The Elm Student Newspaper
New York City's Waltzing Matildas visit campus; improvisational group holds workshop to teach the art of dancing in the moment
Jennifer Hewson
The Waltzing Matildas, from New York City,
held a workshop on improvisational dance
this past Saturday in the LFC dance studio.
Photograph courtesy of Karen Smith.
Dancing on stage can be terrifying for some people, yet there are those who will not only perform on stage but do it without any routine in mind.
Saturday, November 11, the Waltzing Matildas, an improvisational dance group, visited Washington College to teach the art of dancing in the moment.The group is based out of New York City and is made up of four women, led by Julia Meurling. Said Meurling, "The group started a few months ago. We all currently live in New York City, and met through various classes and workshops."
The other women making up this unique group are Lisa Mercer, Victoria Yoffie, and Claire Gimbel. For each, dancing has become a huge part of their lives. All four women are part of many different dance groups, and each holds or is pursuing different degrees in dance.
Meurling said, "One of the musicians for our performance in Rock Hall later today connected us to Karen Smith, and that is how we were able to come here."
The concept of performing without any actual planned choreography may appear difficult and frightening to many. Acknowledging this, Gimbel said, "When Julia asked me to do this and I immediately agreed, I stepped back and said 'Wait, since when am I perfectly fine about going on stage with no steps in mind?'"
She continued, "It's very freeing. There are no rules or anything to really hold you back while you are dancing."
This mind set towards the stage has also affected other parts of Gimbel's life. "What I have learned on the stage has actually affected my personal life," she explained. "You learn to just live on the stage in the moment, and you can apply that to your life. It centers you on the stage and forces you to let go of the worries, and I have done that off the stage as well."
When asked how the audience plays into their dancing, Gimbel said, "We don't take direct suggestions from the audience about what type of dances to do, but they still affect us.
"The audience is probably not even aware that they affect how we dance. We take cues from the audience and the surroundings, but it is usually done unconsciously."
WC students, as well as some dancers from Chestertown, attended the workshop.
Sophomore Jillian Fletcher described the experience: "The group that visited campus taught us using the Viewpoints method. We warmed up with some yoga and then did some basic ensemble/building exercises which are part of the Viewpoints theory.
"Viewpoints is a form of training which originated in dance but is now also used in theatre companies. Its basis is making the performer aware of her relationship to the space she is dancing in and the other dancers who occupy in that space."
In fact, said Fletcher, this method was used early in rehearsal for the recent production in Tawes of Creation of the World and Other Business.
Fletcher enjoys improvisational dance because it is freeing, and she has used it to choreograph many dances.
She said, "When I choreograph, I love to use improvisation at first, because it makes a dancer identify purely with the music and respond immediately to what the music tells them to do, which makes choreography easier for a dancer to connect with."
Sophomore Beka Beckett also attended the workshop and found it a good way to get back into dance after time off.
"I learned how to be in tune with other dancers," said Beckett.
"It was a good workshop that taught how to maintain one's focus. I think the lessons and values I learned can be taken to other aspects of my life as well."As there are no specific improvisational classes or groups on campus, this workshop provided an opportunity for students to experience the improvisational art form. However, artistic director of the WC dance company and head of the physical education department Professor Karen Smith explained that "students at WC taking modern dance and/or dance composition do some work in improvisation."
About the workshop, Beckett said, "It was a blast and something new, with fun smiling faces. It was a challenge."
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