In this appendix, the current members of Quinteto del Diablo share their experience in the process of creating and performing 'The Devil on the Dance Floor'.
The members are the Polish electric guitar player Piotr Lipowicz, Dutch violinist Daniel Leenders, Swedish double bass player Ella Stenstedt, and Lithuanian accordion player Daumantas Stundžia
Question 1:
Outside the DODF project, how many times have you had the chance to work with an artist from another performing art (dance and/or theater)?
-Piotr Lipowicz:
Once, I believe (small theater opera).
-Daniel Leenders:
Roughly 3 times.
-Ella Stenstedt:
Never [...].
-Daumantas Stundžia:
Just a few to be honest. As a kid of 9 or 10[,] I had one concert where I was playing while a contemporary dancer was improvising on top of that, however, it is not much of an experience to be honest when you are 9 or 10, - my mind was not in a right placefor these kind of collaborations. Much later on, prior the DODF [the Devil on the Dance Floor], me and Goda [Žukauskaitė] had another small project for a Lithuanian culture-based event which I would say led to a more eye opening experience that at the end somewhat contributed to my awareness and presence whilein DODF.
Q9:
Why was it important for you as a musician to be aware of your stage presence during the performance of DODF?
-Piotr Lipowicz:
I assume the purpose of it is to bring the musicians closer to dance/acting so the performance can be truly interdisciplinary. I would not call a dancer dancing to a band playing interdisciplinary.
-Daniel Leenders:
Because there was more going on than just the music itself. One was part of a staging and of a live performance that was also visually telling a story.
-Ella Stenstedt:
Because we were constantly visible on stage, even when we were not playing. Also because we wanted it to be one story from beginning to end, so we didn't want to lose the sense of energy by "switching off" in-between playing.
-Daumantas Stundžia:
It is deeply important in any craft that involves some scenery work to be aware of your stage presence. If you are a performer, when you are on the stage, you are performing at all times, even when you do not take action. I mean, one cannot pick his nose at the same time when for instance Daniel and the dancer have their hug moment together, come on ...! The energy and tension we all brought as individuals had to speak for itself regardless of who was in ''action'' in certain moments of the show. It was happening non-stop, it did not have parts or breaks, it was a continuous, ongoing performance.
Q10:
From your own experience, in which ways can interaction happen between disciplines?
-Piotr Lipowicz:
Musicians’ bodies are part of the performance. Instruments become stage props. Dancer using their body as an instrument. Lighting reacting to the music and the dancer. Light design affecting, complimenting the colour/mood of the music.
-Daniel Leenders:
If you have a mutual idea to show and if both disciplines create something new by enriching each other and it wouldn’t be the same if one of them was left out.
-Ella Stenstedt:
I think, as long as you stay creative and open, the sky is the limit for what kind of collaborations you can do.
-Daumantas Stundžia:
I am sure there could be more than these two answers to the question, but I would say very boldly we are talking [about] two [kinds of interaction]: 1) no interaction; 2) interaction.
1) When it just happens that there is one discipline and the other, but even if being seen as one, they work separately. i.e., someone plays a tune and someone does 4 steps on it, just well, because, these kinds of [guidelines] shall be the steps.
2) When the performers work as unity to reach a little bit of a higher purpose material, new emotional heights. The latter one requires some unique talent and human resourcefulness to achieve!
Q 2:
Shortly, which aspects of the performance did the work with director Laura Suárez focus on?
-Piotr Lipowicz:
Body/stage awareness. Achieving deeper communication/connection between the performers. Equality of two different art disciplines within the performance (dance and music).
-Daniel Leenders:
Choreography, stage presence, awareness, communication on stage, expression...
-Ella Stenstedt:
From what I can remember now[,] we worked on the awareness of us being on stage, and how to integrate another art form (in this case dance) into our work as a performing quintet. Also[,] the awareness of what is going on on stage even when you are not specifically playing, not just by looking but also "sensing" what is going on behind you[,] for instance. Also about the level of energy throughout the performance, that it didn't drop between pieces, movements[,] etc.
-Daumantas Stundžia:
Very boldly[,] I would say on two things: opening up the connection between all the performers involved[,] and guiding the dancer throughout it. Of course, not picking the first one mentioned, we could separate the connection between the musicians as a whole and then the connection to the dancer, but I think getting us all 6 together as a whole was a much bigger goal than [...] 5+1.
Q3:
From the group dynamics carried out during the rehearsals, which ones were the most enriching for you? Which ones were the most enriching for the group?
-Piotr Lipowicz:
I liked the group exercises. I mean, sometimes it’s hard and challenging on an interpersonal/social level to achieve a deeper connection with other people, even a friend. But having overcome some of that during the session it was then easier to interact on stage. I believe it was equally enriching for myself and the group.
