Dance 287 - Lighting for Choreography Fall 2019

"Dinner scene" - taken by Kent Shinomae (Shuck Oyster Bar in Costa Mesa) I went to dinner the other night to catch up with a family friend in Costa Mesa. When deciding where to eat that night, I came across this small and cozy-looking oyster bar called Shuck. Other than having good reviews, looking at the pictures of the restaurant that were posted online definitely had an influence on my decision to eat here. Coming to this place in person, I had an instantaneous feeling of coziness and a shift into a soft and moody atmosphere. Throughout dinner, my friend and I had a sense calmness and relaxation, due to the atmosphere these lights were creating. From a distance, the light source looked almost like candles, which is known to create calm and cozy settings/situations. This was a great evening where I could get away from all the stress and anxiety that life was giving me at that moment.

I was struck by the contrast of the texture of these two works of art this past week at the open house. The harsh texture pf the metal plate with the soft subject of text versus the soft texture of the diffused light and color of the picture with the harsh subject of the gun. It made me remember in particular how drawn I am to terrible things being portrayed with pristine beauty in film and painting. I haven't seen it so much in dance and hope to make more work which does this very thing.

This morning, I was at Woodbridge Village Center and the beautiful scenery of the lake caught my attention as I sat and enjoyed my morning coffee after hot yoga. The lake and gazebo set up a tranquil ambiance but the trees are what give this picture texture. The appearance of the light green, medium and dark green colors of the tree and bushes provide substance and light to this picture.

Street Braille Just the other day I was taking a stroll My eyes noticed vibrate colors in a row The intersection was freshly painted with “pride” That’s Long Beach for you; we are “unified” As I waited my turn to cross the street I looked down to my feet  and couldn’t help but think Pot of gold?  I had to get closer and see Although it was covered with footprints of the past and lightly sprinkled with glass of accidents last The weight of its value was priceless  Protective, informative and inclusive    Underneath it all; these gold coins do more than just glow They help guide blind eyes to the other side of the rainbow     Carl “Dougie” Sanders

On Friday night, I attended the open house for MFA studio artists on the top floor of the CAC.  I began my adventure on the rooftop, which was quite empty - no people, no furniture.  So, I bounced around with a few fellow classmates between the various art offerings in the artist studios. When I looked back out at the roof deck, this THING had appeared.  What in the world is that? Upon closer inspection, it was a DJ booth! A DJ booth decked out in chenille and fishnets...perfect party attire! The more I looked at the design, the more I realized how integral lighting was to this DJ outfit.  Standing there, I also wondered what would this be without the blue and pink lights playfully intermingling with the chosen materials. One thing's for sure...when that thing showed up, I knew the party was just getting started! 

I took this picture Friday night on the terrace floor of the CAC building. As I stood on the top floor looking out over the campus, I noticed these industrial looking light trees situated by the railing. After taking a closer look, the worn and scratched outer texture of the bulb intrigued me. The shining light enclosed by the glass gave me the impression of an electric filament floating in thick honey. Furthermore, the rich saturated hue made me feel warm under the dark sky.          

"ON ANOTHER PLANET " I took this photo today at Corona State Beach. I was trying to get a photo of my dog who didn't cooperate, but I ended up with this interesting composition. To me, the sky looks smooth, endless, and whimsical, while the sand looks like something from the planet Mars. It's interesting to think of the ground as the constant flat surface we walk on, but when the sunlight hit the sand, I could see all the porous divots and microscopic sand dunes in the "flat" surface of the ground. Seeing this photo made me feel intrigued by the seemingly normal, everyday things. What I think of as constant, generally unchanging, and ultimately flat can actually be seen as the most textured and interesting surface.  There is a certain excitement I feel when I find something extraordinary about the ordinary.

Week#4- Dance Me, To the End of Light I close my eyes and then I am completely and totally underwater. Deep, I look up without opening my eyes, as if from a bottom of an ocean or a sea. I don’t know which. Deja Vu, I sense the source of the light, but I know above or below me only darkness without end. Hundreds of jellyfish in one long flow, passing by me one after another, perform a foreign dance ceremony yet I find familiarity in it. I move silently with the water and leave only my temperature behind. I open my eyes and I wake up from a dream to another dream. I come back to the surface of the water, and simply watch a duét performed by a source of light coming from an undefined modern building next to me and with this pool of water unquietly moving in front of me. I shall join this jam with my perception.   I borrow Aura’s phone to improvise to this phenomenon. The dances you see here are the creation of my eyes, my man-made eyes (Iphone 5), the street li...

