Into the Earth | Into the Sky

For the past month or so I have been collaborating with a local choreographer Karen Brown and her co-run dance company Weaving Dance on writing the music for an upcoming performance - just one week away! I've been working very hard on this, trying new things and experimenting, all with a rather limited schedule due to full-time work. I think it has come together extremely well, especially having visited a rehearsal yesterday to observe how it all tied together with the dance.

The piece finds its origins in the theme of the concert it is being performed in, titled "Rooted". Similar to the piece I wrote last year, Observations of Nature, it deals with reflecting on the non-human aspects of the world (in this case, trees) and how we relate to them in our daily lives.

The dance, prior to the music existing, began when Karen came across a photography collection of trees in various seasons, some of which highlighted with a thin fabric background or foreground. It used the lighting of the day and silhouettes of trees to create a very interesting look at the subject.

The idea of using fabric and silhouettes gave Karen the idea to incorporate similar elements into her piece, utilizing a parachute and her dancers in various tree-like shapes either in front or behind it. The idea of people-as-trees continued on into various other elements of the dance, with various solos as an introspective look at individuals' reflections.

With the music, I attempted to capture similar elements with a limited instrumentation and attention to the narrative subtext. I had previously written a series of pieces based on trees for my Junior Recital in college (Dreamer's Path), using a combination of live players, songs and recorded sounds to create an atmospheric and dream-like experience. With approaching this accompaniment, I wanted to firmly ground the music in reality.

For this new perspective, I drifted away from my usual emphasis on orchestral and synth-based instrumentation and to something more akin to a current alt. rock band. Using sample-based instruments, I attempted to create something of a mini-concept-album with recurring thematic elements and a constant set of 'players'.

If you're in the Seattle area, I highly recommend you come check out the final result. The choreographer and dancers have worked extremely hard on pulling this thing off and I have nothing but respect for their efforts. They really are the stars in this production, so hats off to them! All necessary information and tickets can be found on their website.

If you're not in the area, feel free to check out the music below. I also have each 'track' labeled. On my website I'll be releasing it as separate mp3s, but it really is a through-composed piece and is best listened to in one sitting. The total runtime is 16:11.

Into the Earth
Into the Sky

• Rooted (0:00 - 2:44)
• Cherry Blossom (2:44 - 6:17)
• Willow in Sway (6:17 - 7:50)
• Autumn Rain (7:50 - 12:22)
• Frigid Ascent (12:22 - 16:11)