Week 3
For our solo video I picked “Lift Every Voice And Sing” and excerpt by Darrell Moultrie. I chose this solo because I love the dancer. I love that she is tall and black like me. The way she moves through the space is very similar to my aesthetic. We analyzed everyone’s solo video. Here are some of our findings. She had on a sparkling orange unitard. It showed her body and lines very well and emphasized the length of the legs. Her arms were exposed so we were able to the muscles in her arms and back. Within the solo, she did a series of contractions and angulations.
Analysis of “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Who is she fighting for?
Does she win the fight?
Is she extending grace or pleading for help?
When I asked who she was fighting for, I got that because she was demonstrating some kind of struggle layered with the music. Then when the work came to a close, I wasn’t clear if whatever she was fighting or grappling with overcame her or she overcame it. This is why I asked my next question. Then several times throughout the solo she kept looking up with a look of help on her face. Maybe she was gasping for air or trying to convey the idea that she was pleading. I asked my last question because I think about the fact that she is a black woman with a negro spiritual playing as she is dancing. I think a negro spiritual couple with dancing as a black woman has a strong religious connecgtion. Then when her arms were raised her palms were facing up which led me to believe that she was pleading for help. This is why I asked my third question. After I presented these to the rest of class, I was challenged to think deeper about the work and speak about what I see, not what I feel. This is good for me to understand because a lot of times when I go see a show, I look to see if it fits my personal aesthetic and if I feel anything from watching the work. Then we had to watch the solo videos in silence. For me that took the religious context out of it and it made me feel a sense of longing but not necessarily anything religious.
To help us with our MFA work we had to write a biography about ourselves from the time we were born to now. I kind of went into detail about my childhood and summarized my adulthood because I am barely one. We picked five phrases or sentences that were of most importance to us.
5 phrases
Radical self-love
Your own sense of fashion and identity
You were very curious
You were challenged with discrimination and heartbreak
You were determined
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