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When starting the project we were introduced to the concept of presenting a protest. At first I felt much excitement before the project started about being able to use my dance skills to present a protest. However when discussing Eva presented that we would only look at the aesthesis of protest. On reflection I would not work in this way as protests are driven by emotion and a reason for protest, taking that away can create many limitations. In my own reflection I would take a different approach, if I only wanted to focus on aesthetics I would choose a topic where aesthetics are the focal point of the topic. To protest without anything to protest for me lacks reason and emotional drive.
In our first day we were left in a room full of props and told to improvise looking at how people may behave in a protest. Eva wanted to focus on creating organic movement. As we had no particular focus or emotion driving our improv it ended up with us aimlessly playing with props, in reflection this clashed heavily with my own method causing sensory overload and causing me to have anxiety attacks in majority of these group improv sessions (hence why I am not in the pictures)

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Over the first week we continued to our group improvisation sessions. Due to the sensory overload i felt, i often did not join in but would take time to sit and watch from the outside. We looked at: Using materials to tie up and link people, tangling up, leading through the entanglement, changing leader, moments of untieing and walking like a herd

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https://theplace.padlet.org/evaracacha2/protest-project-2023-oj5ltg66uys25ns7/wish/2452213174
In day five we looked at creating tablois and still images that represent different focusses of a protest. However for our group this slowly turned into another open group improv where we were again aimlessly messing around with different props. (I am the one with the fringe)

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Over the course of the project and the creative processes a divide was created between the artist leading the project and the dancers in it. I believe there were massive communication issues. At the beginning of the project we were told that we were leading the project and the project would follow our ideas. However when coming to discussions about creative idea majority of any suggestions made by dancers were faced with a long list of reason why their ideas were invalid. In reflection I believe that this is counter active in creating a good creative space, as it left most dancers unwilling or to anxious to express any creative ideas.

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Protest project 2023 - OneDrive (sharepoint.com) (I am the dancer with a fringe)
We also looked at working with design elements in classes with Sharon Colemen. We were given free reign to use the props in the design department to protest what we wanted. For this i worked in a duet to use the props to create a metaphor surrounding climate change, Asking the audience to place items of rubbish on a green fabric through the duration of the piece. In reflection, this felt the most productive in the whole project. I felt without the limitations of our artist leader saying no to our ideas we were able to explore all our creative ideas and bring elements of real life issues that we wanted to protest. Allowing us to create pieces with meaning rather, what felt like aimless movement.

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Protest Project 2023 (padlet.org) (I am the dancer with a fringe) In week two we had Tom Hastings, come into our group to provide research surrounding protest. For many of us this added the context we needed to understand what we were doing, rather than feeling as though we were aimlessly running around. He showed us videos from an Act Up protest where people were lying as dead bodies in a church. We then used these ideas in our group improv looking at the action of dragging and replacing bodies

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When structuring our piece together we looked at the main elements of our group improv sessions that we found to be most effective. Selecting ideas of dragging bodies, standing with all our hand in the air as if surrendering and moments of swaying to show an element of mourning. Overall we managed to place everything together to fit, however in reflection I see the final cut of the piece as performance art, over dance. Many of us joining dance school were excited to create dance pieces, however I feel as though the creative tasks we were given, directed us towards physical theatre. I believe physical theatre can be an effective compliment to dance however I believe that there should be a defined difference between the two. Overall when majority of us when finished with the piece, were filled with an overall sense of relief. For majority of us, the creative processes were incredibly frustrating, mainly due to the creative blocks put on us and the divide created by the artist leader. If I were to work creatively as an artist leader, I would have defined roles of the artist and the dancer better. My reason behind this would be that as an artist leader, if I wanted to take control of the piece, defining the roles clearly would have meant that the dancers did not feel shut down. However if I did want input from dancers I would create a safer space for my dancers to be able to share ideas, without feeling as though they are going to be humiliated in font of their peers.

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Rosemary Lee, a UK-based choreographer, is well known for her works that incorporate the concepts of nature, history, and community. Her use of site-specific settings, such as parks and gardens, and the large scale of her works, results in Lee being able to ‘construct new immersive sonic landscapes,’ (Lee & Whitehead, 2014), as she combines ‘natural and produced sound to reveal new insights about public response to and engagement with outdoor performance.’ (Lee & Whitehead, 2014) Rosemary Lee has created a diverse variety of works ranging from solo performances, video installations, short films, to her large scale site specific works, all of these projects, however, share ‘an intimate quality,’ ‘exploring our relationship with the environment.’ (2018)

Within her studies at Laban, she studied sociology and its relation to art, she describes how it inspired her to look at ‘ways to be an artist and a useful citizen at the same time’. This idea is reflected in an overall theme and focus on the idea of a collective community, that is present choreographically in her works. This is shown through her wide variety of dancers in her work. For example, in Egg Dances (1988) she uses dancers of all ages, ranging from 9 to 77, straying away from the stereotypical idea of what we consider a ‘dancer’ was unique for the time. The work was performed on the LCDS theatre stage, again contrasting from ensembles of dancers most commonly featured on the stage at that time. Growing up performing in pantomimes, Lee describes the sense of community she felt performing with all ages, expressing an importance of how they were ‘set up by the community, for the entertainment of the community’. These themes and intentions are also seen in square dances (2011) an outdoor free performance situated in four squares over Camden. Within the work ‘200 dancers of all ages fleetingly animated these quiet atmospheric spaces in an epic yet intimate way.’, (Umbrella Dance, Rosemary Lee | Square dances 2011) the audience members had autonomy over where they placed themselves having choice on following the performers between different squares or to watch as they passed. In having audience members being so freely around the performers it breaks down the barriers between the audience member viewing the performer from the outside, therefore, the audience becomes a part of the performance. This furthers the connection between everyone, highlighting the lack of difference. In addition, the accessibility of a free performance has huge significance to the art world today, and her aims to use art for the better of society, bringing together those who dance, those who cannot usually afford high art performances, and even those who stumbled across it without any prior knowledge of dance.

