Fine arts seal
Georgeanna Vasquez
Capstone and Reflection
I began choreographing this piece in August 2021 for my final Fall concert at South Mountain. With it being our first concert back in person, choreographers were able to be versatile with the themes of our pieces given there was no central message or idea necessary to follow. My song selection process was not an easy one as I almost changed it several times. However, I love jazzy and sassy movements and "Supermassive Black Hole" is different and interesting, so I thought the movements would mesh well with it. I titled the piece "False Pretenses," and my theme centered on the idea of simply overcoming obstacles whether that be fears, insecurities, another person, or in my case intrusive or toxic thoughts. With life being a constant learning phase, I believe everyone can relate in one way or another considering we are all in a battle with something even if it's ourselves. The song has an eerie undertone and at parts I wanted to give the feeling of being chased. I also use several phrases that oscillate back and forth to show the push and pull in overcoming something. Many times we feel we're finally better, over something, and then proceed to fall back into bad habits or even self sabotage. Opposition and unison trade off numerous times to show how we can fall in and out of sync with ourselves or others and feel connected yet separated at the same time. Overall, "False Pretenses" is almost meant to be a visual representation of the emotional roller coasters we face throughout life. In the end, with the help of distinct physical differences in the dancers, I was able to capture a role reversal moment where the dancer who started on the floor and was chased leaves the other dancer, who symbolizes her unwanted attachment, on the floor and conquered.
The Process
The overall process of composing a piece for others by myself was interesting because it was the first time being totally in control. I initially began choreographing to a different song and decided to change it about a week or two in. Although I love the song and the tone and it adds to the overall performance, it is one of the main things I might consider doing differently. The only reason being that it was very repetitive and that challenged me to come up with unique movement to the same chorus several times. Ideas came to me when thinking of what it would look like if you were to have multiple people in your head essentially having a conversation and fighting. I chose the costumes because the flare added to the sassy affect that I wanted to convey. At first I thought it would be interesting to see the dancers in different outfits to emphasize the separation but in the end it didn't workout as well as I thought it would. The detailed theme evolved as the dance progressed. I knew there was an overall feeling of tension, and a battle of sorts was looming, so I focused on the mood and how it felt like a struggle from within. I collaborated with the dancers several times, and everyone was always easy going. Everyone had fun with the project and I couldn't have asked for better performers.
Performances 2018-2021
Fall Concert 2018
This was my first high school dance performance, and it was an unforgettable experience. Mountain Pointe was big on school spirit and so many people came. The crowd was amazing. I performed in 5 dances so these are just a few excerpts of some of the dances. All dances were student lead and had one choreographer. The dances were all different and unique. I was so grateful for the opportunity to participate in so many different styles.
Spring Concert 2019
This was my final concert with Mountain Pointe's dance team, and it was a sad one since I knew that I wouldn't be returning in the fall. The finale was my favorite piece because "On the Floor" is one of my favorite songs. It was upbeat, fun, and jazzy with hints of hip hop. Class pieces were always my favorite because working with a larger group looks super cool on stage, and there's so many possibilities in relation to formations and tricks. The team had many traditions including passing on a tutu that every senior gives to a junior after adding something to it as well as group huddles and prayers before opening piece. I made so many memories my freshman year and I wouldn't have done anything differently.
Fall Concert 2019
These are two pieces from my first fall concert at South Mountain. The small group piece was a group choreography piece. We wanted to tell a story and of course have a fight scene. The group was super fun to work with, and it taught us about collaboration. The class piece was choreographed by Ms. Griffin which had a nightmare like feel to it. There were three groups of dancers and three different costumes. The movement for each group was inspired by different periods of life, from a child to almost grown up. I loved the masks because they added to the creepy affect and helped us get into that character.
Spring 2021
This piece was choreographed by Ms. Griffin my junior year which was when we first started getting back to in person school. Looking back, this piece is special to me because it was my first time being back in the studio after what felt like forever. COVID was hard for everyone and without being able to dance it felt as if a part of me was missing. I was part of the first group of students to begin in person learning, for this reason I couldn't wait to get back. The theme was related to claiming our stories and making them the best we can. It also about coming back and reconnecting with ourselves and others.
