Shifting Expectation to Intention?

A number of lines of inquiry seemed to emerge from the Skype discussion group on Sunday; the mind-body presence of self in our training and current practice, and the notion of expectation, evaluation and assessment stood out for me. 

Both topics have continued to feel pertinent to me this week. With one of my freelance hats on, I'm starting to rework a piece of choreography created with and for the youth dance company I work with. This time round, the cast has changed, and it's been months since we've rehearsed the piece. 

During the youth company session yesterday, I found myself opening a discussion around our expectations of reworking the piece and I found myself trying to strike a balance between the expectations I have of myself,  the expectations of the performers, the expectation of the audience, and the expectations of the producer/technical team I work alongside to make the performance happen. 

To a certain extent, I can adopt strategies which support me to manage these expectations, but perhaps a shift in focus towards thinking about intention as opposed to expectation is more helpful here. 

I can't help but view new experiences through a personal lens inclusive of my personal history, life experience and preconceived ideas. These things are a part of me, they are me, and so if I apply this thinking beyond my own experience, I realize I can't control the expectations of others either. But, if I focus more so on my intention, I feel like I'm laying a far less vulnerable foundation to build on from. 

So with this in mind, I'm seeking clarity around my intentions for this work and at the moment, here's how that's developing for me; 

- a collective point of departure and shared understanding of what the work is about, what that means to each of us, its descriptive quality or essence, and the choreographic choices explored within in. 

- to strive to hear and acknowledge each young person's voice within the rehearsal process, to facilitate an environment in which they feel they have a shared sense of ownership of the work. 

- to communicate process with wider team of colleagues. 


Comments

  1. Jacob Hughes14 October 2020 at 15:39

    Hello Sophie,
    I think your idea of using 'intention' in place of 'expectation' is ideal in the situation you have described. Especially when working along side others who also have their own vision. It will be interesting to see how the project develops and how compromises are made artistically. Its great that the team have someone open minded, like yourself, to work with!

    ReplyDelete

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