-Daniel Leenders:
The most enriching aspect that came along was that everything put together made a different art form[,] and all of us were evenly participating to reach that same goal.
-Ella Stenstedt:
I think all the things mentioned above, the DODF made me aware as a musician in a different way than I was before. We musicians tend to focus only on what happens basically between the first played note and the last, and not so much about how to enter the stage, how to start and how to finish a piece etc., and what a difference it makes to the performance. I think [...] this also helped us a lot in [developing] our way to play as a group.
-Daumantas Stundžia:
There were some moments when [...] I felt us all as one. Whatever one person would do, the others would react accordingly and vice versa. It is rare and at the same time extraordinary to see this kind of connection be so strong and natural. Especially me being such an individualist in general, it was quite overwhelmingly amazing!
Q6:
In which way has the interaction with the dancer affected your body language (posture and actions)?
-Piotr Lipowicz:
I think the previous answer says a lot already, but [I] can add that having a dancer takes some of the attention away from the instrument, which makes it harder for the musician to get locked in the technical zone and brings more attention to interaction and interpretation. Playing stuff by heart feels like a necessity. Having a very distinct light design that additionally leads the eyes of the audience also rises the importance of the visual.
-Daniel Leenders:
I started having a 360-degree awareness around my body. I was being more flexible and using/feeling more muscles. My playing on stage was much more directed to the outward (to people on stage or public) rather than being shy or intimate.
-Ella Stenstedt:
Not so much in moving, but more in maybe the facial expressions, the way to look, and just feeling the energy of what is around.
-Daumantas Stundžia:
I would say it takes away some focus that one would always put on its own craft and puts it to a little different perspective since it is not only your craft anymore but [...] both the ensemble's and the dancer's craft. So [...] I would ease up a notch, start breathing in a different manner, together, in unity, perhaps more relaxed, confident. Maybe it would not be so visual, but the hand just slightly touching my face when in the accordion solo of Concierto para Quinteto... that's heaven, the calmest, most relaxed, and organic moment for me [...].
Q7:
In which way has the interaction with the dancer influenced your playing?
-Piotr Lipowicz:
-Daniel Leenders:
-Ella Stenstedt:
-Daumantas Stundžia:
Q8:
How much (in a scale of 1 to 5) do you think the project facilitated a deeper knowledge of your body when playing?
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% |
Q4:
Mention two pieces that were contrasting for you and briefly describe your experience with them.
-Piotr Lipowicz:
Maybe Romance [del Diablo] and Vayamos [al Diablo]. Playing Vayamos feels like a trance we experience together. A mad carriage we are all in. Romance seems to be more about individual qualities and colours. There is more time to reflect on what the other’s input is and react to it.
-Daniel Leenders:
The ensemble pieces by Piazzolla always felt for my like coming home. We all knew them very well, we were very confident about them and there was an amazing feeling of exchange with the dancer. My solo with the dancer (sonata by Ysaye) served as a contrast with the music of Piazzolla. The challenge was to create a different sound and expression than we did together in Piazzolla. I felt an immense amount of freedom in the music, more than I would feel at a regular concert.
-Ella Stenstedt:
Two pieces that I liked working on, in particular, were the Motivy [double bass] solo and the Concierto para Quinteto. In the solo piece, I was first of all busy with my own playing, so it was a challenge to kind of "let" the dancer into my world. In Concierto[,] for instance[,] I have less to play and I could also work on for instance how to "be" with another person when he is playing. Also, the different levels of energy in a piece such as the Concierto was fun to discover, as well as the intense ending of the Motivy.
-Daumantas Stundžia:
I wanted to choose the violin and accordion solos, but [...] it is possible to see a similar mark in some of the other compositions where the whole ensemble was participating. One [is] the Tango del Diablo, which is full of power, mystery, search, energy, belief, emotional attachment of some kind. Romance del Diablo [...] was an all-around sensation of melting sugar in your mouth or a sunflower turning down when the sun goes down. I felt that we had the power to make these emotions shine [...] through the dancer's body and her pallet of feelings to the audience. Some parts of it, [especially in] Tango del Diablo - perhaps battling a little and some of them, referring to Romance del Diablo, just in a complete unity, peaceful and quiet. One thing worth mentioning with Daniel's solo[,] though, is that we all participated in it, even though it was only [watching] them playing/dancing. Participation without an actual action, just by your presence, I think that is quite mindblowing!
Q5:
During your first rehearsals with “The Devil on the Dance Floor”, which aspects were hardest for you to get used to as a musician and why?
