ask kitty
Vol 3
Adam P., Los Angeles
“When first creating a piece, what is your impetus, movement or music?”
Paulo A., Toronto
“Being a fan of your work and being blessed to dance for Hysterica for many years, what comes first when you make dances, the music or the movement?”
Dear Adam and Paulo,
Music. People. Music.
I’m sorry that I’ve inserted humans into your fine questions but without them populating my imagination, any impetus is fruitless.
I may start with an idea or concept but it’s ALWAYS the music (and the specific people that I see inhabiting it) that guide me into the work.
Two pieces of music offered me equally profound inspiration. They may seem worlds apart but Dolly Parton’s Little Sparrow inspired me as much as Mahler’s Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor IV. Adagietto. The masterful construction of each taught me to analyze the overall structure of my choreography, provoked me to strip away any excess and tormented me to finish what I had started. The Mahler was particularly tormenting - relentlessly returning to it’s theme with such clarity and beauty that I could not sully it with anything other than the truth.
Stay Well,
Kitty
Link to Little Sparrow Dancers - Tara Avise, Justine Clark, Nina McNeely
Link to Mahler. Dancers - Tara Nicole Hughes, Tara Brook, Dominic Chaiduang, Nina McNeely, Lisa K. Lock