Kaitlyn Blake

Composition for Dance I

Ms. Marlita Hill
October 2, 2019

Struggle to Cope

A few days before considering what intention I was going to explore for my movement

study, I found myself in the middle of a difficult conversation. I felt uncomfortable as though I

was being unexpectedly tested and inadequate in my attempts to explain what I believed to the

other individual. The situation as a whole was very overwhelming as a slow processor. In my

reflections on this event I am very thankful it occurred, despite my discomfort, because it was a

challenge I grew through as well as an opportunity to represent Christ. When I finally began

contemplating an intention for the movement study, my initial inspiration was this specific

conversation. I explored the concept of “hard things” we encounter that are difficult, yet the fruit

that is produced when we continue to press into them. The word that came to mind was

perseverance, and the one who perseveres is a faithful sufferer. I wanted to depict the struggle

and resistance we often initially have to hard things and the transformation that occurs when we

decide to actively change our attitude amidst the struggle which results in a faithful sufferer. Two

quotes (I do not know the authors) I meditated on that relate to my intention are, “We cannot

avoid suffering but we can choose how we cope with the struggle,” and “If there is meaning in

life, there is inevitably meaning in suffering.” In my creative process I also utilized these phrases

to create movement.

Apart from my intention, I did not have any other plans when I first walked into the

studio to choreograph. I attempted to create a phrase before choosing music, but this was

extremely difficult for me. With my limited experience in choreographing I have found that I am

able to create movement more readily if I first have the music. After this conclusion, I began

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searching for music and found “Child Soldier,” composed by Oneohtrix Point None. This piece

of music perfectly depicted to me the uncomfortable struggle in hard things at the beginning and

I heard the transition to display the beauty of perseverance in the end. After choreographing my

piece I titled it “Struggle and Reward,” however, I have since changed the title to “Struggle to

Cope” after the second round of feedback.

In addition to my intention and the music, considering special elements was also integral

in creating my movement. I attempted to convey an external force in the space around me that

initiated the struggle. Throughout the piece I repeated the motif of pressing into the space. In the

first section, this was meant to show my resistance and struggle under the pressure of the

difficult situation. In the second section, I continued to press into the difficult situation, however,

the movement was more controlled. I also specifically manipulated space in relation to my

intention through my floor pattern. I begin in the downstage left corner and I travel backwards as

the struggle persists and when the transformation occurs I travel downstage on a diagonal

moving forward, signifying the strength in perseverance, and end the piece in the opposite

downstage corner (right) from which I began. I finally utilized the various levels of space to

communicate my intention. I began on the floor where my opposition to the struggle was most

severe and slowly worked my way to standing as I continued to press into the difficult situation.

After transforming my attitude in how I was going to cope with the struggle, I continued the

piece standing and concluded upright.

After performing the first draft of my piece, the feedback I received primarily concerned

the black and white nature of my sections. My piece communicated what it looked like to

struggle and what it looked like to experience a reward. This was not my goal so I manipulated

and changed the movement in my second section to better convey my intention. I applied the

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motif of pressing into the space through out the second section more specifically to communicate

that the presence of the struggle had not changed. I also added the motif of brushing my hand

across my chest to signify that the attitude within me had changed to a spirit of perseverance

regarding the hard situation I was still within. Another piece of feedback that was influential in

creating my second draft was to not show the concentration on balancing in my face. I could

have focused on changing my face for this moment, however, I saw greater potential in this

section by addressing the movement as a whole. For my second draft I attempted to make the

second section of my piece more fluid to communicate the grace of persevering and to more

strongly oppose sharpness of the first section. This change was more clear from the second

session of feedback.

I also changed my ending pose from reaching upward to a final press and release. To me,

this eliminated the misleadingly happy conclusion that all struggles transition to a situation that

is concluded with a neat bow. The final press conveyed that the struggle remained throughout the

piece to the end. The choice to release my arms, which represents peace, was the result of

deciding to persevere through the struggle. This intention was clearly conveyed in my

movement, however, it was pointed out that my title was misleading during feedback after the

second showing. Because of this, I have changed my title to “Struggle to Cope.” This title is two-

fold in that I am displaying the transition from struggling in a hardship to coping with the

hardship and continuing to move forward. The second aspect of this title is that because the

hardship remained throughout the dance, it remained a struggle to cope until the concluding

peace.