Crumb Choreography

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PROCESS AND PRODUCT: THREE APPROACHES

TO CHOREOGRAPHY
A PROJECT REPORT
Presented to the Department o f Dance
California State University, Long Beach
In Partial Fulfillment
o f the Requirements for the Degree
Master o f Fine Arts
By Sarah Lucille Swenson

May 2000
UMI Num ber 1400913
Copyright 2000 by
Swenson, Sarah Lucille
All rights reserved.
UMI
UMI Microform 1400913
Copyright 2000 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company.
All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against
unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code.
Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company

300 North Zeeb Road
P.O. Box 1346
Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346
2000
Sarah Lucille Swenson
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE,

HAVE APPROVED THIS PROJECT REPORT

TO CHOREOGRAPHY
By
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Ellen M. Graff, Ph.D. (CMir)
Dance
Ju d ith * . Allen, M T.A.
Dance
Della Davidson, M.A.
Dance
ACCEPTED AND APPROVED ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY

j
/) -
C L ^S
Kristi
isti S. Jones, M.A.
Associate Dean, College o f the Arts

May 2000
ABSTRACT
TO CHOREOGRAPHY
By
May 2000
Three works were produced (Blessing, four minutes; On My Mind, twenty
minutes; and Vox Balaenae, 20 minutes), using three different approaches to choreog
raphy. The works were performed at the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater at Cali
fornia State University, Long Beach: the first two in concert 30 September through
3 October 1999, the last in concert 24-27 February 2000.
Blessing (1999) was a study in rhythm, spatial design, and movement quality
for six women. On My M ind (1999) reproduced in dance form a visual art collage of
the same name sculpted by the choreographer and was a collaborative work between
the artist and her seven dancers. Vox Balaenae (2000) was inspired by George
Crumb's musical composition and required research into the earths geological history,
upon which the composer based his work. The choreography strictly followed the
structure o f this musical composition. These works are documented and analyzed in
this paper.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author would like to express her heartfelt appreciation to committee
chair Dr. Ellen Graff for her great optimism, as well as to committee members Judy
Allen and Della Davidson for their advice and support; to Professor Tryntje Shapli for
her wisdom, insight, and affection; to designers Andrew N. Milhan and Liz Pelster and
musician Eric Ruskin for their professionalism and patience; to dear friends and class
mates Moonea Choi, Stephanie Nugent, and Sandra Pope for their love and sisterhood;
to Michael DeLeo for his loyalty and humor; to George Crumb for his sagacity; and to
Linda Burch, Eugene Prince, and Debbie Swiderski for their supreme dailyness. Lov
ing gratitude is extended to the authors parents, John and N onna Swenson, for their
unflagging support and for the depth o f their belief.
111
GLOSSARY
Archeozoic. The earlier o f two divisions o f the Pre-Cambrian era o f geologic time,
characterized by the appearance o f bacteria.
Cadenza. An extended virtuosic solo for a musician, usually near the end o f a move
ment.
Cenozoic. The latest era o f geologic time, characterized by the formation o f modem
continents; glaciation; and the diversification o f birds, plants, and mammals, in
cluding humans.
Crotale. An antique cymbal.
Glissando. A rapid slide through a series o f consecutive tones in a scalelike passage.
Gobo. A thin metal plate with a cut pattern used in theater instruments to create a light
design on the stage.
Harmonics. Any integration o f musical sounds.
Mesozoic. The third era o f geologic time, characterized by the development o f flying
reptiles, birds, flowering plants, and the appearance and subsequent extinction
of dinosaurs.
Paleozoic. The era o f geologic time characterized by th e appearance o f marine inver
tebrates, primitive fishes, land plants, and prim itive reptiles.
Proterozoic. The later o f two divisions o f the Pre-Cambrian era o f geologic time dur
ing which sponges, sea worms, and other forms o f sea life appeared.
Taiko. A drumming style o f Japanese origin.
Teleost. A large group o f fish with bony skeletons, including most common fish, as
distinct from cartilaginous fish such as sharks, rays, and skates.
Tempi. Plural o f tempo, the relative speed at which m usic is or ought to be played.
iv
Timbre. The quality o f sound that distinguishes it from other sounds o f the same pitch
and volume.
Vocalise. A composition in which a performer sings meaningless syllables or vocal
sounds rather than a text.
CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOW LEDGMENTS............................................................................................
iii
GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................
iv
ILLUSTRATIONS........................................................................................................
vii
CHAPTER
1.
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................
2.
B LE SSIN G .......................................................................................................
3.
ON M Y MIND .................................................................................................
4.
VOX B A LA E N A E .............................................................................................
14
5.
ANALYSIS .....................................................................................................
24
A PPEN D ICES...............................................................................................................
28
A.
PROGRESS IN WORKS PROGRAM ...........................................................
29
B.
LIVE PROGRAM ..........................................................................................
36
B.
COSTUMES ...................................................................................................
44
BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................
50
vi
ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure
Page
1. Costume rendering for B lessin g .........................................................................
44
2. Costume rendering for On My M ind ................................................................
45
3. Costume rendering for Vox Balaenae ..............................................................
46
4. Production photograph o f B le ss in g ..................................................................
47
5. Production photograph o f On My M in d ............................................................
48
4. Production photograph o f Vox B a la e n a e ..........................................................
49
vii
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The following is a record describing three dances choreographed and per
formed during the fall o f 1999 and the spring o f 2000 (see programs, appendices A and
B). Blessing was performed in the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater at California
State University, Long Beach (CSULB) as part o f the Progress in Works concert, 30
September-3 October 1999. It consisted o f a single four-minute section performed bysix dancers. The music for this work was by Kodo, a taiko drumming group. The cos
tumes were designed by the resident costume designer o f the CSULB Dance Depart
ment, Liz Pelster, and consisted simply o f V-necked leotards in an earth-tone palette,
with a length o f cloth draped between the legs (figure 1, appendix C). Lighting design
was by Jeff Warner. Blessing was later selected for inclusion in the Informal Concert
o f the Southwest Regional Festival o f the American College Dance Festival Associa
tion held at CSULB in March o f 2000.
On M y M ind was also performed in the Progress in Works concert. The
work was twenty-four minutes long, had five sections, and was performed by seven
dancers (see appendix A). This piece was choreographed in collaboration with the
dancers and was based on a visual art sculpture o f the same name by the choreographer.
The score included recordings o f the voices and heartbeats o f the dancers; music by
Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke; music by The Notwist, a popular European band; and
two compositions by jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer. Costumes were again de
signed by Liz Pelster and consisted o f long velvet pants and tops in mixed jew el tone
colors (figure 2, appendix C). Jeff Warner again designed the lighting.
Vox Balaenae (Voice o f the Whale) was presented in the Martha B. Knoebel
Dance Theater as part o f a spring concert, Live, 24-27 February 2000 (see appendix B).
Vox Balaenae was twenty minutes long and was performed by six dancers, including
the choreographer. The George Crumb score o f the same name for amplified flute,
cello, and piano was performed live on stage as part of the performance. Costumes
were designed by Liz Pelster and consisted o f low-backed, lightly sequined evening
gowns with trains, all in various mineral-shaded colors (figure 3, appendix C). The
lighting design was by Andrew Milhan.
CHAPTER 2
BLESSING
The inspiration for Blessing was the musical composition Lion from a
Kodo album entitled The Best o f Kodo and composed by Leonard Eto.' This particular
piece o f music excited me with its rhythmic complexities, driving intensity, and prom
ise o f climax. It also used voices in a rhythmic fashion that contributed to both its
uniqueness and its magnetism. The dance title Blessing was drawn from the title o f
another selection on the album called Blessing o f the Earth, which was also loosely
the theme of the dance.
The musical structure o f Lion was analyzed. The phrasing o f its many
sections was broken into individual beats, with close attention paid to groupings o f pat
terns, changes in dynamic quality, and lesser and greater climaxes. In order to avoid
the possible monotony that simply imitating the music with movement could bring,
careful choices were made about structure and spatial design; counterpoint, unison, and
canon work were employed. Symmetry was called for, but not exclusively.
The driving music inspired carving, shaping, and surrendering qualities o f
movement. When developing material for Blessing, the movement vocabulary was
'Kodo, Best o f Kodo, comp. Leonard Eto, Tristar Music W K57776,1993,
compact disc.
limited to ten or twelve movements and their variations; more would have been visu
ally overwhelming due to the music's complexity, as well as its short duration. Sec
tions o f the dance were choreographed daily prior to group rehearsals, then taught to
the dancers, and finally staged.
The piece began in symmetrical formation using the entire stage, with danc
ers working in pairs, following both geometrical and circular paths (figure 4, appendix
C). Later, they broke into and out o f interweaving canons, forming first one V-shaped
design and then another. One o f the few unison sections used quiet footwork, emulat
ing a moderately restful moment in the music. This moment laid the groundwork for a
succession o f duets with gradually intensifying rhythmsbuilding, in turn, to the con
clusion in which the dancers circled clockwise in a turning and jumping pattern, finally
falling to the ground. Throughout the piece, the movements emphasized groundedness
and continual gestures toward the earth and sky made with prayer-like hands.
Due to the extreme speed o f the music, much of the movement was a chal
lenge for the varying technical abilities o f the cast. Clarity of shapes, quickness o f
footwork, and rhythmic accuracy required constant drilling and refinement. Obtaining
from each and every dancer either the sharpness o f execution or fluidity required was
no small task. However, they all rose to the challenge and grew dramatically over the
course o f rehearsals in the August and September months. Rehearsal assistant Myshia
Moten was o f invaluable help during the rehearsal process with her sharp and analytical
eye, excellent understanding o f music and, perhaps, some seemingly psychic ability.
She frequently divined my intentions and was skillfully able to divide with me the tasks
o f drilling and cleaning a piece that moved with great alacrity.
In retrospect, Blessing was really a choreographic study in formal consider
ations: spatial design, rhythm, movement shape, and quality. It made use o f the chore
ographers skills as a teacher and repertory coach to introduce and demand a high level
o f precision from a primarily young and relatively inexperienced group o f dancers.
Hours of clarification, drilling, and cleaning drew out o f them a very consistent series
o f professional- level performances. It was enjoyable and rewarding to coach them and
to stretch their perceived limits, while making few choreographic compromises. It was
gratifying, as well, to earn their respect and appreciation for the opportunity given.
CHAPTER 3
O N M Y MIND
The inspiration for On M y M ind came originally from a collage sculpture o f
the same title created for a choreography course in spring 1999. The semesters threepart assignment was to explore aspects o f collage, including visual art collage, sound
collage, and movement collage. The term collage could be interpreted any way stu
dents wished; the resulting dance could take any form, provided there were four or
more dancers. For the visual art collage, a paper mache head was created out o f news
paper and glued together with flour and water. Pasted on it were several meaningful
word phrases assembled from individual words which had been cut out o f the newspa
per.1 Thunder, glowing, nation, and wits were a few of the words. Phrases
made later included these words and became beckon to thunder, he ate o f her glow
ing joy, the way of a soft-pom nation, and reclaim injured wits. Bits o f cloth, old
drawings, and found objects, including a mirror shard, were also attached to the sculp
ture. The phrases emerged as ideas that were important to the choreographerthings
that were on her mind. On My M ind then became a sculptural representation of some
o f her thoughts at that time.
'Oscar Liebman, Collage Fundamentals: Two- and Three-Dimensional
Techniques fo r Illustration and Advertising (New York: Stravon Educational Press,
1979), 13.
6
According to the dictionary, a collage is: 1) an artistic composition o f ma