Last night I attended an album release party for an artist named, Madame Gandhi. Her new album labeled, VISIONS, explores looking inward to envision a more positive future outward. Her party was full of soulful music and dance collaboration performances and personally, I was there to support my best friend who choreographed for the performance as well as for Madame Gandhi's latest music video. When I walked into the space, the texture of the ceiling felt like I was entering the creative space of her brain. She also performed in the round so it was natural to see her as the central figure. I couldn't help but feel engulfed by the light and it made me feel entranced as I listened to her music. 

"Bring it to Life" - Taken by Kent Shinomae (outside PSTU 1100 on UC Irvine campus) The other day while waiting for projects to begin for our lighting class, I waited outside of PSTU 1100 and was taken away by this beautiful shadow of a tree casting over the side of the building. What I love about the shadow created from sunlight is that it adds texture to the side of the building, where the color and structure is quite monotonous. It enhances the building by bringing it more to life with the shadows of the leaves and branches moving ever so slightly, giving the stiff brick wall some breath and fluidity. This texture that it creates is never always the same. It constantly shifts with what time of day it is and how much sunlight is hitting the tree. The wall is like a canvas and the art that is being drawn on it is always changing. Nothing is ever permanent and my life is continuously changing day by day as I go through grad school, but that's what makes it so excit...

The idea of using geometrical shapes to create texture, three dimensional spaces and mood. Has always fascinated me. From its use in cinematic films to theatrical stage performance; creating minimalism takes complexity. - C.D.Sanders  

                                                                               Mermaid Caves~Chanel Kostich This photo was taken at the Mermaid Caves on the west shores of Oahu, Hawaii. This was a hidden gem that I adventured out to with my friend. The cave  looks out into the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean. The calming and enchanting ambiance is a magical sight to see. In order to get to this secret spot, we had to walk across  jagged lava terrain and jump through a small hole. Once I got into the cave, I felt as if I was  bewitched by the crystal clear water rushing towards the shore. When I was floating beneath the light and the sun rays were streaming through the cave’s crevices, it painted a golden hue on the dim cavern. I also felt as if my skin was glowing against ...

Photo by: Beverly Jane Bautista One of my favorite attributes of the sun is its ability to shine boldly through any piece of architecture and make it larger than life. When I witnessed the light projecting onto this bridge, it made me feel energized and empowered. I have walked across this bridge daily, but somehow this time it felt different . The sun beamed onto the endless pattern of squares and slanted bars and created a breathtaking shadow on the walk way. It reminded me of the feeling when starting a goal. I can see it in the distance, but I feel the pressure because the pathway is never in a straight line. It feels like jumping through hoops or in this case, jumping over bars, making sure I stay the course, and run in my lane!  It's exciting to think about the worlds I hope to create  through the collaboration of lighting and dance, especially from being inspired by just one moment in time from a photo.

This picture was taken at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. From the outside looking in, I was fascinated by how the lights danced behind the glass. I love how the lights spiral upward, forming a stairway to heaven or, perhaps to higher consciousness.  In this way, the lights appear to make an appeal to passersby, that arts are a necessary part of our human experience. I was intrigued by the way the lights help to define the space, creating a huge sculpture inside of what may otherwise be a pretty unremarkable space.  It's the lighting here that activates the space into a place of inspiration, and reminds me of the power that lighting designers possess. ~Brandye

I noticed one of my cast members for New Slate standing in a patch of light in studio 1100. As the morning sunlight hit the front of her body, I noticed that it made her, quite literally, glow. The sunlight seemed to be not only hitting her body but penetrating and steeping through her hands. She looked as if she were the sun itself, radiating light for everyone and everything around her.  It made me think of the energy people give off and how this energy is often not seen but felt. Although I could see the visible light shining through her body, it seemed like I was more than merely seeing it. It made me think about how I have such an emotional reaction to the lighting showings we have been presenting in class. Although I am seeing the lights, there is something inside of me that is feeling them. I had never thought in depth about the effects of lighting on dance pieces, but this photo made me think about how, although it is subtle, the lighting of a dance often enhances fee...

