I am in the process of fine tuning my interview questions. I am currently reviewing Lisa Nelson's 'Composing while dancing' and also looking at Twyla Tharp's 'The creative habit'. Both pieces are adding to the questions that I wish to ask. The hardest part I have found in planning the questions is to allow them to be informed by the literature, but to still be open enough for all my participants to answer. My interviewees are experts in their field but come from different dance backgrounds, and I don't want them to feel as if they are being questioned on their artistic process against something I read. These are the questions I am planning for my interviews next week. Please give them a read... dance background or not this could be for any arts based practitioner (if you change dance or choreography to whichever art medium you work in!) Are the questions clear? I will explain how i got to these through the literature throughout the next blogs and review.
I want to talk to you mostly about improvisation as a dance making method, particularly how you use improvisation to create your own choreography. I'm also interested in your route into choreography today, and how you structure improvisation with dancers in your rehearsals or workshops.
- I know that you trained at... and have worked with... and have a background in... can you tell me about your route into choreography and your inspirations and influences to where you are today?
- Can you tell me about how you utilise improvisation in the creation of choreography?
- What have been the main influences you experienced that changed how you view and practice improvisation?
- Do you have any warmup or activities that bring dancers to a state of mind and body preparedness?
- When working with dancers in a workshop, or rehearsals, what boundaries or structure do you set in improvisation?
- Tell me about your projects working with people who are new to dance. Does your approach to improvisation change when working with novice dancers?
- From my own experience teaching, I have found that children are more fearless when I introduce improvisation, despite their background in dance and whether they have danced a lot beforehand. What are the main challenges and benefits you have found when working with non-dancers using improvisation to create dance?
11/03 update!
After looking at Jo Butterworth's interview with Lloyd Nelson one more time and also after reading a few more interviews with choreographers, I am learning from the terminology that is widely used. Instead of focusing on the inspirations and influences as my first questions, I want to get straight to the subject of artistic process. So I will change my first question to:
- Can you give me some insights into the artistic motivation for your choreography?
Hi Catherine,
ReplyDeleteI am currently working on the same process as you with my interview questions. I have also found that the literature has opened my mind to new ideas and I would like to find out more about these ideas through the professionals that I work with.
I think that our interview questions will give you some really insightful data for your inquiry. I am just wondering if everyone you interview does use improvisation? Are you just interviewing people who you know do use this method for choreography?
Jess.
Hi Jess,
ReplyDeleteI've done workshops with most of the participants and they do use improvisation. Also, they're choreographers, so when choreographing I think everyone 'improvises' in their own way to make the choreography. Theres one participant who doesnt work with novice dancers so I think I wouldn't include the last question as it might not be relevant for them.
Are you interviewing professionals? How have you found getting hold of people to participate? I've found that it's really hard to pin people down to get the interviews done even though some have come back and confirmed.
Catherine
Hi Catherine,
DeleteYes this makes a lot more sense now that I understand who you will be interviewing. I also like how you have used 'tell me about...' questions as I think this will help you gain answers that you maybe wouldn't be able to preempt or predict.
I am interviewing professional all in my place of work, so I actually haven't had problems with this part of the interview process. From our online Skype conversation the other day, I think Lara and Lisa have had some concerns with this. It may be worth looking at their blogs and asking their advice?
For me I am having more issues ensuring that my interview questions will give me that data to answer my inquiry questions with being bias or 'leading' participants to an answer.
Hope this helps!
Jess.