I consider myself a very lucky woman to be working with very pliable dancers, whatever i seem to throw at them they just mould to it. We have been working on the project now for over two months and its been a hard journey for all. The company and i have worked together in many forms in the past two years so we all have a sound knowledge of each others strengths and weakness and try to work to them, for example i cant count aloud and dance fast then at moments i just stop counting, so we count together.

My group are performing at Northwood Halt, a tricky station. At a glance it looks like there isnt much to work with and potentially an easy site, which is not the case.The ground is extremly uneven, the platform is narrow but very long , the train stops for the road then starts up again and travels past the station slowly, there is a shed blocking movement and the bushes we hide in are filled with rose thorns… the list goes on. I began my creative journey by going to the station and taking over 60 pictures from different angles, drawing sketches, breaking the space into sections mentally, measuring the space and working out how many people can sit on the bench at any one time. This was my most useful moment in terms of creation because my restrictions were very clear. Unfortunatly most of my dancers work in different capacities so the chances of me taking them to the site pre-performance was slim.

My movement was based on the following words:simplicity, isolate and puppet. The main images that gave me ideas where the likes of Bauhaus, I have attached an example image; the fact that ‘bodies’ were broken down into sections gave me the idea of release and from the release of movement does the initiation of the swing happen. Swing being the word the group is trying to portray.My other trail of thought was that of swing movement and so i researched into 1960′s swing dance, in particular swing dance lifts. I taught the dancers afew key lifts and they in turn they created the movement around the lifts. It was only once i had created all the movement have i now began to section it. So far….. so good.

Attached is also a insight into the costumes, 4 days straight of cutting and hemming and stitching but when all the dressed were done the effect was emense and very suited to the movement.

Our main challenge so far has been space and the lack of, we rehearse in a very big studio but unfortunatly it is not big enough so i came up with an idea… lets dance in the car park!. It has been extremly helpful, not only does it help me see where the gaps (literally) are but the performers to realise how exposed they are.

For the last ten weeks, DFY (the youth dance company of Dancefest, the dance development agency for Herefordshire and Worcestershire) have been working with me on a piece for The Great Train Dance. It’s been a very exciting experience to devise a piece with these young Worcestershire dancers (most of whom have been valiantly rehearsing for this in the midst of A-level examinations!), but sometimes quite a challenging one too. It’s a very precise choreographic brief – to create a piece using the outdoor space as interestingly as possible, with the movement and intention behind the movement still having to be clear enough to provide the audience with their clue! Not always easy!

We spent the first few weeks working around how we create site-specific pieces, going outside, working in non-studio spaces, and getting used to this sort of work, as our performance space will be a beautiful open field. We also spent a lot of time working on ensemble and chorus work, learning how to dance using a common breath, as for our piece, it is important that we move as one body, not only when we are both dancing in unison but even when we are dancing our other sections, as our dance must show the group as one. We then began to develop the actual movement material, looking at source photographs, and then beginning to work with our big and beautiful props!

The props have been both a joy and a challenge – we’ve loved taking the flags outside when we’ve rehearsed in the meadows down by the river Severn, but it has been a challenge working with two metre flags indoors in a small dance studio with a low ceiling! And we’ve really had to learn to dance as one when wielding our flags! Another challenge has been in transferring the work from the studio into a large field, particularly for the duets section. Our space is quite far from the train, so our movement has to be BIG. The duets were the very first part of the piece we worked on and we love them – but while they worked very well in studio, once we took them outside, and added flags, we’ve had to adapt them to keep them working. That was a difficult moment for the dancers – the ‘letting go’ of some of their movement material, but the piece will be better for it. Sometimes you just have to let go!

We now have all the movement material and the arc of the piece in place. Now we just have to ‘go back to the source’, to find the original energy and mood of our piece! Once we manage to find those emotions again in our dance, we’ll be ready to perform on such an unusual project and in such an unusual space. We are also lucky enough to be performing in the finale at the Engine House so our final task has been to learn Rosie’s choreography to be ready for next Saturday! With a final few sessions to go to polish everything up, it’s ‘full steam ahead’ from Worcester!

Marie-Louise Crawley
Dance Leader
14th July 2011

The big day is drawing ever closer and, despite a mad dash to the finish line, the dancers from Carmichael School of Theatre Arts are gearing up to don their 60s shift dresses and swing their way along the platform at Northwood Halt.

Last week’s rehearsal was the busiest one yet. Cutting and pasting together all the sections together and finalising the structure made for a tough rehearsal, but the end is in sight! Our biggest challenge now is to edit, refine and practice practice practice! What we now need to do is get into character and become the cool sixties chicks we’re meant to be.

Due to the challenging shape of our platform there are lots of different elements to work with and around, which is sure to enhance the dance, but will also mean there will be lots to adjust to on the day. There is a bench to work on and around, a shed which will get in our way and a big bank on one end we will have to be careful travelling up and down. The platform itself is quite narrow and as the students will see it for the first time on the day they will have to prepare to be flexible and quick to adjust.

This week has also been a week of sewing and costume creating! Although we have had the dresses for a long time, sewing onto these began this week and yesterday marked a very mini photo shoot for some of the dancers involved.

Seeing them in costume really brings it home how close the performance date is and, although we have lots and lots to do to perfect it, things are getting really exciting as the performance draws closer and closer!

For the 12 dancers from Carmichael School of Theatre Arts this Saturday will mark the 8^th rehearsal working on the Great Train Dance. The piece is now really starting to take shape, and having spent a number of weeks working with various tasks, such as creating solos inspired by photos and group sections that will fit directly into the landscape of the platform, this Saturday I hope to create a final structure for the piece.

Last week we were lucky enough to be visited by Rosie and it was a fantastic opportunity for the group to be inspired by the woman behind this vast project. Hearing the story of the dance from Rosie really brought home the excitement of the day and her advice and words of encouragement is sure to motivate the students. Rosie gave me a lot of great advice and it was really useful to have someone to bounce ideas off and a chance to check up on the project overall.

Costumes are coming along but this week will also be a week of cutting, sticking and sewing!

The project is now reaching its climax and the anticipation of the performance day is starting to set in!

The dancer's were happy with their costumes!

Costumes shopping:  11th July

To me this seemed like a pretty simple task. But trying to find 30 pairs of identical shorts is quite a challenge. I feel like me and the dancers have travelled the whole of the West Midlands trying to get them! I think we have managed to pull it off though. There are now no red shorts or sweatbands left in any nearby shops!

Running

Discus

Smiles all round!Diving