A Time to Grow: My Choreographic Journey

After hearing all the other choreographers talk about their processes in developing their pieces for Dances of Offering, it made me reflect upon my own process and how I have come to create my piece.

The dance that I choreographed last year for Dances of Offering reflected upon a personal experience that had impacted me greatly. It was an extremely emotional piece: a duet with myself and Alison Keery (who we heard from a couple weeks ago) that represented a particularly distressing event in my life and the struggle involved in moving past it. I used that piece as a part of my healing process and being able to explore and share those emotions helped me a great deal. This year I wanted to move in a different direction. My piece, entitled A Time to Grow, reflects images and movement found in nature.

Exploring the movement quality of plant life and the growth that is occurring around us all the time proved to be an interesting pursuit. My initial inspiration came from watching footage from the BBC series “Planet Earth” of plants growing and blooming at high speed. The quivering, vibrating, and constant nature of their growth was so compelling that I couldn’t help imagining how I could interpret that movement with dance. The images in my mind of people blooming and growing and constantly yearning for the sun excited me a great deal and I found myself unable to think about anything else.



Planet Earth: Seasonal Forests
Flowers opening their petals to the sun



When I began choreographing, I started to worry that people might not be able to convey that same energy and vibrancy that I saw in the plants. I wondered if it was possible for us to understand and communicate with human emotions the feelings and sensations of beings that are often considered to be completely different than ourselves. I could only hope that the dancers I had asked to take part in the piece would help me find a way of embodying these feelings that I was uncertain how to present.

In my first meeting with my fellow York dancers, Alison Keery, Kiersten McMaster, and Vanessa Medeiros, I felt it was necessary to share with them the videos that had first inspired me to create this piece. Hearing their feedback and seeing that they shared my vision of how exciting it would be to explore these new movement possibilities encouraged me and gave me new hope. When we began to work on choreography I saw that they needed no explanation or clarification regarding how to convey the emotional qualities of the plants, it came naturally with understanding the material and embodying the movement.



Kiersten McMaster, Alison Keery, Jessica Houghton, Vanessa Medeiros
Dancers opening their petals to the sun



Now that the piece is finished, we continue to grow together as an ensemble, each planting seeds of inspiration in each other while cultivating and nurturing our individual and collective “tree of life”. Any fears I once had about our ability to express the abstract emotions of plant life were dispelled as it became clear to me that yearning, blooming, and especially growing, are emotions that we can all relate to, and it appears that life can always be considered as A Time to Grow.

-Jessica

A Message from Alison Keery

Hello again! Today’s blog is written by someone near and dear to me, Alison Keery. Alison has been my friend since our first year at York University. I asked her to be a part of a piece that I was choreographing for Dances of Offering and she was incredibly supportive and performed the piece beautifully. I had the pleasure of working with her again for last year’s Benefit Concert, when we performed a very emotional duet together. I feel blessed to be able to collaborate with her again this year and am glad to have shared this experience with her. So without further ado, Alison Keery!

Alison Keery
Photo credit: Andrea de Keijzer

In 2008 I moved to Toronto from a small town in Northern British Columbia to study dance at York University. I didn’t know very many people but quickly befriended Jessica Houghton who was also studying at York. We became fast friends and eventually she asked me if I would be interested in performing in a group she was creating for her studio’s annual benefit concert known as Dances of Offering. I was touched and agreed to be her third dancer. Rehearsals took place at Pegasus Studios. I come from a very family oriented studio and coming to Pegasus was a little like coming home for me. Their arms and doors were opened and I felt very welcome and comfortable among the faculty and students. At the dress rehearsal I was treated with compassion and professionalism and it felt so wonderful to be a part of such a spectacular show. Again in 2010 I was asked by Jessica to be in another piece she was creating for the same concert and though most of our rehearsals took place at York for convenience sake, when we did take them to Pegasus so that both Jane Davis Munro, the studio director, and Janice Pomer, Jessica’s choreographic mentor, were able to see the piece, I again felt welcomed as a member of the Pegasus community.  Janice - who had never taught me technique - was supportive and encouraging in how I had grown as a performer from when she last saw me.  I was touched that she had noticed and felt she was able to compliment me on it in a familiar and “teacher-like” way.  Back stage at the show I truly felt this time like a member of Pegasus Studios and was surrounded by the generosity that permeates the mentality of all the faculty members, in particular Jane.  This is reflected in her continuous and annual dedication in creating this beautiful performance for multiple different charity organizations.  However, Dances of Offerings is not only an offering to these various organizations but also to lonely dancers who have found their way to a safe haven in a large and sometimes overwhelming city.  I will forever be grateful to Jane and Janice for being so supportive and to Jessica for welcoming me to her home.  

Alison Keery
Photo credit: Andrea de Keijzer

I hope you all enjoyed hearing from Alison! Look forward to seeing her perform in Dances of Offering on February 12th at the Betty Oliphant Theatre. For tickets go to http://www.dancesofoffering.myevent.com/

An Introduction

When you meet someone new, how do you introduce yourself? Say your name, what you do, where you’re from, a bit of your history. Well, I’m new to blogging, this is the first I’ve written, so I guess I should introduce myself. Hi, my name is Jessica Houghton. I am currently in my fourth year at York University in the BFA Honours Dance Program. I am 21 years old, living and dancing in Toronto, and am proud to say that I am a part of that special community that is Pegasus Studios.

The Pegasus graduating class of 2008
Photo credit: Katherine Aczel

Growing up with a dance studio as your next door neighbour is something that few people can lay claim to, and I am one of those lucky few. I never used to get away with being late for class. What could I say? “The traffic on the sidewalk was terrible!” But who would want to be late anyway? Dance class was always the best part of my day. Starting dance classes at the age of three meant that as I grew up, my love of dance grew with me. It was nurtured by supportive teachers and family, tested during times of hardship, burnt out almost completely by broken dreams and injuries, and rekindled over and over by that undying desire to move and express. That is true love, a love that has lasted my whole life and a love that will never die. I would have never found that love without Pegasus.

Jessica Houghton - age 5
Photo credit: Katherine Aczel

At Pegasus there was never a question or a doubt about whether or not you would be accepted. Everyone was welcome and everyone felt they belonged there, and it is still the same today. The teachers are more than just teachers, they are friends and mentors. The students become a part of the family as well, knowing that they can turn to any family member in times of need and find solace. Everyone contributes to making the studio what it is, a home.

Jessica Houghton - age 20
Photo credit: Jay Crews

Since leaving Pegasus, I have spent the past three and a half years at York University, studying under amazing and inspiring teachers and learning as much as possible from them. I have performed and choreographed at York and have been performing with a community theatre company for three seasons. I have been accepted into the National Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program, and will be starting there in the fall of 2012. No matter where I go though, I am always drawn back to my first dance home. I have choreographed for Pegasus’ Benefit Concert, Dances of Offering, for the past three years, and am choreographing another piece this year. I am also taking a more active role in the planning this year by organizing the social media aspects of the show. Moving forward, I know that wherever life takes me, Pegasus will always be a part of me, and I am glad to finally be able to give back and contribute to making this year’s Dances of Offering the best one yet. I look forward to sharing more with you in the future, goodbye for now!