Thank you greatly Jocelyn and Brianna, the two of you are angels.
The choreography is my interpretation of one of my favourite songs by CocoRosie; a live performance of two of their songs, Good Friday and Happy Eyez.
It's a story of a mother and a daughter. It helps to date the story back to the day when girls learned how to take care of a family, and be a successful housewife through their school books. It's only imagined that from the moment a girl graduates, that text book becomes her life. An ideal world within the words of a man. So her life is summed up to protecting an image of an ideal family. The daughter, a strong young girl of 5 or 6, is caught between the words in a textbook, and a boy's play things. She doesn't like restrictions, dresses or cooking. She watches her brother be strong and free. She feels smothered in a world forced upon her. Of all people in the world, her mother would understand. Right?
Mother is caught up in the image of a perfect family, and can't see any farther than that. She sees a child who couldn't know what she wants, and a world filled with judging eyes. A little force is all that is needed to set a child in line.
The child runs away, and is lost on the streets. It's a scary place to be. The lyrics say the rest.
My mother i seek,
I'd like to curl up meek,
In the lap of your laughter.
You wanted a daughter.
Well i am no Jesus,
If you give me a dress,
I could become your princess.
It's alot to fit into a small dance, but all i hope is that at least a bit of the story translates.
Enjoy :)
WOW! I haven't even finished watching it, but I had to stop to comment before I continue!
ReplyDeleteThat jump, after she puts on the baseball cap, into her mother's arms, and her mother stands there stone-faced in shock and gets unconsciously triggered in all sorts of ways at seeing her daughter in the cap... and the girl trusts so much that her mother will catch her and her mother just stands there, arms at her sides... that says SO much! So powerful!
And what you did with that cap, when the mother takes it off of her - incredible! When the mother smiles at seeing her little GIRL again and pokes her in the cheek and the daughter half-smiles because she wants that recognition and that complicity, but she can't fully smile because she can only have the side of her mother she needs if she plays by society's (and her mother's) ways of being in the world, and this tears her soul apart. She needs to be true to herself, and her mother can't understand that so she can't give her what she needs... but the girl is still a little happy at her mother's outward signs of love...
I guess this is all just my interpretation of it, but wow... Ya - amazing!
I'm curious though - did you choose the song first or choreograph first? It almost seems like you were inspired by the music...
Ok I finished watching it - yes, you said: "It's alot to fit into a small dance, but all i hope is that at least a bit of the story translates."
ReplyDeleteIt ALL translates! <3 Amazing work!
Thank you Natalia!
ReplyDeleteI actually did pick the song first, it's one of my favorites. That song still makes me cry if I let it, there is so much truth in it. Not my truth mind you, but it's simple and there's ugly and beautiful in it, and although it is a song about a Scottish fairytale, it talks about a small want from a small child, and its powerful for me :)
oh and you tell the story so well! you definitely interpreted it the way I had hoped!
I love love love this! Thank you for having me in this beautiful dance.
ReplyDelete