Monday, January 18th, 2010 / Brute – Blog by Natasha Frid

We’re back working with Peggy on Brute after a month’s break. We had Pat Miner, Artistic Associate at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre (STDT) and Brian Kelley, visual artist, attending rehearsal with the STDT students: Mairi, Paige and Stéphanie. Peggy introduces Brian to the group as a former neighbour in the early 70‘s who met Peggy: “While I was clog dancing on the balcony of my apartment.”

Brian laughs, “I think I asked you how long you were going to keep dancing.”

Brian talks with Peggy about her rehearsal schedule over the next couple of weeks. He’s sketching moments from the dancing which he will then explore further through various mediums. Brian says that he likes to submerge himself in one choreographic piece so that he can develop his art more fully. “Well, we’re submersion central here!” says Peggy, joyfully. “You’ve come to the right place!”

We set up for the next Brute rehearsal where John Lauener is back to film Sahara Morimoto, Peggy’s Artistic Associate, “learning” the piece. Peggy sets up the spike marks to ensure we respect the unusual spatial dimensions of the choreography: wide and shallow. John tests the sound on the various cameras. Sahara and I move the piano to another corner of the studio; and then realize the next day we didn’t have to as we’re shooting against a different wall than Unfold. “The first day is a lot of set up,” Peggy explains to Brian, who is still drawing in a corner – I wonder if the unnecessary piano move made its way into his sketchbook. “I guess you thought you’d be seeing more dancing.” After capturing the opening section of Brute through Sahara dancing, John filming, Brian drawing and me notating and photographing, I think we all agree that the preparation before the dancing was a good investment.

Prokofiev\’s Sonata No. 6, Op. 82, 1st movement

More information: n.e.a.frid(at)gmail.com

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