Break It Down Now

I introduce you all to my new project: The dissection of ATS.

While I enjoy the simplicity of ATS on those who care to perform it sans "decoration", I have learned that the format doesn't entirely suit me. Neither, though, do I care to completely redesign the improv vocabulary I grew up with. Modifying the wheel-- rather than reinventing-- tends to be my style. I draw on my shoes and toss glitter on everything. "Can't leave well enough alone" is probably a good phrase here.

So this puts me in an interesting place. I get to examine each part of ATS and decide: Does it work for me? For my students? Do I like the look? Is there something similar that I can substitute?

This has already started happening. My students are taught, at the end of the choo-choo arc, to open their arms like a flower, rather than that swing-the-arms-overhead-and-down thing that FCBD does. We saw BlackSheep doing it and liked it better.

Another example of a soon-to-be-changed-in-my-format move is the "Arabic Drop Drop Drop."
The issue I kept having was twofold: 1, there's supposed to be 3 drops. Really it's more complicated than that, but in basic terms, you arabic (an undulation up in on yer toes) twice and then level down while dropping your chest 3 times. On the fourth beat you rise back up to standing. Lemme tell you, it's really hard to actually get 3 drops in 3 beats. It's also hard to chest drop when you're leveled down too far. Problem 2: Chest drops are pretty hard to begin with, especially for more inexperienced dancers or those with sizeable chests. As a result, they thrust their shoulders back and forth, which ain't graceful and ain't what the move is about.
So I hemmed and hawwed about this for a while-- maybe I should just drill it, maybe I should research it, blah blah. I went and found actual video of Fat Chance themselves actually doing it, and saw, Lo! Half the time they don't get the 3 drops in, either, especially when the song is fast. So it's not just me. It's the move. Watch here, at about 2:12 (after the arms come down-- that's the cue for the dropping):

So I decided, right then and there, that the Arabic Drop-Drop-Drop was getting the axe. Maybe not the whole move, but it's going to be trimmed or altered in some way so it's not such a pain in my ass.

Some people might get their britches in a bunch over my outright gutting of this dance form. That's fine. I could get twitchy at people who insist on wearing khakis and pastel polo shirts year-round, but I figure without people to hold the line, there's no way for me to toe (or cross, or dance atop) that line.

All the ATS vocabulary aside, this seems like a useful exercise for any dancer to do, especially if you've been taking classes/self-teaching and not questioning what you've been taught. Obviously dancing in a group situation (whether it's improv or a choreography) places certain limits on what you can change, but if you're a soloist or troupe leader, take some time to review what you do. Look in the mirror and see what you like. Something that looked great on your teacher might look crappy on you, unless you're her twin. My friend Amy Danielson (of The Gypsy Kiss) just posted a rather long article similar to this-- about questioning those things that are "right" in your mind. Link: http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html

An overuse of italics.

Sometimes things don't work out.

You can practice your steps, run through your choreography a million times, test out that costume, triple check your music, plan for every possible eventuality, and BAM! Something goes wrong. Call it Murphy's Law, or call it what I do: Life. Yep. That's how life is. You think you know what's going on, but that's an illusion you feed yourself so you don't go loco. We have no idea what is going to happen. We can only plan for the worst and hope for the best.

I often find that the more stress I put on myself to "do good," the less good I actually do. My troupe calls it "chasing the awesome." The more awesome you try to be, the less awesome you tend to ACTUALLY be. This doesn't mean you should stop practicing, or planning, or thinking, but it does mean that you need to find the line between "trying" and "trying too hard" and then go up to the line, but no further.

Now, if you've effed up-- I mean really effed up-- you can feel free to examine why/how/when that happened. Let's say you have a wardrobe malfunction on stage. Did you practice the piece in the costume? Did you make sure it was constructed well before putting it on? Did you check the venue to see if the costume was appropriate for it (i.e., "Gee, I really wish I hadn't worn that white chiffon to the rainy day of Ren Faire")?

If you figure out where you effed up, make a note of what you did and how to avoid it, and move the fuck on. Seriously. Holding onto that "Oh damnit, I messed up" feeling does nothing to help you. Don't use it as an excuse to stop trying ("I'm just not good enough") or to work yourself to death ("I'll practice until I can't possibly mess up."). Accept the fact that you're human, that everyone knows you're human, that mistakes show you're not a television show, and get over it.

Have you ever preplanned a conversation that you're afraid to have? Where you try and guess what will be said, and come up with answers to it in advance. So you're "prepared." So you're less afraid.

Did it help? I mean, really help? I have found that just as often as not, I cannot predict what someone will do or say. I think they'll get mad and they don't. Or I figure it'll be fine and it's not. All my planning does, usually, is give me a false sense of security. It's like a screensaver for my brain.

Worrying does nothing. It does not cure sickness, or prevent accidents, or keep your CD from skipping during the number right in front of the famous dancer. All it does is raise your heart rate and use up time that you could be spending on, I dunno, something productive and/or fun.

Sometimes things don't work out. And that's okay.