terials and objects pasted over a surface, often with unifying lines and color. 2) An as
semblage of diverse elements.2 Some principal common elements in various types o f
visual art collages are that they usually use paper and found objects and contain frag
ments o f various things, sometimes in combination with paint. These fragments o f ap
parently unrelated items are deliberately combined to form a new whole.3 Further re
search into collage led to the term assemblage, a sculptural composition consisting o f
an arrangement o f miscellaneous objects such as pieces o f metal, cloth and string.4
American artist Joseph Cornell, one of the originators o f assemblage, was aligned with
the Surrealists, who were interested in art as an expression of the subconscious mind.5
I had wondered if the sculpture possessed any surreal attributes, having noticed that the
word phrases I pasted on it tended to form themselves without conscious effort. Ac
cording to the above definitions, it appears there is no vast difference between assem
blage and collage and that assemblage appears to be a type of collage. The sculpture
probably qualified as both, but would the dance?
Core material for On My Mind was contributed both by the cast o f dancers
and the choreographer, but the movement was manipulated and the piece structured
entirely by the latter. Although there had been little previous experience in this degree
2American Heritage Dictionary o f the English Language, s.v. collage.
3Eddie Wolfram, History o f Collage (New York: Macmillan, 1975), 7-9.
*American Heritage Dictionary, s.v. assemblage.
5W olfram ,94,117.
7
o f collaboration, especially from the standpoint o f being the primary choreographer or

director, being the decision maker was extremely comfortable. Experimentation with
choreography was more spontaneous, whereas prior choreography had grown from a
response to specifically chosen music. It was an interesting process, albeit slow, and
difficult to work through on a deadline.
Initial movement material for the piece was found when working alone, be
fore the collaborative process began. A study was composed o f several short move
ment phrases, which were in response to selected word-phrases from the sculpture.
Later, before holding an audition, material was developed privately with student Chitoh
Emetarom. After only one rehearsal with her, it was clear a collaborative process
would work with the right people, partly because she was so responsive to the sculpture
and because the results were so fascinating. An audition was then held, with the selec
tion o f dancers being decided in part by the movement phrases people made in response
to the sculpture. When work began with the complete cast, their creative response was
very pleasing. It was very interesting to observe which parts o f the sculpture resonated
with them, particularly the word-phrases. Reclaim injured wits was a popular choice.
Something about the various word-phrases made the dancers easily turn the internal
into the external, into movement. What the word-phrases meant to the choreographer
personally was not discussed; the dancers were simply asked to respond honestly in
their own way through movement. After this, their phrases were learned by the chore
ographer, who then either manipulated them or responded with new ones o f her own.
From this process, the dance On M y M ind began to evolve from On M y M ind, the
sculpture.
In a private rehearsal with Chitoh, an hour or more was spent talking about
elements of the sculpture, its various word phrases, and particularly about a photograph
o f a captive tiger that was placed on the back o f it:
Chitoh and I looked at the sculpture and talked about the tiger behind the fence.
We talked a lot about different things, including how we are a soft pom nation."
I took notes. She decided she really felt connected to the captive tiger picture.
She talked about her African ancestors, and how they believed they were de
scended from the big cats. She made a movement phrase and then I reassembled
it, using all her vocabulary in a totally different way.6
From that evening came a solo for Chitoh based on her response to the caged tiger pho
tograph (figure 5, appendix C).
The largest group section o f the dance was begun by teaching everyone a
movement phrase created by the choreographer that came from the word-phrase bec
kon to thunder. Each dancer added a movement, extending the phrase, onto which the
choreographer then added material, and so on. This section would also eventually in
clude material based on the word-phrase intertribal vision. This method o f working,
always returning to the sculpture for information and stimulation, was the anchor of the
process; it is how the dance evolved. Each section o f the dance referenced a wordphrase or two, and all sections referenced the sculpture. Nearly all o f the early work on
these various sections remained in the finished dance.
6Sarah Lucille Swenson, unpublished rehearsal notes, California State
University, Long Beach, 1999, n.p.
It was determined that the score for the dance would also be related to the
sculpture. The one certainty o f the choreographer was that the dancers' heartbeats
would be in it. The dancers attended a recording session with Music Director Eric
Ruskin, and everyone's heartbeat was recorded for approximately one minute. The dis
tinctiveness of each person's heartbeat was remarkable. Subsequently, a free discus
sion of the sculpture and word-phrases on it was initiated and recorded. Some very
interesting things evolved from this session, such as what reclaim injured wits meant
to each person. Excerpts from this recording were incorporated into the first score.
Rehearsals to this point had included experimentation with selections of
music from Nils Petter Molvaers compact disc Khmer and Lisa Gerrard and Pieter
Bourkes Duality.1 Due to the production deadlines in recording the score, it was nec
essary to select a preliminary order for the various sections of the dance and to make
music choices that included integration of the heartbeats and selected text from the
conversations. By the time o f a preliminary showing at the end o f the spring 1999 se
mester, the sequence o f the sections and score, as recorded in the choreographer's
notebook, were planned as follows:
1) conversation with Chitoh about her big cat ancestors referencing the captive
tiger photo on the sculpture, a solo for Chitoh with the group using music from
the Duality compact disc by Lisa Gerrard, observations by Moonea about the
tiger in English and Korean;
Nils Petter Molvaer, Khmer, ECM 1560 78118-2 1560-2, 1997, compact
disc; Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke, Duality, 4.A.D. Records 9 46854-2,1997, com
pact disc.
10
2) comments about the meaning o f reclaim injured wits and our responsibility in
relationships, leading into the multiple duet section beginning with Chitoh and
Victor, based on he ate o f her glowing joy, overlapped by a duet for Sandy and
John, referencing reclaim injured wits and mixed rages, and using music
from the Khmer compact disc by Nils Petter Molvaer, followed by a duet still to
be made for Victor and John;
3) the womens section, based on reclaim injured wits, mixed rages, and a
shooting sound, beginning in silence and continuing with heartbeats as well as a
story by John about shooting a gun;
4) intertribal vision/beckon to thunder group section with music from the
Khmer compact disc by Nils Petter Molvaer, maybe layered with excerpts from
the brainwashing conversation; wrap-up o f the recording session with exit banter
between the dancers.8
The primary criticism from after the preliminary showing in May 1999 was
that the spoken text placed in the score was too casual in contrast to the formality o f the
dance. However, an attempt to re-record these parts resulted in the loss o f their natural,
spontaneous quality, and eventually all o f it was abandoned. The only original sounds
retained from the first score were an introductory tape-collage o f the word-phrases and
the dancers heartbeats.
Dropping the text from the score had other ramifications, as well, particu
larly on what was known as the womens section. Originally, the score for this part
was merely the heartbeats, overlaid with a story by cast member John Stronks in which
he related being forced to fire a gun when he was a young boy, including the physical
and psychological impact this act had on him. The telling o f this tale, juxtaposed with
the very personal movement phrases composed by the women o f the cast, made it quite
8Swenson, n.p.
11
powerful. However, it was determined that it would not be effective to have text in
only one o f the four segments; consequently, the story was omitted. Another problem
with this section was its length, having too much material, and, according to some who
critiqued it, too much unison. It appeared to drag. The desire to include something o f
everyones probably contributed to its extreme length, even after a dramatic reworking
in the last week o f rehearsal with editing and reorganizing taking place under the pres
sure o f time. In retrospect, leaving the story in the soundtrack would perhaps have
made the section more engaging simply by contrast; including the story would have
supported it. In the future, more rehearsal time would be scheduled, especially for such
a long piece, and more feedback sought sooner in the process.
The choreographic intention for On M y M ind was to re-create the original
sculpture in dance, thereby making a dance collage o f the thoughts embodied in it. The
difficulty in this task lay in a fundamental difference in structure between the two art
forms. The sculpture, being round and three-dimensional, has no apparent beginning
or end. It is not linear as a dance is and does not take place along a time-line the way a
dance does; therefore, the structure of the dance, as well as the experience o f viewing
it, would be dramatically different.
The title o f the piece, On My Mind, implied a diversity of possible subjects,
which is in keeping with the idea o f collage; however, its five seemingly unrelated sec
tions were unified by smooth transitions, which is not. In most ways, and especially
without knowledge o f its origins by the audience, this dance was no more a collage
than any other dance that uses a variety of music, costumes, and lighting. These are the
12
usual mixture of elements which traditionally support choreography. On M y M ind did

