As one of my other post shows, I have done movement pieces in my chair before and I’ve never really looked at other (disabled/wheelchair users) work before I began creating movement. So it’s been a while since I last posted on this blog, and now my piece has been completely planned and scripted. With only a few day until the actual performance I thought I’d write a post about how I  create the movement for my piece, given that movement has always been an important element to this performance. Due to every disability being different I see little point in trying copy and base my moves off other performers because my disability is unlikely to match theirs. I tend to look at other people’s work after I’ve created my movement so that I can see how other people explore their disability.

So what I’m trying to say (rather long-windedly) is that whilst most people begin creating work after research, I don’t.

I start creating work…by playing.

Movement, mime and acting instructor Jacques Lecoq stated that ‘play is at the core of our understanding of the world’ (Wright, 2007, 29) and to me play is core to me understanding what my disability will let me do.  Until I test out moves I have no idea whether I can physically do them.

While I was playing I created two different moves:

After creating these moves I then devise and choreograph the movement around these moves. Using moves I’ve done in pervious performances and adding in some more. Compared to when I first did a movement routine back in college my body has gotten much stronger so there is more I am able to do with it and slightly harder/more tiring moves that I can now include.

After creating some moves I then begin to look at music. My movement isn’t like “normal” dance. There’s no point me trying to create a piece by finding music and then counting beats as my wheelchair is unpredictable so can’t keep a set rhythm. The moves work sometimes with the rhythm of the music and at times the music works with the movement.

Finding the right music was a difficult task and I ended up changing the track three times I didn’t want a sad track as this sequence isn’t about being sad. It’s about showing, my mainly able-bodied audience, how beautiful wheelchairs can be and that disabilities are not awful but are something to be proud of.

First music choice: Fermata (Instrumental) – B.A.P

While the music was good and sort of had the right feel to it, only the music was shorter then the moves. Although I could make the moves quicker it didn’t seem right for the piece. The moves need to be taken slowly so that they can be really clear and so that I actually have time to do them as they’re quite tricky moves. I also found that they some were more effect if there was time to actually look at. I decided to try a different track. One that was longer and a little less sad.

Second music change: 연 [Love] (instrumental) – The Lush

Third music (and final) change: 반지의 의미( The meaning of the ring) – BGM

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Now that I found the right music and the sequence is completely choreographed, the next step is to add audio description. I want my performance to be inclusive to everyone and for it to be so it needs to be audio described. Working out how to explain each move was the first step.

To due this I watch back my recordings and then wrote a script to match:

AD: Katie pushes down on the wheelchair breaks, locking the wheels in place. She lifts her body up, suspending her legs above the seat. She turns placing her legs on one of the arm rest and drops. Placing her arms on the other arm rest, she once again lifts her body up and holds. She then brings one of her legs round to the other arm rest, so that she is in a sitting position although still suspended above the chair seat. She flicks up the footpads.  Katie tucks her legs under, placing them on the wheelchair seat in a kneeling position. She leans forward placing her hands on the floor, she walks her hands forward pulling the wheelchair along with her. Katie walks forward then stops and sit back up, kneeling in the wheelchair. Katie’s hands go to the wheels and she rolls the wheelchair to the side of the stage. Katie crawls out of her wheelchair. She then lays down and stretching her arms out so that she can reach the footpads of her wheelchair. She pulls the wheelchair forward and rolls it over her body. The wheelchair rolls freely over Katie’s legs, and continues to roll by itself until Katie sits up, crawls forwards and grabs hold of the chair’s push handles. Katie crawls backwards pulling the wheelchair with her. She tips the wheelchair backward so that the wheelchairs backrest is now on the floor. Katie rolls onto her back tipping the wheelchair over so that it is on top of her. She then spins the wheels so that the turn. Pushing up with her hands on the arm rests and her feet on the seat of the wheelchair, Katie raises the wheelchair above her body. Once in position, Katie removes her hands so the wheelchair is being balanced on top of her feet. Katie’s hands come up to the armrest and her legs move from the wheelchair. Although her legs still remain raised from the floor, the wheelchair is now being lifted up by Katie’s arms. Katie turns slightly and brings the wheelchair to the ground, the wheelchair collapses and folds down as it hits the floor. The only wheel visible spins. Katie watches it spin, then rolls, crawls forward and the locks the unseen wheel. She then watches the visible wheel spin. Katie reaches forward and stops the wheel from spinning. She then pulls her body on top of the wheelchair and sit on the wheel. Katie then spins around on her wheelchair’s wheel. Katie gets off the wheel and sits on the floor. She lifts her wheelchair up and crawls behind it. The wheelchair still remains folded. She runs her hands over the wheelchair, caressing it’s unique shape. After unlocking one of the wheels, Katie pushes the wheelchair round so that she is knelt behind the folded backrest. She tips the wheelchair backwards, unfolding it. Katie then pushes the wheelchair seat into place. Katie tips the wheelchair back up so that it’s wheels are on the ground and pushes it forward. She then pulls it back, embracing it. She places her hands flat cross over on the left side of the backrest…which is the symbol for love in British Sign Language. Katie then folds down the backrest. Katie places her hands across the folded backrest and slowly moves them apart. A move that as well as makes sure the backrest has completely folded down, mean equality in BSL. Katie then pulls her body over the back rest so that her hands are by the wheelchair footpads and her legs raise over the backrest. The wheelchair rolls backward as Katie’s hands walk in that direction. Once the wheelchair rolls to near centre stage, Katie stops. Her hands go up to the breaks, which she pulls down locking the wheels in place. She slides forward. She then places the footpads down.   She pulls herself up into a kneeling position and clicks the backrest back into place. She then brings her legs down so that she is sat in the wheelchair

 

I then voice recorded the audio description, change the pitch tone so that it didn’t sound like my owe voice, and then added it to the music.

Creating the final music for this movement section.

Work Cited:

Wright, J. (2007) On the Gentle Art of Playfulness. UK: Nick Hern Books.