The Making of Step of the Day During Covid-19

This work is a continuation of a dance video series inspired by Alisa Walton throughout this time of quarantine. The concept of five choreographers and dancers rehearsing with each other in their living rooms via Zoom and FaceTime, (Emily Bernasiewicz, Christine Brkich, Lisa Brkich, Alisa Walton, Claire Ward) while moving towards a final dance video performance entitled, "The Tides." I, (Christine Brkich), initially did not approach this work with a narrative in mind. That was a new process for me as a choreographer and director. In my mind's eye I saw the aesthetic first.  Location, Location, Location The two locations I chose on the water were very important for me to create in, especially during this pandemic. Living close to the water, it has become a quiet and peaceful solace during this time of quarantine. More and more people are coming to the water, than I have ever seen in summers past, needing to be with people in small groups, in need of the sunshine, and listening to the lapping of the water against the shoreline. It seemed fitting to explore the work within this type of environment as it resonated with so many during a hot summer of partial isolation. We needed to be particularly mindful as it was that this was a common area for morning joggers, walkers, and cyclists to meet their endpoint at the pier, social distancing ourselves from everyone was at the forefront and by noon the sun would be blazing and the dancers completely dehydrated. We were extremely efficient and finished by 9am. Our second location proved to be a different experience. There weren't as many people as it was an overcast, and rainy morning and the contrast of weather was a blessing to our bodies and to the making of the video. The rocks and sand on the beach were a little more difficult to navigate in ballet shoes, challenging our balance, but as the sun eventually snuck out from behind the clouds, we were like children playing in the rocks and skipping them into the water, discovering the play behind the dance. In places, these forms of play found their own way into the video in an impromptu type of way. I'm always grateful for those serendipitous moments that you can never plan for until the time comes to marry the vision with the artist. Inspiration In My Ears The next inspiration came from the music. I'm a devout Holly Cole fan, and have always loved her rendition of "The Waters of March." Every time I listened to the song, it lent itself so easily to dance due to the very descript lyrics. These lyrics lead me to my only choreographic task for the choreographers which was to be literal in their movement phrases when they felt connected to a specific lyric. Thus, the lyrics tell the story, and the choreography depicts the narrative through the lyrics in places. It was interesting, that although we had each choreographed our phrases privately within the walls of our own living rooms and bedrooms, many times we found similar movement vocabulary would arise amongst the choreographers as their lyrics cross phrased and repeated themselves in sections. There was a definite connectedness that bound us together, even through virtual creation. Putting It Altogether In The Moment The duets, and trios that took place all happened on site as we had no ability to rehearse together prior to the shoot days. This adventure became a beautiful serendipitous happenstance. My favourite moments happened in watching Alisa dance behind Claire, holding the space for her as I watched it behind the lens, the wonderful duet of choreographer and dancer (Lisa and Alisa) as they cannoned their phrase so beautifully together - and the magic that unfolded in post when I edited the duet and Lisa's quiet dissolve into absence made for a beautiful stillness as Alisa was left in solo. The duet of mother and daughter (Lisa and Emily) that started as two separate solos, took on new meaning as the two danced side by side, subtly in quiet communication with each other...and of course the group moments of improv came together magically as we felt our ways through the moment. We were even blessed by Mother Nature as she enchanted us with her paint brush... painting the skies with a bright blue crimson and yellow sun on Day 1, followed by a quiet grey and sombre sky with rain that fell at the exact precise moment during the duet between Mom and Daughter. It was as though she knew we were creating in the moment, and blessed us with a gaggle of Canadian geese that flew by in their own choreographic dance space as we watched in awe. These moments as they were happening were all mysterious and wonderfully powerful, and continued to be so as I edited the footage later to find more moments to be thankful for that I could have only caught when I was out of the frame, and watching it as a viewer rather than a participant. Find An Ending The ending was a mystery as they often can be. As I still wasn't sure how to end the piece, I decided we should all frolic in the rocks together. We began by skipping rocks into the water on the shoreline and then moved to passing rocks to one another, and feeling the textures of them as we passed, shot from a birds-eye angle. I called cut as we finished playing in the rocks and hoped that we had something that seemed like an ending, until Lisa said "Wait! I think that was it! Not the hands in the rocks, but the hands pulling away from the rocks after you called "cut." Hmmm.... "Really? Great! Let's do it again!" And so, it was a few video takes of our hands drawing away from the rocks set to the final chord in the music that became something we all connected to. I looked at the shot again while editing, and thought it needed more guts to it, so I slightly saturated the colouration of the rocks to add depth to the final shot - something to go out on as the curtain closes, I thought. I struggled with this moment for awhile because I didn't see its connection to the narrative. However, the more I thought about it... all those moments in the choreography were simple moments of connection - the ups, the downs, "it's the mud... it's the mud," it's "the promise of spring, the thorn in your hand, and a cut in your toe." But the re-iteration of the "joy in your heart" is what rang true throughout. That being said... this shot spoke volumes to me. Hands of different women, hands of different ages, hands that have told so many different stories. But for this moment, these hands have come together to be in this moment... and to find joy in their hearts however difficult or easy, somewhat trapped in the storm of a world pandemic - holding space... being there... sharing pebbles, and perhaps a moment of bliss. And couldn't we all use more of that right now? Thank you Lisa, for helping me find an ending (because as choreographers, sometimes beginnings and endings can be our most challenging tasks)... and thank you to the crew (Luke, Yusimi, and Jason) for a 2 day shoot, for Diana for babysitting my kids so that I could take time to create during those 2 mornings, and of course, thank you to all the dancers for their ongoing commitment and collaboration to this project. We also applaud and are grateful to those of you who managed to do your "morning jogs" around us on the beach! You looked great out there!