retain some elements o f collage but, in its final form, probably not enough to really
qualify as one. This now appears to be principally due to loss o f the text, the one rec
ognizable layer which directly connected the dance to the sculpture. One choreo
graphic regret is not having had the time to effectively incorporate the text into the
score.
Collage or not, the dance as final product was a re-creation o f the sculpture
in a new form and did retain some o f its surreal qualities. In fact, it was grounded in a
single source, the sculpture and its components, and the dancers intimate knowledge
and understanding o f this provided them with exceptional focus and direction in per
formance.
13
CHAPTER FOUR
VOXBALAENAE
Collaboration was at the heart o f Vox Balaenae (Voice o f the Whale), but of
a different type than in On my Mind. Inspiration for this work came after a request by
members of the Music Department to choreograph a dance to George Crumbs 1971
composition of the same name. After hearing a recording, studying the score, and pre
liminary research into the piece, the choreographer decided to produce a work in rela
tion to this composition. It was also decided that the dance would be performed with
live music as part o f a February dance concert at the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theatre
(see appendix B).
George Crumb was inspired to write Vox Balaenae after hearing a recording
o f humpback whales in 1969. The composition was premiered in 1972 by the New
York Camerata for whom it was written. Intense scrutiny of the score and program
notes for this music determined almost wholly the approach to choreographing the
dance, the form of which closely followed that o f the musical composition, having *a
simple three-part design, consisting o f a prologue, a set of variations named after the
geological eras, and an epilogue, outlined in the score as follows:1
'George Crumb, liner notes to Voice o f the Whale (Vox Balaenae), Columbia
Records M32739, 1974, LP.
14
Vocalise (... for the beginning o f time)

Variations on Sea-Time
Sea Theme
Archeozoic (Var. I)
Proterozoic (Var. II)
Paleozoic (Var. Ill)
Mesozoic (Var. IV)
Cenozoic (Var. V)
Sea-Noctume ( . . . for the end o f time)2
Vox Balaenae was choreographed using a fairly literal thematic interpreta
tion of the score. Having learned what Crumb envisioned in writing it, his intention
would have been difficult to ignore. The theatrical concept of the dance included the
integration o f the live musicians into the staging o f the piece; the musicians would not
simply be accompanists for the dancers. I envisioned them in the upstage-left comer,
and they were so placed in a formation indicated by the composer's diagram on the
score.3 Another of Crumbs suggestions was that the musicians wear black half-masks
or visors: . . . effacing the sense o f human projection, [the masks] are intended to rep
resent, symbolically, the powerful impersonal forces of nature (i.e. nature de-humanized).4 The musicians for this performance declined to wear them, however, because
they felt the masks would interfere with both the reading o f music and the playing o f
instruments. To complete the theatrical environment, a fairly high staircase was imag
ined, down which five dancers one to represent each of the named geological
2George Crumb, Vox Balaenae, score, ed. Peters No. 66466 (New York:
C. F. Peters, [1971]), 5.
3Ibid., 3.
4Crumb, liner notes to Voice o f the Whale.
15
periods would descend and perform a corresponding solo. The staircase principally
symbolized the geological strata and the passage of time but was also a ladder to an
organism-rich ocean.
Andrew Milhans sensitive lighting for Vox Balaenae was a slow process o f
revelation, from the small isolated area o f the flutist's solo and the enlarged geometrical
specials for the cello and piano to the gradual emergence and descent o f the dancers
and the progression o f evolutionary periods. The space became, by stages, ever more
illuminated, with a distinct look provided for each variation, such as a slanting sunlight
gobo for Paleozoic and warm, glowing daylight against a bright blue scrim for
Cenozoic. In his notes, Crumb suggested that the work be performed under a deep
blue stage lighting, but the addition o f dance to this work called for more complexity
o f design.5
Vox Balaenae begins with a solo for the flutist, who must sing into the flute
as it is played, creating sounds similar to that of the whales.6 This introductory vocalise
sets an eerie mood for the piece. It was decided that the performance would commence
simply with the flutist isolated by a special light.7 At the end o f this cadenza, Crumb
introduced the piano with a parody o f the introductory fanfare from A lso sprach
sIbid.
6Ibid.
7A videotape o f this and the other works may be obtained in the Media Col
lections Department o f the Library at California State University, Long Beach.
16
Zarathustra by composer Richard Strauss.8 This Zarathustra phrase has been made
famous by its commercial use, especially in the beginning of the soundtrack to the film
2001: A Space Odyssey.'* Strauss's 1896 tone poem had been inspired by philosopher
Friedrich Nietzsches Thus spoke Zarathustra, in which the title character, after a de
cade o f meditation in the mountains, awakens and faces the rising sun which the fa
mous opening represents.10 This parody appears twice elsewhere in the Crum b score:
once during the geological variation Cenozoic and later during the Sea Nocturne.
The possible reasons for its use and placement in the score, as well as some other con
cerns, prompted a call to Dr. Crumb. In this conversation he shared that his decision to
place it in the introduction illustrated some kind of beginning, something very an
cient. 11 The recurrence o f the parody in the Cenozoic variation, however, had a very
different meaning and specifically marked the emergence of man, as delineated in
Crumbs own program notes.12
8Richard Strauss, Also sprach Zarathustra; Tondichtung, fre i nach Friedrich
Nietzsche: For Full Orchestra, Op. 30, Eulenberg miniature scores, no. 444 (New
York: Eulenberg Miniature Scores, c 1931).
92001: A Space Odyssey, dir. Stanley Kubrick, screenplay by Stanley Ku
brick and Arthur C. Clarke, 139 m in., MGM, 1968, videocassette.
I0Norman Del Mar, R ichard Strauss: A Critical Commentary on H is Life and
Works (New York: Free Press o f Glencoe, 1962), 1:135.
"George Crumb, interview by author, 23 December 1999, Boston, tele
phone.
I2Crumb, liner notes to Voice o f the Whale.
17
In the performance, upon the introduction o f the parody, the first dancer,
later to perform Archeozoic, appeared as if floating at the top o f the staircase, dressed
in the gold o f the sun. One by one, the other dancers emerged, in continuing geological
chronology, and began their descent during the Sea Theme. Various gestural move
ments were performed, minimally suggestive o f space, matter, and the slow rolling of
whales. Instructions to the musicians here such as solemn, with calm majesty,
written by Crumb directly on the score, emphasized the desired mood and timbre o f the
music. These notes influenced decisions about choreographic style, quality, and physi
cal demeanor throughout the dance.13
Next to the first bar o f Archeozoic, where Crumb introduced the cello, he
wrote timeless, inchoate. 14 Here the cellist is to imitate the haunting cry o f a seagull
with a squeaking glissando. In this first variation, the dancer's gaze was distant, cool
the movement expansive and unhurried. Research revealed that during this geologic
era, the only life was bacteria;1Sthe dancer indicated such infinitesimal smallness with
her hands. Each successive variation, gradually increasing in intensity, represented
an ever-increasing diversity o f life forms.16 As each soloist executed her variation, the
13Crumb, Vox Balaenae, 8.
l4Ibid.
lsSteven M. Stanley, Earth and Life through Time, 2d ed. (New York: Free
man, 1989), 255-56.
18
dancers remaining on the staircase performed selected complementary movements sug

