination with the angelic voices invoked a vision of angels
descending from heaven to earth, a 'sacred' part contrasting with the
'secular' verse.
Once I'd come up with the step-touch basic sequence I had been doing it
in various directions and combinations while listening to the music,
and it seemed that a simple set of step-touches forward, facing and
moving around the circle, perfectly suited the verse. The whole circle
enacted the cyclical motion while each individual dancer moved forward,
illustrating that within the repeating cycles of our lives we still
grow and change, and yet this too may be part of a larger cycle.
For the chorus I wanted to bring the focus of the dance to the centre
which (to me) suggests not only the unity of the group but also higher
levels of being, or even beings on higher levels. The group turns to
face centre but rather than stepping towards it straight away there are
two side steps to give time to prepare for the transition. When moving
into the centre the arms raise slowly to a 'W' hold, raising the focus
but keeping it within the dancers (unlike raising the arms high which
seems to raise it above and beyond them). This 'containing' seems
crucial to me, the group come together and form their own
temple/church/whatever and a higher state is reached within the dancers
themselves rather than being something acknowledged from afar. Forming
this higher state is not an end in itself however, the dancers move in
the new formation not just enjoying the experience but also finding how
to function in this 'trans-normal' condition. Finally the balance must
be maintained and the dancers back out, lowering their arms, to return
to the cycles of life.
Music: 'Angelus', written and played by me. Available directly from the composer for the price of a cassette and the postage.
Formation: A circle, with arms starting in a 'V' hold. Steps: The rhythm consists of a short beat and a long one all the way through, this is mirrored in the steps by having a 'moving' step (short) followed by a closing step with no weight (long, or actually short and pause).The dance starts after a four bar introduction, when the 'flutes' begin. Parts one and two alternate until the solo soprano voice sings a descending scale during the second part, after which the second part is repeated and the dance ends.
Later thoughts: I don't know if it was in
the back of my mind all the time (I attended a Roman Catholic school in
my early years) but I found out that the Angelus is the name of the
bell rung in monasteries as the call to prayer. This fits in perfectly
with my vision of the dance and is one of those synchronicities which
make me believe I'm on the right track with whatever I'm doing.
I still enjoy the dance but I'm not so sure about the music, it now
sounds very clumsy and a bit empty to me. I intend to record a new
version soon.