I wonder if this is how ghosts would appear to us? With the right light and perspective this image emerges.  As stunning as it is transient. I though it important to make a video of it to try and recreate my surprise at its discovery and delicate existence. This reflection fascinated me because it also works as a projection which is a fascinating concept in abstraction. Looking backwards, while projecting forward, while reflecting what is seen in front of you. I was holding a plastic bag and was passing the window where the light was entering. It only happened on this floor, not the one above or the one below and not in the staircase on the other side of the building. This event was specific to this staircase, at this hour, in this position. With every small step I took it changed. With every movement I made it changed. It was fragile in its creation but not in its presence. Makes me curious about how to create this magic (without a gobo). Gobos to me seem a bit to fixed and sta...

"Cool up in the sky" - Taken by Kent Shinomae (Inside an United Airlines airplane) On the way home to Hawaii this weekend, I couldn’t help but to gaze upwards as I was trying to catch up on my sleep. I then started to analyze what the blue ambient light running across the ceiling of the plane was emitting. Not only being a light source, but also creating a feeling and mood. This blue light creates a cool and calm environment up in the sky. It’s hard to remember the days when the ceiling of the plane was just white with no light to create this environment, due to these “mood lighting” features being so common in all planes nowadays. The blue light gives me a feeling of tranquility and peacefulness, making it easier to put myself into a relaxed state where I can sleep. I also feel that it puts minds at ease. Flying can be stressful for some. Some people have a fear of flying and definitely the light adds a sense of serenity to help with those anxious emotions ...

I love this image for so many different reasons. As a young child, I spent most of my free time playing outside on courts and fields,( before dance entered my life ..:). Whether it was basketball, baseball, soccer, track & field, or gym class, I was in my element. In particular, I use to crave the smell of dirt on the baseball infield, the aroma of fresh cut grass, and the bright lights of night games. Gigantic fields with illuminated lights, like this, gave me goose bumps. For me, when I was playing sports nothing else mattered. The games would put me in a mental zone, a place of pure enjoyment. "Gotta Love The Lights".

Week#3 Refraction (Aliya Kerim) My dear friend: I am going to tell you a secret about me. As you know, as a dancer, time doesn’t exist in my world. I travel through time as I move through darkness. I don’t know how long it has been since the last time I asked light to reveal itself to me. The conversation I had between me and my little lamp seems to have just happened a second ago. There is so much to tell you about my journey to light, but at the same time, there’s nothing to tell you about.  After I decided to return home from my little adventure with the giant circuitous light, the silhouette of the tree superimposed from the known to the unknown.  I decided to write you a letter about the secret of the birth of my dance --refraction My body absorbs  light and light reveals itself to you, the presence of my heart. My body absorbs light and light  leaps into your eyes,  as I am moving spacetime. My body absor...

Sunset taken by Chanel Kostich: Location (Marina Del Rey) We've been talking a lot about light this week and it was inspirational to see people's projects turn into masterpieces when the lighting cues were instructed on them. I took this picture at sunset on the sailboat dock in Marina del Rey and it was such a sight to see the change in colors from the peak of the sunset to the after glow of the sunset. It started with just yellow and orange and then became a deep pink and purple. It left me speechless. The warmth of the colors made me feel at peace and when we talk about using warm and cool tones in class, it makes sense that we need the balance not just in life but on the stage as well. 

Week #2 Inspiration A Journey to the Light Light scatters itself into my childlike heart,  becomes a tree, a leaf and  a dance. Light, to let the world see you, I have to unsee you first. They think you are the truth of life, and I bring the illusion of you back to this empty space.  Theatre, when I look up at the ceiling, I perceive blue, pink and red as color.  “ Where are you coming from?”  I ask the light designed by Carl. The illusion of you and my dance almost create an illusion of beauty that is too often misunderstood by humans. “Where is the source of light?” “Where is the source of inspiration?” Thoughts sit in the dark, but I have no answer for them. I want to constantly feel alive and I must constantly interact with questions. My body explodes as the collision between light and inspiration happens. I embody this experience, and I become the source of both light and inspiration. “Everything comes from my artsoul.” I...