gested by the sequences being performed below.
Proterozoic, the second variation, was darkly mysterious, 17an explosion
o f complex invertebrates.1* The dancer was conceived as a sea worm, sponge, and jel
lyfish, draped in green. She twisted languidly in the black depths o f the ocean, pro
pelled by unseen currents. The flutist played a lonely melody; a steady, droning buzz
was produced by the pianist dangling a paper clip onto the plucked strings of the piano,
like a larger rhythm of nature. 19
Paleozoic, the third and shortest variation, represented the era when land
and aquatic reptiles, primitive fishes, fungi, and insects were among the large variety o f
evolving life forms.20 The next dancer, dressed in a sand-colored gown, swirled and
darted, fish-like, and descended in a backward dive to become a sun-basking lizard.
She matched the flowing quality asked for by Crumb;21 she was directed by the as
cending and descending glissandos o f the cello and by the pianos trickling scales. In
response to a querie about the relative brevity o f Paleozoic (only fifty-seven sec
onds), Crumb remarked, Well, you know, this has nothing to do with clock time!22
I7Crumb, Vox Balaenae, 9.
18Stanley, 265-87 passim.
Stanley, 311-66 passim.
2'Crumb, Vox Balaenae, 10.
22Crumb, interview.
19
Mesozoicto be perforated exultantly!23was the most active

variation yet, with the symbolic and abstracted movements o f small mammals, flower
ing plants, trees, flying reptiles, and dinosaurs.24 The dancer turned and leapt crisply
like a small animal; she balanced quietly, as if soaring over a canyon; she stretched up
ward, as a conifer, and bared her teeth like a yawning dinosaur.
Her joyous freedom ended abruptly with the appearance o f the Cenozoic
dancer, who stepped off the staircase to an accompanying strident chord o f the piano.
Dramatic; with a sense o f imminent destiny, Crumb wrote in the score.25 Cenozoic is
the period which includes large mammals, birds, teleost fish, glaciers, and the rise o f
humans.26 The Cenozoic soloist emulated fish and four-legged creatures and carved
space with the large, sweeping motions of glaciers creating continents. Spare, simple,
climactic, and without rhythm, both the music and the dancer quickly prophesied hu
man consciousness and its impact on nature, illustrated by the symbolic rejection o f
Cenozoic by the other eras; they turned away as she passed by. As the only creature
who wonders where she came from, the soloist as human ran back up the staircase,
confronting her own destructive power and facing the inevitable. At this moment, one
stroke on a crotale ended the Variations on Sea-Time; the concluding section, Sea
^Crumb, Vox Balaenae, 10.
20
Nocturne, commenced with a free, circling run by all the soloists, trains in hand, to the
accompaniment o f simple whistling by the musicians.
Musical phrases from Sea Theme were repeated in Sea Nocturne ( . . . for
the end o f time), and the dancers gathered together to repeat the gestural movement
language introduced on the staircase. Gentle swaying and rocking suggested the mo
tion o f slow-moving sea creatures deep beneath the ocean, looking up at the sun
through the surface o f the water (figure 6, appendix C). Melting downward again, the
dancers paused and simply listened, attentive to the whistling cellist and flutist. The
melody o f Sea Nocturne, couched in the luminous tonality o f B major, evoked
the momentum o f waves and cross-currents.27 In a canon hinted at in the score, the
dancers swayed, dived, rolled, and sometimes lengthened upward. An intense fusion o f
harmonics in the music gathered them together in a rare moment o f unison, as they re
peated their own theme o f the sea; a languid extension o f the leg carried the body
around and down in a long curve, diving into the floor, arcing, sweeping, and stretching
upward, only to roll and rise once again.
As the dancers rose from the floor, they were drawn apart once again; an ex
change o f roles was executed as they performed each others variations simultaneously.
They were pulled into a sense o f slow motion, a suspension o f tim e, as the cello re
solved its melody, and a concomitant ten-note figure on the piano signaled the
21
beginning o f the end.28 The fifth soloist made her way slowly to the foot o f the stair
case and began a steady ascent as a final fragment o f the Zarathustra parody was
strummed on the piano. Each dancer had begun a similar pathway and ascended in
turn, as the ten-note gesture was repeated, ever more diminished, dying, dying.29 Life
quietly returned to dust on the staircase; the dancers dissolved into it before reaching
the top as the final phrase was played, and the lights faded to black.
Research into the geological eras revealed that, with the exception o f Ceno
zoic, most o f the named periods spanned hundreds o f millions o f years and all o f them
were divided into several distinct time periods.30 Addressing these periods in their en
tirety would have been unnecessary as well as impossible. After learning which stages
o f life evolved during each period, it was easy to become attuned to the imagery em
bedded in Crumbs music. From the variety o f life included in each period, the most
striking images were culled, in combination with the musical variations, as the most
evocative. These solos were developed in private rehearsal and contained phrases of
movement that embodied varying degrees of abstraction on selected life forms known
to have been present in each era. Rehearsals began by teaching the dancers each o f the
solo variations. After three weeks, each was cast in the solo most suited to her. From
28Ibid.
30Carl K. Seyfert and Leslie A. Sirkin, Earth History and Plate Tectonics:
An Introduction to Historical Geology, 2d ed. (New York: Harper & Row, 1979), 32.
22
that point, it was possible to go back to the beginning and choreograph the appearance
and descent of each o f the soloists and then the ensiling dance.
The rare opportunity to work with live musicians was exciting and also held
its challenges. Having worked with a recording for two months, the switch to live
music in the final weeks required an adjustment on the part o f both dancers and musi
cians. Some o f the special instrumental effects called for in the score were a challenge
for the musicians and, in some cases, essential to master if the choreography was to
remain unchanged. In typical fashion, these rehearsals began somewhat unevenly and
progressed into mostly clean runs o f the piece. However, as is frequent with live music
and dance, tempi were constantly being checked.
23
CHAPTER 5
ANALYSIS
Over the course o f the past year, I have conceived my work in a variety o f
ways and have taken several approaches to the development of choreography. Blessing
was a study in rhythm, design, and dynamics something very familiar to me and with
which I have had a great deal o f experience. My background as a repertory coach and
rehearsal director at the Alvin Ailey School has caused me to demand a certain stan
dard o f execution that helped elevate the cast o f Blessing to a level o f professionalism
and polish I think they had not experienced before.
On M y Mind was an experiment in a variety o f things, such as working from
an inspiration other than music, with which I have had only one other experience. In
addition, the choice to work collaboratively was new' for mea statement and hope on
my part that much of what was on my mind was also on the minds of others. Although
the phrases pasted on the sculpture emerged from subconscious thought, some o f them
could be interpreted as poetic illustrations o f my life and o f larger social concerns. For
example, the way of a soft-pom nation remarks on a society dependent upon titillation; my outrage at rampant offense to intelligence and sensibility may possibly be re
stated as reclaim injured wits. That the dance was crafted using everyones voice
24
probably spoke to the inclusionist/fusionist in me, reflecting a social ideal also illus
trated by the sculpture.
The attempt to translate the subject o f one art form into another was a new
challenge, as well. I discovered that the most successful parts o f this dance came to
gether without predetermination, the best decisions being instinctive. This was an en
riching learning experience with varying degrees o f success and which ended feeling
unfinished, mainly due to the exclusion of the text.
Vox Balaenae was the most conceptually comprehensive project I have ever
undertaken. Without the production support available from the CSULB Dance Depart
ment, this piece could not have been mounted as it was and would not have achieved
all the artistic goals set for it. As in Blessing, and unlike On My Mind, the vision for
Vox Balaenae did not include choreographic contributions from the other dancers.
Every detail of the dance was vivid in my imagination, from the formal gowns and the
staircase to the absolute necessity o f having live musicians incorporated into the stag
ing. My conceptual interpretation o f the score and its parts, as well as the whole, was
extremely personal. I wanted and took appropriate artistic license and full responsibil
ity for it.
The audition processes and results differed greatly from dance to dance. For
Blessing I had a total attendance o f ten dancers; the choices were limited, and I selected
those having the most potential to meet its technical demands. On My M ind drew ap
proximately sixteen auditionees; the selections were based, in part, on their personal re
sponses to the sculpture and somewhat less on their technical ability. For Vox
25
Balaenae I needed maturity, presence, and strong modem dance technique o f the high
est level available. Due probably to increased respect from the undergraduate dance
majors as a result of a previous successful concert, attendance at this audition was well
above thirty dancers. In anticipation o f having to descend and ascend the staircase, I
asked everyone to climb an eight-foot ladder and imagine they were gazing into deep
space: a very revealing exercise. Selection o f dancers was made in part on strength o f
presence while atop the ladder, as well as the ability to execute some of the rather tech
nical portions o f the solos.
My response to music remains the most salient aspect o f my approach to
choreography. Blessing was singularly possessed of this tendency. Although music for
On M y M ind was selected after the movement vocabulary was developed, once chosen,
it influenced the development o f phrasing, quality, and structure of the sections. Vox
Balaenae was extremely evocative musically; although I was working with specific im
agery, the music substantially contributed to the definition of the movement language.
The root of this relationship to music can be found in my attraction to the techniques o f
pioneering modem dance choreographers and their descendants, particularly Lester
Horton and Martha Graham. These choreographers also influenced Alvin Ailey, with
whose organization I spent years working. Music is, and was, an integral part o f tech
nique and composition for these artists and their historical descendants, and my expo
sure to it has had a marked effect on my work. I cannot ignore music and specifically
choose to work with it, a principle shared by such contemporary choreographers as
Mark Morris and Mark Haim. Although I believe my understanding of choreographic
26
structure to be largely innate, my connection to music has informed this understanding.

