Hello and welcome to my journal for the Dance of Film project with Leitrim Dance Project. After many months of not performing, I was beginning to loose the drive and energy to practise, create and even think about dance. So I am so very grateful to Edwina and Liam for giving me this wonderful opportunity.
I've spent the last couple of weeks sitting and walking in the woods, swimming and playing in the lake and exploring the different sounds that surrounds me. With my microphone and camera, I've become like a detective, following sounds that interest me and paying attention to what sounds I like. I discovered that nature is pretty quiet most of the time where I live. I live in East Clare, which is on the shores of Lough Derg. I love living here, its simply beautiful and I always feel very safe and happy to be here, I’m protected by the ancient oaks and entertained by the lake and rivers. I learned that I had to wait and be silent to hear the sounds of nature on a dry and still day and on the windy and wet days, nature had a lot more to say. I learned to let go, be still and be open, so i could hear the forces of nature working together to create sounds.
So for my project I have decided to dive into exploring and experiencing the 5 elements of nature -Water, Fire, Air, Earth and Ether and for the next five months I will focus on one particular element a month. I will collect different sounds from each element, creating a soundscape which I will use for my dance on film. So every month, I will focus on one element and report back to you all on how I resonate and connect with the 5 elements. I have many questions, what can I learn, what do I hear, how does it make me feel, how can I express myself when I invoke the spirit of this element, how does it feel to embody this element?
The first element I will explore is Water. There is no getting away from the rain in Ireland and I go to the lake every day to swim, so water was the most obvious element to start with. I have created a short video to give you a glimpse into the route of my thought process as I work on this project. Dancing for me is about playing, to be in the present moment and to be free, so I thought it would be a good start to have some fun and play with the element of Water.
Stephanie