How to remain an artist once we grow up?

‘Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.’
Pablo Picasso

Next up is Kirsten Ho, our fantastic and talented choreographer who has been working tirelessly with a group of dancers to create YAF’s Cubism dance piece. See their performance at #artsinthepark2013 on 16 – 17 November in Victoria Park!

Cubism was pioneered in the early 20th century by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque and was one of the most influential movements in modern art. The Cubists explored new ways of expressing three-dimensions on a flat canvas. They did this by analysing and ‘breaking up’ their subjects into different shapes, reassembling the segments into abstracted forms and painting them from different perspectives.

We speak to Kirsten about her dance piece…

Inspiration behind Cubism…

I began looking at a variety of art works and artists (Picasso, Jean Metzinger, Fernand Léger) under the Cubism art movement and was immediately drawn to the lines and colours of the paintings. I wanted to recreate such lines with linear movement in my choreography and challenge the dancers with clean movement combined with challenging beats, rhythms and sequences.

Picking music

I spent days searching the internet for music that inspired me and related to the theme of Cubism. Because so many famous Cubism artists are Spanish, I wanted to include some music with a Spanish flare.

Challenges during the rehearsal process…for the piece…

I created this dance with a lot of layering which took a lot of time but really paid off. The dancers were so hard working and patiently learned every short sequence before I began to dissect, re-arrange and structure the dance. It was confusing at first but I’m really pleased with the outcome. With the costume and stage design it’s going to look even better.

Come join us for a fun performance full of energy, talent and creativity! See you at #artsinthepark2013!