'When you have found it, you should stick to it.'

For a breakdown of the sections of my choreography so far please see Figure 1.

Lopez Ochoa inspired both how I choreographed and approached my research, such as looking into varied sources for a well-rounded understanding. Hepburn's films (see films below) showed her style, documentaries ((Darcey Bussell's Looking For Audrey, 2014) and figure 2) and interviews helped me to understand her, and articles (for articles see 'Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering - because you can't take it in all at once.') showed how me how she was perceived. I also admire how Lopez Ochoa exposes vulnerability and realised that a purely pretty piece would be a misrepresentation of Hepburn. Lopez Ochoa’s approach to mistakes additionally changed my mindset; when I accidentally brake ‘rules’ I now see these anomalies as interesting choreographic decisions.

I faced many challenges, such as choreographing in Hepburn's style. From watching her movies (see films below), I discovered her ladylike yet carefree movement, which I then mimicked. I also struggled with my tendency to create static work, so I set a 'level' objective increasing for each track, which created a growth of energy. The musical counts were challenging, so I took my timings from the lyrics or changing melody, forcing me to listen more intently to the subtleties, which created better musicality and a more cohesive piece.

As my investigation evolved, the movements gained a greater depth of meaning. For example, as I learnt of her father’s abandonment, I realised that often those who she depended on her let her down. I changed a 'dependent' movement of grabbing a hand to the hand disappearing and imagining something flying away. Throughout the solo, my own thought process while dancing has become a more detailed narrative, due to this knowledge.

Bibliography:

Figure 1

Figure 2

Film:

• Breakfast At Tiffany's. (1961). [film] Directed by B. Edwards. Hollywood: Paramount Pictures.
• My Fair Lady. (1964). [DVD] Directed by G. Cukor. USA: Warner Bros.
• Funny Face. (1957). [DVD] Directed by S. Donen. USA: Paramount Pictures.
• Sabrina. (1954). [DVD] Directed by B. Wilder. USA: Paramount Pictures.
• Roman Holiday. (1953). [DVD] Directed by W. Wyler. USA: Paramount Pictures.

• Darcey Bussell's Looking For Audrey, (2014). [TV programme] BBC One: BBC.