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Jig

Posted by DCA Theater on September 11, 2009 in July-December 2009 Season, INCUBATOR Series: Striding Lion Interarts Workshop

by Karen Louis, Pioneers co-director

During rehearsal last night, after the hour long dance warm-up, led by Annie, I noticed that one of our lions, Christian Rogala, company member and musician with Chicago band Fluid Minds, seemed a little down, or maybe even haunted by the images we’ve been poring over, or diaries reflecting hardship, fear and determination that was experienced by the time, place, disease and conflicts of the Westward Expansion. Striding Lion is not unfamiliar with this time period, having collaborated in ‘06 to develop City Beautiful our for-youth production based on the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. In fact, City Beautiful had been Christian’s very first Striding Lion show.  However, the Chicago World’s Fair, with it’s own acknowledgement of hardship, had more of a celebratory tone throughout the research itself.

Look at how serious he seems!

This reserved demeanor is out of character for the generally energetic and jocular Christian. We often depend on his great wit and playful antics to maintain levity while exploring the darker areas of our work.  How will we get him back, I wondered?  Some scenework! That will do it! Physically staging the monologues with movement phrases and soundscores is the perfect thing-right?

Let’s take a look:

Hmmm.. Still intense… Focused… Serious…

The days of the Pioneers were dark and ambitious, traveling into the unknown, fraught with danger and disease,but there has to be a way to channel the light of the time, as well. The movement was inspired by hope, invention, aspiration, and the pursuit of happiness…And our big challenge is to find a way to show this to our audience of school kids in a performance that is accessible, engaging and under 45 minutes.

We needed something…Something physical, musical, something like a hootenanny! And, we all know, there is no hootenanny without a little jigging.

And with this jig, Christian has returned. Lesson learned? When mired in too much seriousness, concern, or weight- jig. It always works. We did some polka-ing, too.