‘This is how gorgeous it feels’ - Steve project reflections

Photo Credit : David Wilson Clarke

I joined the 50+ Contemporary Dance Sheffield (CDS) group just over a year before the start of the Third Bite Dance (TBD) project. Initially I had joined as a way of improving my dance skills, which, having been cast in the ensemble for a large amateur musical at the Lyceum, I had found lagged well behind both my singing skills and the dance skills of the rest of the cast. My year with the 50+ CDS had indeed improved my dance skills. However, it had given me far more than this: I had found it an outlet to develop my creative movement skills in a non-judgemental environment and an opportunity to inwardly reflect on my thoughts, feelings and body. Oh, and of course, a chance to develop new friendships with like-minded people!

I hoped that TBD would allow me to develop all the above. My only worry was about learning any choreographed parts, although I was confident that Lucy would be very supportive with this aspect. Although I am relatively new to the world of performing arts, I have always really enjoyed the opportunity to perform (perhaps a legacy of my teaching career) and, even though the final performances would be filmed, I was looking forward to being able to perform again. Projects that I have previously enjoyed always involved an element of being part of the creative process and I was excited at the prospect of again being an active participant rather than a passive performer.

As I had expected, it was sessions that involved a creative element that I enjoyed most. I particularly appreciated the session with the writer. The written part allowed me to develop strategies for producing interesting descriptive text. Creating dance moves based on the text enabled me not only to produce my own dance moves, but also to start to fully appreciate what using text as stimulus for dance really encompasses: it was during this session that I realised that the dance moves created in response to the text do not need to be literal interpretations but dance responses to the feelings elicited by the text. Such an understanding will not only help me with my own dance but will also allow me to better appreciate dance that I watch. I was pleased that some of my text from this session and the dance I created will be part of the final film.

But the very best part of this project was the final filming. Several factors conspired to make my three filming days so memorable and enjoyable: the beautiful weather; the inspiring surroundings; dancing in my own space; dressing up; meeting several people in person; the amazing support, enthusiasm and artistic input of Lucy, Aaron and, on the final day, David. What a team! Many thanks to Lucy for putting together such a group, who fitted into the project as though they had been with us throughout.

My three words to describe the project are:

inspiring

empowering

motivating

Having completed this project I feel that my dance has improved, and I have a much better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses. I have particularly enjoyed developing slow ballet type movements. Although my coordination is not great, my strength and fitness enable me to perform such moves. I still struggle to learn and remember choreographed unison pieces. However, I can at least follow others when doing these pieces and can move with improved composure. Perhaps the biggest bonus from this project is that I have been far less self-conscious when improvising. This has allowed me to fully immerse myself in these activities without worrying about what others are doing or thinking. Additionally, it has also confirmed that what I most enjoy about the performing arts is being able to fully contribute to the development of a piece, rather than just being given a script to deliver, a set of stage instructions and a characterisation to work on.

Moving forward, I am most excited about dancing together and creating with others in person. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the filming, it did not have quite the buzz of a live performance. It would be a fantastic challenge to turn this into a piece that works on stage. Edinburgh 2022?…

- Steve, 10 / 05 / 21