For me these ideals surrounding accessibility and community closely align with my beliefs in dance. Often, dance is perceived as a high art form, that only those whom have trained for years, can practice and perform. However, in my belief system, dance is one of the most natural forms of movement and should be accessible to all. Along with Lee I take great inspiration from sociological theories including Bourdieu’s Cultural Capital theory, Cultural capital is defined by ‘the various kinds of knowledge, skills, behaviour we possess by the virtue of being a part of a specific social group (Group, what is Bourdieu theory of cultural capital 2020). Often for this reason high art and contemporary dance can be inaccessible to the general public as most people do not posses the cultural capital to be apart of the dance world. In my future works I would like to create a change where the public no longer see dance as something unattainable to them, but instead a natural movement practice that is instinctive to every single body regardless of prior training.

Another theme Lee heavily focuses her choreography on is nature and its environment stating that ‘We are nature and nature is us’. This is evident in her collaborative work alongside Simon Whitehead in ‘Calling Tree’ (2014) ‘Located in and around a mature tree in a significant site, and working with a team of aerialists, singers and performers they have created a durational performance made up of cycles of songs, movement and messages’ (Artsman, Calling Tree 2020). The work has three versions that have been created, one performed in north Wales and two in London, all three situated around a grand Oak tree. The performers use voice to create echoes and calls, transporting us to a land where the humans are living as birds, sitting in different branches of the canopy of the tree. The intertwining of the humans among the trees using bird calls, contrast everyday behaviour whilst highlighting how far humans have moved away from our natural habitats. Each work differs to enhance and compliment the space in which they occupy, ‘using the tree as a gathering point, these ranged from performances by a community choir; spoken word and dance events; local history & nature walks; talks with artists, ecologists and bird specialists. This multi-disciplinary approach results in a community; bringing people from all art forms to gather and highlighting the importance of the tree. Personally, I interpret this as a cry for help, all art forms coming together highlights a shared want and desperate plea to value our earth, and the wonders of nature that live on our doorstep. The use of a choir is extremely effective in highlighting the tree as it brings the focus away from visual movement, allowing the audience to fall into a meditative state of listening, leaving the only visual aspect to be the tree. It creates a ‘new immersive sonic landscapes in public spaces combining natural and produced sound to reveal new insights about public response to and engagement with outdoor performance’ (2014 Coventry University).

I am particularly inspired by Rosemary lee using a tree as her focal point. In my own beliefs and practices, I mediate alongside trees often finding a deep connection and falling into a state of mind where an exchange of energy can be felt. I feel particularly inspired to bring this internal energy felt, into a visual piece of movement art. I feel a sense of responsibility to bring focus towards trees in outdoor spaces as Lee does in ‘Calling Tree’. I take great inspiration of the fearlessness presented in her work with the dancers actively climbing to great hights into the tree creating an immersive experience, opposite to the traditional theatre where the audience looks down on to the performer, instead with the performers looking down at the audience.

In conclusion, the last 30 years of Rosemary Lee’s works have pushed boundaries of the inclusivity of dance and where it can take place. She has made significant, and innovative contributions to the dance community through her ways of encouraging her audiences to engage with nature and the spaces around them in new ways. Her use of collaboration has influenced other choreographers and dancers to delve into new approaches when working with others, and she continues to inspire the new generations of artists. I am gong to be taking forward her collaborative approach working and taking inspirations from other working artists. I take great inspiration from her embodiment of sociological theories in using dancer to create a better place in the world. I take great influence in her use of varied dancers to create an inclusive and accessible environment for dance.

(2014) Ref case study search. Available at: https://impact.ref.ac.uk/casestudies/CaseStudy.aspx?Id=4556 (Accessed: 16 June 2023).

Calling Tree (2020) Artsadmin. Available at: https://www.artsadmin.co.uk/project/calling-tree/ (Accessed: 15 June 2023).

Group, S. (2020) What is Bourdieu theory of cultural capital ?, Sociology Group: Welcome to Social Sciences Blog. Available at: https://www.sociologygroup.com/bourdieu-theory-cultural-capital/ (Accessed: 15 June 2023).

Lee, R. and Whitehead, S. (2014) Calling Tree, Coventry University. Available at: https://pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/publications/calling-tree (Accessed: 16 June 2023).

Lukowski, A. (2023) This Week’s best London Theatre Shows, Time Out London. Available at: https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/london-theatre-critics-choice (Accessed: 16 June 2023).

Rosemary Lee (2014) The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/rosemary-lee (Accessed: 16 June 2023).

Rosemary Lee (no date) Groundwork. Available at: https://groundwork.art/artists/rosemary-lee/ (Accessed: 16 June 2023).

Rosemary Lee | Square dances (2011) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXamnO0nE6A (Accessed: 15 June 2023).

Trailer: Calling Tree by Rosemary Lee & Simon Whitehead (2016) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_do7EVPL-Y0 (Accessed: 16 June 2023).