Packing Slip 
item |
Songs of Sanctuary |
contact |
Steve Meredith (Scottsdale Community College) steve.meredith@sccmail.maricopa.edu |
credits |
Carley Conder Don Delong Kathy Steadman Mark Eschbach |
college(s) |
Scottsdale Community College |
discipline(s) |
Dance, Music, Video Production, Audio Recording, Art, Web Design |
summary |
In light of the events of September 11, 2001, MIAET determined that we would not continue production of our original work, "Let the Games Begin". Instead, with permission of MCLI, we created a new and more appropriate performance work, entitled "Songs of Sanctuary". A brief description of the structure and intentions of the work has been provided below for information and reference. |
details |
BRIEF OVERVIEW "Songs of Sanctuary" is a multimedia celebration of the human desires for beauty, shelter, ritual, achievement, and peace. The work takes on special significance in light of recent world events as we as artists (and everyone else) seek to find sanctuary and meaning in a world seemingly without reason. The word "Sanctuary" as it is used in the title of this piece means a place of refuge or escape. However, this is not to say that the work is entirely introspective or somber. Indeed, the emotions related to this 60-minute piece are wide-ranging. The work, created by composer Karl Jenkins and the faculty staff and students of the Maricopa Institute for Arts and Entertainment Technology (MIAET), was performed by the members of Instinct Dance Corps, Voices@Work, and EMusic on three separate occasions. It was performed in April at SCC, and at the Sedona Conference, and in May as part of the SCC dance concert. The work will also be part of a commemorative concert sponsored by the district, on September 11th at the Orpheum Theater. MUSIC The music is written in a macaronic style, juxtaposing European classical instrumentation and forms (Rondo, Sonata, etc.) with "tribal" vocal sounds usually associated with what is known as "World Music". The text is not in any particular language, but is a vocalise that sounds familiar, and yet leaves room for personal interpretation. According to Karl Jenkins, "the text was written phonetically with the words used as instrumental sound. The purpose for this was to maximize the melisma (an expressive vocal phrase), by removing the 'distraction' of words. The sound then becomes universal as the language of music". DANCE The choreography uses primarily the physical language of modern dance and modern ballet to further convey the meaning of each movement. Four different choreographers collaborated on the work, with the result being a well-integrated but diverse work using a broad range of dance styles. VIDEO AND NARRATION To even further convey the meaning of each movement, a video presentation was woven in and out of the program. This video was projected onto the "cyc" and served the dual purpose of enhancing the experience for the audience, while at the same time providing the dancers with an opportunity to rest for few moments. Narration was also used in a similar way at various times throughout the program. Printing of programs, and the creation of web flyers for the event was handled by the art students in the MIAET program. A sample of the work can be seen in the attached web flyer. TECHNOLOGY The purpose of this grant was to support the creation of a "show-in-a-box" that could be assembled and disassembled in a matter of hours (not days) and easily transported from venue to venue. In addition, the idea of an "automated" show was also important, so that the event could be run by as few as two operators, and that they would primarily be there in case of emergency, rather than having any hands-on activity during the show. The above was accomplished in the following ways: 1. The video deck served as the "master clock" for the entire show, meaning that everything associated with the event would syncronize to it. 2. The audio was syncronized using both "Word Clock" and MIDI Machine Control between the video deck, and the device playing back the audio. 3. Lighting was controlled through MIDI Machine Control using a MIDI-compatible lighting board as the interface. This allowed for the lights to be perfectly syncronized with the music. All of this means that running the show consisted essentially of pushing the play button on the video deck to begin, and pushing the stop button to end the show. Although the preparation necessary for this type of automation is time-consuming (and somewhat tedious) the outcomes are worth the trouble. The event ran smoothly every time it was performed. OUTCOMES "Songs of Sanctuary" is an inspiring and beautiful work, and has been extremely well received at each performance. It is also a "show-in-a-box", well designed for the purposes of recruitment and audience development. It is portable, flexible, and completely automated. It can be set up in a matter of hours, and run by as few as two technicians. But most importantly, it was a wonderful learning experience for the 60+ performance and technology students who were involved in it's creation. Note! As a professional courtesy to the owner of this package, if you use some aspect of this package or have some thoughts about it, please share your feedback via the comments form below. |
web links |
http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/miaet/events/songs.html |
shareback |
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extra |
Last modified: Jun-20-2002 Date created: May-06-2002 Visitor count: 4526 Dublin Core Metadata record  This package is included in the Maricopa Learning Grants special collection. |
Maricopa Learning eXchange
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/slip.php?item=351