My instruction by Pearl Lang, an early Graham disciple, in the Louis Horst method o f
composition, was very much grounded in musical forms.1 A lifetime o f viewing dance
has also helped to shape my personal aesthetic regarding form.
As a whole, the body o f work presented here documents the recent span o f
my conceptual thinking as a choreographer. The vast professional resources available
to choreographers here (e.g., a professionally equipped dance theater, lighting, set and
costume designers, a recording studio, etc.) has contributed significantly to the expan
sion of my imagination and to the realization of theatrical concepts. It has been deeply
gratifying to observe and experience this and to feel that all the work will bear revisit
ing in the future.
'See Louis Horst, Pre-C lassic Dance Forms (New York: Dance Observer,
1937); and Louis Horst, M odem Dance Forms in Relation to the Other M odem Arts
(New York: Dance Horizons, 1961; reprint, New York: Dance Horizons, 1967).
27
APPENDICES
28
APPENDIX A
PROGRESS IN WORKS PROGRAM
29

College o f the Arts
Department o f Dance
presents
PROGRESS
IN
WORKS
new dance by
The Graduate Dance Group

o f CSULB
Moonea Choi
Stephanie Nugent
Sandra Pope
Sarah Swenson
September 30, October 1-3, 1999

Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater
30
T h e D ep artm en t of D an ce
California State University, L o n g Beach
In 1996 and 1997, the CSULB Dance Department was voted one of the top ten dance
departments in the United States and Canada by department chairs across the country. The
Department offers a BFA degree with emphasis in modern dance. Courses include modern,
ballet and jazz techniques, composition, notation, kinesiology; movement analysis, history of
dance, dance performance and production, lighting and costum e design for dance, and m usic
for dance. The degree program centers around a core o f required courses and includes a
wide range o f electives. Fur information, write to the D epartm ent of Dance, California State
University, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840-7201, or call 562-985-4747.
About T h e G raduate D ance G ro u p ..
The G D G was founded by the first graduating class (2001) o f CSULB's new MFA Program
in Dance. Choreographers contributing to G D G concerts are MFA candidates presenting
thesis material in concert. Dancers appearing in GDG concerts may include graduate and
undergraduate dance majors and minors, dance faculty and invited guests. For more infor
mation about CSULB's MFA Program in Dance, please contact Ellen G raff at 562-985-4270.
M oonea Choi was bom in Seoul, Korea. The recipient o f many scholarships and grants, she
earned her BFA and MA in Korean creative dance from Kyung Hee University, SeouL She
was a member o f Chum Ta-rae Dance Company and toured internationally for two years.
Moonea appeared in Dance Kaleidoscope at Loyola Marymount University' in 1995, perform
ing her own Restraint, and has also been seen in several faculty and guest artist works at
CSULB, most recently in Jeff Slayton's Front A/r .ilotbrrs Suir and Robert Moses' Lirr Bait.
Stephanie N ugent hails from Chapel Hill, NC, and received her BFA in dance from North
Carolina School o f the Arts. She has received numerous scholarships to the American Dance
Festival, and has performed in the companies o f Ririe-Woodbury and John Malashock, among
others. She currendy teaches modern dance in the CSULB Dance Department and has been
a two-year recipient o f the Baker Scholarship, awarded from CSULB's College of the Arts.
In addition to her graduate work at CSULB, Stephanie is involved in on-going collaborations
and improvisation performances with graduate students at UCLA and UC Riverside, contact
improvisers Shel Wagner and Stefan Fabry, and husband/composer Robin Cox.
Sandra Pope is a native o f Portsmouth, VA, and received her BFA in dance from CSULB
after training on scholarship at the School of American Ballet and thejoffrev Ballet School
in New York. She served on the faculty o f Dupree Dance Conventions for four years, and
has taught, performed, and adjudicated extensively in the United States and Canada. She has
appeared frequendy in the works o f CSULB faculty and guest artists, most notably I.ar
Lubovitch's Marimba, and Bill Young's Fault. Sandy presently teaches ballet and jazz in the
CSULB Dance Department and is a member o f the California Teacher's Association.
Sarah Swenson (Concert Director) o f Boston, MA, received her initial training at the Jacob's
Pillow Dance Festival School and later attended NYUs Tisch School of the Arts. She danced
leading roles in the Alvin Ailev Special Performance Group, and taught for many years at the
Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York City'. She toured the Peoples Republic o f
China with Myung Sook Chun Contemporary Dance, performed with Louis Johnson Dance
Theatre Ensemble, and was a founding member and Associate Artistic Director of Seraphim
Dance Theatre. Sarah returned to Asia in the summer o f 1998 where she was a guest in
structor at the Beijing Dance Academy; She has appeared in many faculty works at CSULB,
including Jeff Slaytons Front Air Mather's Side, Tryntjc Shapli's Our, and Ellen Graffs Alar Dor-
31
Reproduced with permission o f the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
DIRECTORS * DESIGNERS * MUSICIANS

