Lani Johnson Shares Her Experiential Learning Experience Choreographing an Original Work for the Red Rock Dance Festival
My piece, “Blank Slate on Three,” was choreographed for the Red Rock Dance Festival in St. George, Utah. I submitted the piece digitally and was able to take it to the finalist round of the choreography competition.
I was inspired by the music I chose and felt that I could really tell a story through movement and music. In my story, there is a doctor/mad scientist who is experimenting with hypnosis on their patient. The doctor has two assistants who are helping hypnotize and one patient who is fighting against them but feeling very helpless.
Choreographing this piece helped me grow as an artist. I was able to explore the choreographic tools that I learned in my classes here at BYU. Some of these tools include playing with musicality, partnering and creating interesting formations with a smaller cast. Through my dancers’ movement, I created gestures that told the story and, with the help from my mentor, Hilary Wolfley, I was able to make it interesting and convey the meaning without being too on the nose. I learned how to make my art a little more abstract.
I also learned more about the process of being a director. From booking our travel to communicating with the festival to rehearsing with my dancers, I felt that I got to experience administrative work, which will undoubtedly come into play more as my dancing career progresses.
Costuming posed a big challenge for me. I got permission from the BYU ballet area to use costumes from their costume closet but wasn’t able to find anything that would portray the story in the way I wanted. I eventually located some lab coats and black clothing. I wanted the simplicity of the black clothes so that they didn’t distract from the movement, but the lab coats to help build the characters of the story.
I loved this process of choreographing and competing in the Red Rock Dance Festival and have learned so much and grown as an artist. This process taught me about seeing the big picture — the overarching story I was trying to tell. I hope to continue choreographing and honing the choreographic skills I have learned while being at BYU.