I am always struck by the presence and absence of light, how it guides the eye, and what it evokes emotionally. My thesis film's thematic material was mostly inspired by the presence and absence of light in both metaphorical terms and literal terms. I wanted and still want to avoid the traditional good and evil connotations, but am seeking rather to use the very practical and      screenshot from thesis film "CANON" equally metaphorical sense of the power of what is seen and unseen in life and in an individual. Stark contrasts and harsh lighting have a very powerful effect on me personally which I assume to be a primal response. As the usual "black and white" look for film and television is usually black and grey the visual effect is diluted or muted. The true black and white visual effect and color palette really amplify the harshness of the unnatural quality of highly focused light. I am a huge fan of film director David Lynch who has a remarkable ability ...

I took this picture in 2011 at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. While making my way through the park, I came across this elevated staircase that gave me an open view of the surrounding area. The  overcast of clouds mixed with the early afternoon sunlight created a nice blue hue with some softer faded grey highlights. This vantage point reinforced my thoughts of how lucky I feel to live in Southern California. It also gave me the perfect inspiration to continue walking through the park looking  for more hidden gems!

The Light-Up Gourd My living room turned dark as dusk turned into night, so I turned on my light-up gourd decoration that was sitting on my glass bookshelf before I walked over to turn on the overhead light (photo on the left). At first, I was drawn to the way the light reflected off the glass shelves. Then I glanced up to the ceiling fan which was surrounded by the most beautiful warm light. It reminded me at first of water waves in a crystal clear pool. Then it started to resemble an exquisitely detailed iris of an eye.  I'm not one to sit in the dark, but I sat just a little longer than I would have if I had not glanced at the ceiling before turning on my overhead light.

As the sun disappears behind the green canopy, it continues to peek through, casting just enough light on this lush open space to create a feeling of privacy.  The sun beckons from behind the trees, and I imagine myself playing, frolicking, dancing freely as chilly breezes begin to push through the warm air of day.  I see myself smiling, giddy, feeling weightless and even timeless.  I ponder the thought that even as day becomes night, there is still much that can be done, many adventures to be explored, many new dances to make... And yet, I pause to breathe and absorb a lovely moment of stillness. ~Brandye

Break through - taken by Kent Shinomae (Location: exit ramp off highway near Corona, CA) What a beautiful sight I saw as I was getting off the highway the other day! On these darker gloomy days, I sometimes get affected by the mood and atmosphere it creates and carry my day in a lazy or melancholy-like manner. The clouds create this sort of barrier between the sun and us. Then in the distance, I see these majestic-looking sunbeams breaking through this slit in the cloud formations. Seeing these beams of light coming through reminds me of the brightness I have in my life that I tend to forget. The love and joy that surrounds me each and every day. When life gets busy, difficult and goes by so fast, people can easily forget to take the time to look up and see beautiful moments like this that remind us to take a breath and appreciate what we have in our lives.

One of the things I love about light is how it sets a mood, especially during night time. I was walking through the Anti-Mall with Marc in Costa Mesa, and I remember my eyes lit up as we walked toward this small walkway made of Compact Discs. As I walked through this tunnel, the different colors of overhead light made me feel inspired and also made me feel like I was being embraced by each color of light. There wasn't one color that stood out, but I feel like each color had it's own personality. My eye caught different perspectives of the tunnel and one that stood out was the vanishing point, or lines in a parallel perspective that appear to converge. This made me focus on the light at the end of the tunnel, and honestly, I feel like this is what I want to apply in life, not from a naive perspective, but always from a viewpoint of gratefulness. No matter how hard the process may be or if an in-the-moment experience can be frustrating, I have the choice to believe in the be...