Ruby Abeling has worked as Composer, Pianist, Faculty m ember or Music Director tor
dance, in the Dance Department at CSUI-B, CSU Dominguez HilLs, CSU Summer Arts,
and the University o f Maryland, as well as for Jeff Slayton and Dancers, and the American
Dance Festival in Durham , N C She has participated in many summer dance residencies
including Sun Valley, Idaho, and at the University o f Florida with the Gloria Newman
Dance Theatre.
D el Leon, Stage Manager & Lighting Designer, received her BFA in Dance from the
CSULB Dance Departm ent in 1998. Since then she has been busy studying the art of
lighting live performance under the wings of veteran designers Andrew Milhan and Jeff
Warner. An aspiring choreographer. Del is one o f three Co-Directors o f IO N E DANCE,
a collective presenting works by local choreographers, musicians, and other Los Angeles
and Orange County artists. IO N E DANCE will next present The Turnons Roundabouts at
Angel's Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro, on December 3 & 4,1999.
Liz Pelster, Costumer, received her MFA in Costume Design from the CSULB Theatre
Arts Department where she designed many shows for the L'niversicv and Cal Rep Theatres.
In addition to serving as resident designer for the Dance Department, she teaches classes in
costume design for dance and manages the costume shop. Ms. Pelster continues to enjoy
clearing costumes professionally as well as teaching and designing at several colleges in the
Orange Counn* area.
E ric Rusldn is an Instructor, Accompanist, Composer, and Music Director for CSULB's
Dance Department. He has composed for choreographers Gloria Newman,Viola Farbcr,
Jeff Slayton, Donald McKavle, Pat Finot, Susan McLain, Tryntje Shapli, and others. In
1993 he received the Los Angeles Dance Resource Center's 1.ester Horton Award for his
score for Tunnel, commissioned by the Los Angeles Chamber Ballet, choreographed by
Lawrence Blake. His jazz composition. The N rtr York Ja~* Connection, may be found on the
Cexton label.
Jeff W arner, Technical D irector/lighting Designer, is currently the lighting Design
Instructor and Production Manager for the Orange C o u n t y High School o f the Arts,
supervising over forty productions annually. For the past four years he has been the House
Electrician and Assistant Production Manager for the Carpenter Performing Arts Center.
Jeff started his theatre career as a dancer/singer/actor, studying all o f the on-stage and
backstage aspects o f the business. He found his true calling after accidentally happening
upon lighting design over fourteen years ago, and since then has designed hundreds of
shows for companies and venues throughout the world. Among the many artists for whom
he has created lighting are Helen Reddy, Rosie O'Donnell, Cam! Burnett, Cleo Lane. Caro!
Channing, and Chita Rivera. Jeff is pleased to be involved with the Graduate Dance Group,
haring been associated with CSULB and the Dance Department for the past tour years.
32
permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Welcome to the Graduate Dana Croup'spremiere thesis concert.

Kineifr take a moment to turn o ff ftagprs ami cellularphones,
andplease be reminded thatphotography and rideotaping are notpermitted.
Tbankyou!
BLESSING
Choreography by Sarah Swenson
Music by Kodo
Lighting Design by Jeff Warner
Costume Design by Liz Pelster
Rehearsal Assistant: Mvshia Moten
Cbia-Wen Chang, Moonea Choi, Cbitob Emetarom,
Cherry Kang, K elly Owens, Kona Satob
BROKEN W ING
Choreography by Moonea Choi
Music by Henryk Gorecki, Eric Ruslan, Jim McGrath, Kodo
Film excerpts from Birtfjt, Tri-Star Pictures, 1985
Sinnamon Jordan, Shannon Livingston, Laura Petrina,
Am anda Mulder, Kona Satob, Jaime Sbapard, Laura Sotelo
W INTERING
Choreographed and Costumed by Stephanie Nugent
Lighting Design by Del Leon
Stephanie N ugent
O N MY M IN D
Choreography by Sarah Swenson
in collaboration with the dancers
Score: voices o f the dancers, The Notwist,
Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke, Nils Petter Molvaer
Costume Design by Iiz Pelster
Sonia baker, Soo-Jin Cbttng, Cbitoh Emetarom, M yshia Moten,
Heather Nicholson, Sandra Pope, John R. Stronks
IN T E R M IS S IO N
33
SANCTUARY
Choreography by Sandra Pope 8c dancers
Music by Lisa Gerrard 8c Pieter Bourke,
Thomas Newman, Gabriel Yared
Lighting Design by John R. Strunks*
Jennifer Parra, Sandra Pope, Kana Satob, Julia W ollinr
FISH A IN T BITIN '

Choreography by Stephanie Nugent
Costume Design by Stephanie Nugent and Liz Pelster
Music by Cores* Harris
Lighting Design by Jennie Lee*
Jennie H ill 9/30 8c 10/2
Shannon U ringiton 10/1 8c 10/3
with Join R. Stronks
ANALYZING NIAGARA
Choreography by Stephanie Nugent
Music by Sarah Hopkins, Camille Saint-Saens,
Wynonie Harris, Phil Dadson, Tom Waits
Text by Stephanie Nugent, Lala Ghahreman, and Adam Sharp
Costume Design by Liz Pelster and Stephanie Nugent
Sara Dye, Stefan Fabty, Lala Gbabreman,
Sinnamon Jordan, Kbaleab London,
Bethany M artyn, Jamie Posnak, John R . Stronks
<><><>
All works o n this program are presented in partial fulfillment o f MFA

degree requirements, w ith the exception o f Fish A in 't Bitin'.
T his program was m ade possible through fu n ds from CSULB's

Instructionally R elated A ctivities
Student Lighting Designers under the direction o f Jeff Warner
<>
The Graduate Dance Group would especially like to thank
Matt Faw, Cheol Young Lee, Andrew N. Milhan, Jae Hvak Yoo,
and Ms. Trvntje Shapli.
34
P ro d u ctio n Staff
Concert Director: Sarah Swenson
TechnicalDirector/Lighting Designer: Jeff Warner
Music Director: Eric Ruskin
Costume Designer: Liz Pelster
S ta ff Manager: Del Leon
Production Assistant: Christie Freeman
Graduate Adcisor: Ellen G raff
Company Musician: Ruby Abeling
P ro d u ctio n Crew
S taff C m : Monzell Corley, Vanessa Fassie, Sarah McConica,
Katrina Redcher, Leah Sandor, Christina Stewart,
Victoria Townsend, Simone Walters
Wardrobe: A nne Brown, Jamie Thomas
Costume Construction: Chia-Wen Chang, Juliana Doyle,
Kara Rhodes, Bridgette Stebbins
House/Public Relations: Christie Freeman, House Manager,
Gina Capobianco, Holly Megill, Janet Porres, Kelly Shipman
CSULB D e p a rtm e n t o f D ance Faculty
Judy Allen, Chair; Cheryl Banks-Smith, Karen Clippinger,
Della Davidson, Pamela Fairweather, Pat Finot, Hal Glicksman,
Ellen Graf Alaine Haubert, Keith Johnson, Sharon Kinney,
Frandne Landes, Dori I^cvy, Barbara Matthews, Elizabeth Maxwell,
Susan McLain, Andrew N . Milhan, Sophie Monat-Gaydos,
Elizabeth Morse, Liz Pelster, Megan Reisel, Victor Robles,
Eric Ruskin, Tryntje Shapli, Andy Vaca
CSULB D e p a rtm e n t o f D ance Statff
Ruby Abeling, Musician; Lin Burch, Administratire Support Assistant;
Ronnie Ciago, Musician; Hal Glicksman, Computer Lab Coordinator;
Andrew N. Milhan, Technical Director/Lighting Designer;
Eddie Nazarro, Musician; Liz Pelster, Costume Designer;
Eugene Prince, Media Center Coordinator;
Eric Ruskin, Musician; John Siegel, Athletic Trainer;
Debbie Swiderski, Administrate<e Support Coordinator
G raduate T each in g A ssociates
Teresa Chapman, Holly Clark, Stephanie Nugent, Sandra Pope, Sarah Swenson
G rad u ate A ssistants
Moonea Choi, Sandra Gutierrez, Heather Kemp, Leah Sandor
35
APPENDIX B
LIVE PROGRAM
36
37
Welcome to the Graduate Dana Group's second thesis concert.

