Checking back in... Sunday Discussion Group Reflection
It's been a while since I have posted here. Life moves so quickly! 😳⏱
Anyway, I wanted to pop in an write a bit about our Sunday group discussion from last evening with Dr. Sam Murray.
The topics that Sam covered and the explanations/examples he provided were very interesting to me. I felt a familiarity as he spoke about music, his music, group composition and the use of technology - among other things. I'm not claiming to be a musician, but I view my body as my instrument. The connection to the music is and has always been so important for me.
While listening to Sam, it stuck me how much crossover there is from his "world" into ours, as dancers. From using his instrument in different ways to search for inspiration, to working collaboratively, to trying to connect with an audience, these are all things that we do on a regular basis within the field of dance, too.
Sam said something in particular that stood out to me and it continued to resonate after the discussion had finished. He mentioned that he and his band have often been told that they really look like they enjoy what they are doing as they perform. From the way Sam spoke of his craft last evening, that was obvious! He was engaging, energetic and genuine. I could feel his love for music and his commitment to his craft through the computer screen.
My final take away was the importance of interpretation. His example of Sara Bareilles, Love Song, was simple yet, totally effective in making his point. People often connect with music in different ways than the musician (or author as he said) intended. I think the same is true of dance.
For me, I'm currently reading much around communication so a 💡went off for me. It got me thinking deeper about intention vs interpretation. This applies to music, this applies to dance, this also applies to everyday life. This question of "have they interpreted what I played/danced/said/gestured the way I intended it to be meant/understood?" is a head scratcher. 🤔 I'm left wondering if/when an interpretation is different from original intention, does it matter? Should it matter? I seem to change my mind, back and forth, based on the situation I am applying this question to.
I'm letting this swim around in my head for a while. What do y'all think?🤷🏻♀️
ps. Thanks again to Sam and the great questions post-presentation.
Hi Natalie
ReplyDeleteI have just written a blog also on the reflection to Sam’s discussion yesterday and how it resonated into my practice and research also, as you pointed out, the crossover of worlds.
Original intentions are important as that is where the creativity stems from however, the interpretation can be quite different and change over time and through different audiences and environments. I feel that being true to your intention is important as it is a reflection of yourself and your individuality but being open to different interpretations can develop the creativity even further.
Hi Susan. Thank you for your reply. I share the same opinion as you with regards to the original intention being a reflection of creativity - absolutely! I have also come to the conclusion that as long as I am sure of my original intention, it is ok if others interpret my work in their own way. This discussion made me wonder how many times I have interpreted music, lyrics, dance in a way that was not the original intention, yet been so sure that I had it right!?!? Hmmmmm.... :-)
ReplyDeleteThat is beautifully said, that you see your body as an instrument. I resonate the same, I see my body as a tool, an instrument connected to the world. Through body I can easily communicate and making dialogue with the live people, maybe in this case with audience cause I am performer too, or with the participants on the class. Only through that action in my body I can perceive things and that I can also relate Wittgenstein and Merleau_Ponty convictions about how we perceiving things and how these convictions are a matter of embodied action and function. Our certainty that something exist is , that something is evident borne out in the things we reflectively do, when we express ourselves without saying. in this case, when I am in the BODY:)
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing those thoughts:)