                                Over the Rainbow: Taken by Chanel Kostich (Location: Tantalus Lookout, Oahu, Hawaii) Over the summer, I lived in Hawaii for three months and had a wonderful time exploring, adventuring and enjoying life. Hawaii is a magical place for many reasons, one of them being the scenery. When I visited one of the famous lookout points in Oahu called the Tantalus Lookout, I got to experience rain, shine and an unexpected full rainbow that is pictured above. It's rare to experience a full rainbow where you can see all the colors of the spectrum including: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. I believe that symbolism plays a huge part in our daily lives and is a reflection of who we are as human beings. Rainbows are symbolic for giving peace and serenity to the world. When I look at this picture, I feel re-awakened by the reflection of light that I see through the rainb...

Little Plant of Mine I rise and you attract the shine I breathe the colorful air you provide  You bear the leaves that nourishes the mind I take care of you and you take care of me A little green friend that needs the sunlight. That needs the water reflecting life. You grow a little taller, more than I. You smell so good you little basil you.  I am glad I have you as mine.

While sitting in the courtyard in front of the Gillespie studios, I was captivated by what I saw along the pathway before me.  A few days prior, we'd just learned all about how to use our dimmers in lighting class.  We learned about all the parts; how to connect them to power, each other and the board; and how to focus them.  It was a fascinating, yet challenging lesson, as I have never worked with dimmers before, beyond being the subject of their gaze.  I'm still learning how to use those shutters! The above image captured so much of what we talked about in our dimmer lesson. The shadow of the tree reminds me of a gobo, and how I'd need to run the barrel in order to further sharpen or blur the image. If the bottom of the image is stage left, and the top is stage right, it would appear that the entire stage is not lit, and perhaps another dimmer (or 2) may need to come into play if the goal is to cast light on the whole stage.  Also, the stage right edge of ...

Another World - Taken by Kent Shinomae (Location: Shark's Cove on Oahu, Hawaii) When scuba diving, I feel as if I enter another world. It's an amazing feeling down here. Just like being on land, the ocean also creates moments from chaos to moments of calmness and tranquility like this. The sunlight shooting down into the rocks is such a beautiful sight to see. The light hitting the rocks and coral bring out its true colors, by adding life to something that may have been seen in a different manner or have not been easily seen at all. The same phenomenon occurs when light hits a side of a building, the grass and trees in a park, or even on a person's face. Sunlight is a natural process that occurs in our lives and something that I am truly grateful to witness when it creates beautiful moments like this in my life.

Chris Burden's " Urban Light " installation at LACMA Ah, the infamous and Instagram-famous "Urban Lights" installation at Los Angeles County Museum of Art...  I found myself hesitant to appreciate these lights; I had seen them plastered all over Instagram too much for my liking. However, as I stood underneath the mass of tall lights, I saw the beauty in them. The striking contrast between black sky and the bright, yet soft, glow of cool light was soothing yet engaging. The way the light bounced and reflected off the posts seemed both unpredictably and strategically designed. There seemed to be one hundred people at the "Urban Lights" installation that night. But as I peered up into the black night sky, the people also faded to dark, and the 202 lights cut the dark with the most ultimate luminosity.  -Brittany

My new found enjoyment is venturing around the UCI campus on my skateboard. It gives me an opportunity to think, observe people and discover inspiring areas like this. I automatically thought of a theatrical stage and ideas began filling my mind.  What would you create here? 

7am Sands of Time  Morning Haze  Reflections  Pathways to the Unknown Commit and Journey Realistic Hopes Cinematic Dreams  No Filter Natural and True  Wake up Rise and Shine  

An important, arguably a vital, practice in my life is sitting in stillness. It allows me to breathe and be . I love finding new ways to be still and sometimes I find myself inspired as I pass through different areas around UC-Irvine's campus; I especially notice wide open spaces. As I walked through Aldrich Park,  I decided to sit on a bench  and stared at the vast trees in the park.  I wondered,  would I have noticed this if I was so focused on today's tasks? I invited my rabbit-trail of thoughts and immediately thought of ballet class when my professor referred to a dancer's foundation as a tree trunk and then the branches, or extremities, expand from our foundation, or the position of the pelvis working in tandem with a dancer's core. It is breathtaking to see the trees lit in such a way that highlights their fortress-like qualities but offers a beautiful view of protection and solace in its shade. Since the time was early in the afternoon, the sun pr...