GESAMTKUNSTWERK

Before the piece has even begun, the audience finds the floor of the stage covered in a thin layer of dirt.  The dirt creates a natural landscape so that the audience can separate the proceedings from sheer performance and understand that this takes place in a natural setting.  When the piece begins, the dancers quickly begin interacting with the dirt - drawing in it, rolling in it, and exploring it.  As the dancers begin to move from their stationary positions, their movements create patterns in the dirt - a map of their journey through the piece. The dirt becomes a symbol for the community’s ties with their home and the ground on which they are stationed.   

 

A central prop in the piece is the dead birds - created from black socks stuffed with cotton and dry beans to make them fall on their backs and appear dead.  This was an element that I knew I wanted in the piece from the beginning, though I was not sure why or how the dead birds were involved until near the end of my process.  Initially, I simply thought it would be interesting to have dead birds fall onto the stage from above.  Students of choreography are often told that props should only be used if completely integral to both the theme and the composition of the piece, however, it seemed appropriate to have dead birds fall onto the stage from above only to be swept away or otherwise removed immediately.  This supported the existential nature of the piece that emerged very early on.  At the same time, the birds clearly symbolized some unseen darkness and death.  After some time, as the rainmaker’s character emerged, the birds became a symbol of a darkness that could only be removed by an external, mystical force.  Having the rainmaker remove the birds while the ensemble simply watched established the rainmaker as a powerful figure, while also associating him with an element of darkness.  In this way, the rainmaker’s first appearance urges the audience to question whether his character is good or bad.

 

At the end of the piece, the rainmaker and follower enter scattering “seeds” (colored sequins) as they dance together.  The sequins represent magic, as they glitter in the light and bring about the rain.  Subsequently, they symbolize joy and new life.  Because the rainmaker’s presence through the piece is shrouded in mystery and magic, his method of bringing the rain had to have some element of magic to it.  Thus, I decided to use sequins to represent a seed - a very natural thing, with an added mystical air.