Wednesday
10am - 1pm General Rehearsal
2pm - 5pm Dancers join musicians
We moved onto the second half of the piece today, with a rehearsal structured like yesterday. The second half has fewer opportunities for comedy, reflecting the sorrowful end to the film. However we continued with the idea of the dancers as circus performers. Using our chairs, one dancer 'tightrope walked' across the wind section while we all looked worried and surprised! It was unusual but suited the section of the music and kept it very interesting.
A change of pace provided an opportunity for expressive dance within the orchestra. It led to a greater amount of expression from the musicians which was captured by the dancers. Collaboration is often strongest when it involves very little discussion.
The above video shows a moment where the orchestra uses movement to create suspense and enhance the mood of the music. Woodwind soloists move with dancers while the strings are circling. They play an emotive melody in an unusual place. The soloists project towards a single dancer, isolating the audience and reflecting the film's themes of loss and solitude. Some members of the group found this move away from the conformities of an orchestra a challenge, feeling self conscious and unsure. However a whole orchestra moving together was extremely effective and we felt it enhanced the music.
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