Kindly take a moment to ta n o ff pagers and cellularphones,
andphase be reminded thatphotography and videotaping are notpermitted.
Thankjon!
* m*
Lighting Design/Andrew N. Milhan

Costnme Design/Ua. Pelster
** *
^ ^ ^ or Particular
Choreographer/'hAoaneo. Choi
Set Design/)ohn H. Nokes
M oonea Choi, Julie Manchester

Soo Jin Chung (understudy)
D allian ce
Choreographer/Sandra Pope
Composer/Samuel Barber
Sarah Bolton, Jennifer DeBritton, Megan Hicks,

Jennie Hill, Jessica Humphrey, Janna Lindenberg,
Laura Petrina, Jamie Posnak, Amy Robbins
5 R eason s to M ove
Choreographer/Stephanie Nugent
Composer/Ro bin Cox
Robin Cox violin, Manon Robertshaw cello, Justus Matthews clarinet
Teresa Chapman, Khaleah London, Julie Manchester
-IN TERM ISSIO N
38
Vox B alaenae (V oice o f the W hale)

Choreographer/Sarah Swenson
ContposerfGeorge Crumb
Set Design/John H. Nokes
Tabatha Easleyfa te , Ellen MUenski piano, Colin Pearson alio
A rch eo zo ic/C h ristie Freem an
P ro tero zo ic/K an a. Satoh
Paleo zo ic/S aran d o n Cassidy
M esozoic/Sandra G utierrez (2/2 4,26 & 27), M elissa D ougherty (2/25)
C en o zo ic/S arah Sw enson
E x p lo rin g Sam uel

Choreographer/Soadn Pope
CsapsMr/Samuel Barber
Sandra Pope
C o m p o sitio n V I
Cbortopapber/'bAooncz Choi
Composer & Peratssiomst/'Ronrnt Ciago
Erin Corbett, Angela Johnson, Soo Jin Chung,

Heather Nicholson, Sabine Skowronek, Ju lia W olliver,
Genie Fernandez (understudy)
<><><>
This concert was m ade p ossib le through funds from CSULB's
Ins fractionally R elated Activities
<>
The Graduate Dance G roup would especially like to thank

Keith Polakoff, Robert Salas, and John Tso for their time and resources,
the Dance Department faculty and staff for their valuable input,
the entire cast for their hard work and investment in the creative process,
and the crew for their invaluable effort behind the scenes.
39
A bout T h e G raduate D ance G ro u p .. .

The Graduate Dance Group is a collective established by the first graduating class of
CSUI-B's new Masters o f Fine Arts Program in Dance. Its primary mission is to serve
as a creative forum for thesis projects by MFA Candidates. Performances may also be
augmented by non-thesis projects. Following its premier concert in Fall of 1999, this
is G D G 's second concert to feature works by Moonea Choi, Stephanie Nugent, Sandra
Pope, and Sarah Swenson. This season G D G is privileged to include performances by
graduate and undergraduate dance majors/minors as well as several guests musicians.
M oonea Choi was bom in Seoul, Korea. The recipient o f many scholarships and grants,
she earned her BFA and MA in Korean creative dance from Kyung Hee University, Seoul.
She was a member of Chum Ta-rae Dance Company and toured internationally for two
years. Moonea appeared in Dance Kaleidoscope at Loyola Marvmount University in
1995, performing her own Rei/mint, and has also been seen in several faculty and guest
artist works at CSULB, most recendy in Robert Moses* Lire Bait and Della Davidson's
Ijmt Letters.
Stephanie N u g e n t (Concert Director) received a BFA in Dance from North Carolina
School o f the Arts. She has toured internationally with the Ririe Woodbury Dance
Company and Makshock Dance and Company. H er choreography has been presented
by fesrival organizations in New York, Utah, and California. In 1997 she received an
enthusiastic review in Dance Magazine for her solo work. Patters Wheel. At CSULB she
has performed feature roles in works by Della Davidson, Keith Johnson, Susan McLain,
and Bill Young. She is currently involved in projects with improvisers Carmcla Hermann,
Stefan Fabry, and She! VCa gncr o f Santa Monica, and appears regularly with The Robin
Cox Ensemble. Stephanie will complete her MFA this spring
Sandra Pope is a native o f Forrsmouth, VA, and received her BFA in Dance from
CSULB after training on scholarship at the School o f American Ballet and the Joffrcy
Ballet School in New York. She served on the faculty o f Dupree Dance Conventions
for four years, and has taught, performed, and adjudicated extensively in the United
States and Canada. She has appeared frequently in die works o f CSULB faculty and
guest artists, most notably I-nr I-uhovitch's Marimba, and Bill Young's Tiaa/t. Sandy
presendy teaches ballet and jazz in the CSU13 Dance Department and is a member
of the California Teacher's Association.
Sarah Swenson o f Boston, MA, attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She danced
leading roles in the Ahin Ailcy Special Performance Group and taught for many years at
the Alvin Ailey School in New York City. She toured die People's Republic of China and
performed with several companies in New York where she was also Associate Artistic
Director o f Seraphim Dance Theatre. Sarah returned to Asia in the summer of 1998
where she was a guest instructor at the Beijing Dance Academy. She has appeared in
many faculty works at CSUIB, including Tryntje Shapli's One, Ellen Graffs M at
Frandne Landes' HeM Ale, and Della D a v id s o n 's Lore letters. Sarah looks forward to
receiving her MFA in May, 2000.
40
DIRECTORS * DESIGNERS * COMPANY MUSICIANS

Ruby Abeling, Company Musician, is a composer, pianist, and teacher. She has worked
as a musician in the Dance Departments o f CSULB, CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU Summer
Arts, and the University of Maryland. As a composer she has created works for Jeff Slayton
and Dancers, and at die American Dance Festival in Durham, N C Ruby has also participated
in many summer dance residencies including Sun Valiev, Idaho, and the University of Florida
with the Gloria Newman Dance Theatre.
Ronnie Cilgo, Company Musician, is a drummer, percussionist, singer, composes, and author
of instructional music books. He studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and has
recorded/toured with many artists including, Patrick Moraz (Yes, Moody Blues), Rickie Lee Jones,
Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones), Brand X, and many others; Ronnie has played percussion for dance
at CSULB as well as several other universities throughout southern California. His musical styles
include jazz, rock, Latin, reggae. Middle Eastern, gospel, funk, fusion, and Afro-Cuban. He is
also the author of SlaM kxttrify and Tlx Uhimdt Stxdj In Im kpnitm t.
Del Leon, Stage Manager, receive d her BFA in Dance from the CSUIJ Dance Department
in 1998. Since then she has been busy* studying the a n o f lighting live performance under the
wings of veteran designers Andrew Milhan and Jeff Warner. An aspiring choreographer, Del
is one of three Co-Directors o f IONE DANCE, a collective presenting works by local
choreographers, musicians, and other Los Angeles and Orange County artists.
Andrew N. M ilhan b die Technical Director and lighting Designer for the Dance
Department at CSUIJ3, supervising all productions in the Martha B. Knoebcl Dance Theater
and teaching lighting design for dance. He worked for the Lewitzkv Dance Company for eight
years, first as Pniductiun Manager, and later as Technical Director/Lighting Supervisor. Recent
and future projects indude work with John Pennington, Diana MacNefl, Jeff Slayton, Casey
Carney, Davalos Dance Company, Jazz Tap Ensemble, Dance Kaleidoscope, and A m e ric a n
Repertory Dance Company.
Liz Pelster, Costumer, received her MFA in Costume Design from the CSULB Theatre
Arts Department where she designed many shows for the University and Cal Rep Theatres.
In addition to serving as resident designer for the Dance Department, she teaches classes in
costume design for dance and manages the costume shop. Ms Pelster continues to enjoy
creating costumes professionally as well as teaching and designing at several colleges in the
Orange County area.
E ric Rualdn is an insthictor, accompanist, composer, and Music Director for CSUI-B's
Dance Department. He has composed for choreographers Gloria Newman, Viola Farber.
Jeff Slayton, Donald McKavie, Pat Finot, Susan McLain, Tryntje Shapli, and others. In
1993 he received the 1/is Angeles Dance Resource Center's Lester Horton Award for his
score for Tmmrl, commissioned by the Los Angeles Chamber Ballet and choreographed by
lawTcncc Blake. His work. The X nr YarikJx^C m xrttiae, may be found on the Ccxton hbeL
Currently, Eric b Music Director and keyboardist for Lai Traftirxaas, a local saba band.
41
Production Staff
Concert Director: Stephanie Nugent
TechnicalDirector/Lighting Designer: Andrew N. Milhan
Music Director: Eric Ruskin
Costume Designer: Liz Pelster
Stage Manager: Del Leon
Production Assistant/House Manager: Amanda Mulder
Graduate Advisor: Ellen Graff
Company Musicians: Ruby E. Abeling Sc Ronnie Ciago
Production Crew
Stage Crenr. Michi Boyer, Melissa Brown, Monica Clark,
Jennifer Felton, Val McKinna, Merry O'Malley, Rosemary Taylor
Wardrobe: Amy Douglas, Kristi Taylor
Costume Construction: Alex Arnold, Genie Fernandez,
Alexandria Nichandros, Jessica Humphrey
HouseI Public 'Relations: Anna Miller, Ellah Orevi,
Jazmine Stein, Michelle Trombly
CSULB D epartm ent o f Dance Faculty - Spring 2000
Judy Allen, Chair; Larry Billman, Karen Clippinger, Della Davidson,
Pamela Fairweather, Pat Finot, Ellen G raff Alaine Haubert, Sharon Kinney,
Frandne Landes, Dori Levy, Susan McLain, Sophie Monat-Gaydos,
Elizabeth Morse, Liz Pelster, Tryntje Shapli, Andy Vaca, Steve Zee
CSULB D epartm ent of Dance Staff
Lin Burch, Administrative SupportAssistant;
Ronnie Ciago, Musician; Hal Glicksman, ComputerLab Coordinator;
Andrew N. Milhan, TechnicalDirector/Lighting Designer;
Eddie Nazarro, Musician; Liz Pelster, Costume Designer;
Eugene Prince, Media Center Coordinator;
Eric Rusldn, Musician; John Siegel, Athletic Trainer;
Debbie Swiderski, Administrative Support Coordinator
Graduate T eaching Associates/Assistants
Teresa Chapman, Moonea Choi, Holly Clark, Sandra Gutierrez,
Heather Kemp, Julie Manchester, Stephanie Nugent,
Sandra Pope, Leah Sandor, Sarah Swenson
42
APPENDIX C
COSTUMES
43
'BLE3Siri$ * SftPAft SsJEfJS&J9'Kill )ffl
Cs fywCZrS
Figure 1. Costume rendering for Blessing. Designed by Liz Pelster.
\W o u stO ? 5 , &ASnc
W-RM Toy^i SRtTTCfr/

