Week 3 -- the aquarium/zoo/gardens/museum at Mission and 15th Streets

This was Woodward's Gardens week. Woodward's Gardens was open from 1866-1891 and was located on Mission Street between 13th and 15th Streets (more info here).

Each kid picked their favorite from a list of some of the attractions that were featured there:
aquarium
roller rink
hot air balloon
boat ride
animals: ostriches, deer, flamingos, bears, camels, seals, goats, parrots, eagles

They all made a frozen pose, a move and a second frozen pose based on the thing they picked. We then played variations on freeze tag or duck duck goose to cue individual kids to do their choreography. One of Rowena's third grade groups did a terrific sequence together, complete with working with partners to make seals sitting on rocks and a parrot that looked like a snow angel.

We continue to learn what works (and what doesn't) as we return to each class. For instance, having each group show the others what they've worked on really gets the kids to focus and perform. I'm pleased and impressed by how well the students are remembering material from the previous weeks. They need some cueing but they're really doing a great job. I'm also excited to have Colin Epstein along as an additional adult dancer/helper on Tuesdays with the fifth grade. He's going to fill in when others are gone and then be an extra hand when we're all present.

Next week we may just start shaping some of the material we already have. I'm trying to pace things so we don't get overwhelmed with material and I need to figure out how to link the different movement sections together. And the fourth graders were away on a field trip this week so we will need to get them caught up.

The project is changing, as I knew it would, adapting to the skills and needs of our performers and the features and needs of the school site. We will almost certainly limit showings to the yard, and while I'm sad to let go of the idea of traveling through the school, I'm excited to try to get all 6 classes together in one place in November to show what they've created.

Week 2 -- Mission Creek

This week we talked about Mission Creek and how it used to run through the Mission. I made a gestural phrase based on the map that's included in the mural going up on the play yard wall and taught it to all three grades. I was surprised how well they all picked it up and how focused they were while learning it. Even kids who can't contain themselves when we're working on larger movement were super still and attentive.

We also made phrases with the 3rd and 4th graders based on jumping over, into and around the water that used to run through the neighborhood. These were AMAZING. I had one boy in 3rd grade who could have choreographed the whole section for me, he was bursting with so many ideas. The kids are getting the hang of generating and linking movement more and retained what we did the previous week really well.

I tried teaching a set jumping pattern to the 5th graders but it created too much chaos. Since we see all 40 or so of them at once, any large group activities become much harder to manage. Won't be doing that again. This week I'll only work that material with them in their smaller groups.

I'm still not sure we'll get to show all the sections linked together. The scheduling is very complicated -- it has to work with when the yard is available and all 6 classes' schedules. But I've decided even if they are only shown individually that we'll construct the sequences based on the chronology of the history we're drawing from. So we'll start with the water, which feels perfect.

First Week -- What's your favorite place in the school?

We are under way after meeting with all the classes for the first time -- we being myself, Kevin Clarke and Rowena Richie. We have 5 groups: 5th grade all at once and 2 classes each in 3rd and 4th grade. It was a whirlwind of trying to learn names and personalities... and it was FUN. We're starting with the kids' favorite locations in the school -- places like the garden, the library, the playground -- and building movement about what they do in those places. Some kids drew pictures in the air, some acted out the activity they performed in their favorite space. We started linking them together, with the kids teaching one another their movement.

Favorite moments so far:

A boy grabbed a partner and created the shape of the circular courtyard and bench where assemblies happen, creating gestures that were surprisingly large, fluid and rhythmic.

A girl proudly told some boys that dance is indeed just as exciting and challenging as sports.

Several kids made sure their classmate who doesn't speak much English understood what he should do.

It's going to be a challenge to create 5 mini pieces that we can string together and the logistics of scheduling a group showing are complicated... but we have 8 weeks to figure it all out.

About this project

Choreographer Chris Black is collaborating with students from Marshall Elementary School to develop a dance-based, site specific performance that explores the students' relationships to the physical and cultural environment they inhabit daily at the school.

This project is made possible by Triangle Lab's Artist Investigator Project. Triangle Lab is a joint program of Cal Shakes and Intersection for the Arts.