TEXTURE
7 * 1 M V M I / ^ D " SfcM $*Jetfa>ri'&LL'<\

Rgnre 2. Costume rendering for On M y Mind. Designed by Liz Pelster.
\JcX
op T)fe u titu .)
S /fQ A tt 3 ? ^odO
Figure 3. Costume rendering for Vox Balaenae. Designed by Liz Pelster.
46
47
Figure 5. Production photograph of On My Mind. Taken by Keith I. Polakoff.

48
Figure 6. Production photograph o f Vox Balaenae. Taken by Robert Salas.
49
BIBLIOGRAPHY
50
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Crumb, George. VoxBalaenae. Ed. Peters No. 66466. Score. New York: C. F.
Peters, (1971).
________ . Liner notes to Voice o f the Whale ( Vox Balaenae). Columbia Records
M32739, 1974, LP.
________ , composer. Interview by author, 23 December 1999, Boston. Telephone.
Del Mar, Norman. Richard Strauss: A Critical Commentary on H is Life and Works,
vol. 1. New York: Free Press o f Glencoe, 1962.
Digby, Joan, and John Digby. The Collage Handbook. New York: Thames & Hudson,
1985.
Gerrard, Lisa, and Pieter Bourke. Duality. 4.A.D. Records 9 46854-2, 1998. Com pact
disc.
Horst, Louis. Pre-Classic Dance Forms. New York: Dance Observer, 1937.
________ . M odem Dance Forms in Relation to the Other M odem Arts. New York:
Dance Horizons, 1961. Reprint, New York: Dance Horizons, 1967.
Kodo. The Best o f Kodo. Composed by Leonard Eto. Tristar M usic W K57776, 1993.
Compact disc.
Liebman, Oscar. Collage Fundamentals: Two- and Three-Dimensional Techniques fo r
Illustration and Advertising. New York: Stravon Educational Press, 1979.
M olvaer, Nils Petter. Khmer. ECM 1560 78118-2 1560-2, 1998. Compact disc.
Seyfert, Carl K., and Leslie A. Sirkin. Earth H istory and Plate Tectonics: An Intro
duction to Historical Geology, 2d ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1979.
Stanley, Steven M. Earth and Life through Time, 2d ed. New York: Freeman, 1989.
51
Strauss, Richard. Also sprach Zarathustra; Tondichtung, fre i nach Friedrich

Nietzsche: For Full Orchestra, Op. 30. Eulenberg miniature scores, no. 444.
New York: Eulenberg M iniature Scores, c. 1931.
Swenson, Sarah. Unpublished rehearsal notes, California State University, Long
Beach, 1999.
2001: A Space Odyssey. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Screenplay by Stanley K ubrick
and Arthur C. Clarke. 139 min. MGM, 1968. Videocassette.
Williamson, John. Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra. Cambridge: Cambridge U niver
sity Press, 1993.
Wolfram, Eddie. History o f Collage. New York: Macmillan, 1975.
52

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Higher quality 6" x 9 black and white

photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing

Bell & Howell Information and Learning

PROCESS AND PRODUCT: THREE APPROACHES

By Sarah Lucille Swenson

UMI Num ber 1400913

Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE,

PROCESS AND PRODUCT: THREE APPROACHES

Ellen M. Graff, Ph.D. (CMir)

Ju d ith * . Allen, M T.A.

Della Davidson, M.A.

ACCEPTED AND APPROVED ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY

California State University, Long Beach

PROGRESS IN WORKS PROGRAM ...........................................................

LIVE PROGRAM ..........................................................................................

1. Costume rendering for B lessin g .........................................................................

2. Costume rendering for On My M ind ................................................................

3. Costume rendering for Vox Balaenae ..............................................................

4. Production photograph o f B le ss in g ..................................................................

5. Production photograph o f On My M in d ............................................................

4. Production photograph o f Vox B a la e n a e ..........................................................

According to the dictionary, a collage is: 1) an artistic composition o f ma

o f collaboration, especially from the standpoint o f being the primary choreographer or

usual mixture of elements which traditionally support choreography. On M y M ind did

Vocalise (... for the beginning o f time)

dancers remaining on the staircase performed selected complementary movements sug

Mesozoicto be perforated exultantly!23was the most active

structure to be largely innate, my connection to music has informed this understanding.

California State University, Long Beach

The Graduate Dance Group

September 30, October 1-3, 1999

DIRECTORS * DESIGNERS * MUSICIANS

permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

Welcome to the Graduate Dana Croup'spremiere thesis concert.

FISH A IN T BITIN '

All works o n this program are presented in partial fulfillment o f MFA

T his program was m ade possible through fu n ds from CSULB's

Welcome to the Graduate Dana Group's second thesis concert.

Lighting Design/Andrew N. Milhan

M oonea Choi, Julie Manchester

Sarah Bolton, Jennifer DeBritton, Megan Hicks,

Teresa Chapman, Khaleah London, Julie Manchester

-IN TERM ISSIO N

Vox B alaenae (V oice o f the W hale)

E x p lo rin g Sam uel

Erin Corbett, Angela Johnson, Soo Jin Chung,

The Graduate Dance G roup would especially like to thank

A bout T h e G raduate D ance G ro u p .. .

DIRECTORS * DESIGNERS * COMPANY MUSICIANS

'BLE3Siri$ * SftPAft SsJEfJS&J9'Kill )ffl

Figure 1. Costume rendering for Blessing. Designed by Liz Pelster.

W-RM Toy^i SRtTTCfr/

7 * 1 M V M I / ^ D " SfcM $*Jetfa>ri'&LL'<\

Figure 3. Costume rendering for Vox Balaenae. Designed by Liz Pelster.

Figure 5. Production photograph of On My Mind. Taken by Keith I. Polakoff.

Figure 6. Production photograph o f Vox Balaenae. Taken by Robert Salas.

Strauss, Richard. Also sprach Zarathustra; Tondichtung, fre i nach Friedrich

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