-Piotr Lipowicz:
For me as not coming from classical training, the big focus on the idea that the body is also an important part of the performance[...] was challenging. I mean, it always does to some extent, but DODF, probably because of the dancer, brings it to the next level — makes musicians in part dancers and the dancer in part musician. But I believe, my general performance ability/awareness can only greatly profit from such experience.
-Daniel Leenders:
Combining new aspects of staging and dance interaction with the expectation of creating a musically professional performance. Later those things two things started to enhance each other.
-Ella Stenstedt:
I would say how to "let" the dancer into our world was the most challenging, since it's not something we are used to
-Daumantas Stundžia:
Personally[,] I have never encountered before work principles or ethics of a theater environment. So[,] for me[,] trying to do what we do after the first couple of ''bueno excercises'' [collective dynamics] was an eye-opening experience. People you think you know for years, the instrument you play for even more years... it all just felt different, sparkling, and dazzling in the most positive ways. And not that it was hard [...] I would say, but it took me some time to get used to this feeling of re-birth of me, my instrument, my fellow colleagues and, it seems, everything around me!
Q11:
What are the main roles that shape interaction?
Four choices:
1) Imitation.
2) Accompaniment.
3) Leading role and accompaniment.
4) Leading, contrasting and accompanying roles.
All the group unanimously chose the fourth option.
Q13:
How would you describe the structure of the final performance? According to you, what was it based on?
-Piotr Lipowicz:
It is a well-structured performance. It’s varied, moody, it has a nice dramaturgic arc, and, most importantly, tells a story. A one that seems to be universal enough to evoke various emotions and interpretations in different people. I would say, it’s based on the daily human struggles we all deal with. Mostly a fight between the good and the bad, dark and light that happens inside of us — portrayed as angel and devil as apparent in Piazzolla’s music.
-Daniel Leenders:
As suggested above, it was created with the idea of the angel and the devil (concepts of good and bad that live in all of us and are part of our daily decision-making). The music of Piazzolla was the foundation of bringing this idea to the ear, and the addition of dancing, the choreography, and lighting, made it a sort of “Gesamtkunstwerk”
-Ella Stenstedt:
I think the piece came from the music in the first place, and the angel/devil concept came in second place. I think as a listener it was a bit more up to you what kind of story we were telling.
-Daumantas Stundžia:
Unpolished diamond. Just because I think this performance never stops to evolve and change. Of course, the concept we had of the two extremes, name it the devil and the angel, was in my view very clearly thought through and could really speak to people, but I would maybe say let's try to see it as a black or white, good or bad, blue or red, happiness or sorrow (and everything in between) kind of thing. And in that sense, we the performers - it cannot be the same this show. We change as people, day to day even if you will. One color is different than another and I am quite sure we all see ''red'' as a different color on different days at different times and then we have all of us working together to try telling of that ''red'' all at once at the same moment... then you have these people in the audience that will have their own take on all the happenings and will experience the show in their own way dependable on their own state of being at that time, - I could go on, but this concept of the two extremes is a little of a genius, to be honest. And it will always be this unpolished diamond, because well, call me crazy, but that's who we, people, are and as artists, we are just trying to tell our stories one way or another.
Q14:
What components would you find essential when starting a new interdisciplinary project?
-Piotr Lipowicz:
Having a clear idea of how the disciplines can complement and enrich one another while staying in balance throughout the performance.
-Daniel Leenders:
What is important is that you try to make a new art form out of existing ones. One should agree to a concept where both forms support and enrich each other. I think dialogue is important in the execution. Most of the time you’ll create a story (or an idea with a storyline) that is supported by all art forms.
-Daumantas Stundžia:
It doesn't have so much to do with the interdisciplinary project more than actually any sort of project. I have not really been musically active for almost a year now and I think any activity coming my way - it has to be true to me and I have to be passionate about it to give myself 100% in it. Other than that[,] there is not really a point in trying to pretend something. But sure, if the project rings a bell somewhere in this crazy soul or brain of mine... vamos!
I think more of the professional projects we did, naming the CTF Utrecht and NJO - we adapted extremely well when given a professional team to work with (Teus, Freddy, Zuzanna, etc). CTF was a masterpiece of what we did with the cafe we were given, I think we were ahead of our time for that festival, to be honest. And the NJO, that's more about right.
I would say we can adapt really well to different venues with the DODF, we just need a little assistance, professional care, and freedom to let us do our thing!
Appendix 2
Insights from the members of the
Quinteto del Diablo after the project
'The Devil on the Dance Floor'
Ella Stenstedt, Piotr Lipowicz,
Daniel Leenders, and Daumantas Stundžia
Q12:
To what extent, from a scale from 1 to 5, do you think the concept of the devil and the angel has shaped the creative process of DODF?
1: The concept wasn't important. The key of the performance was the repertoire we chose.
5: The concept was central and every musical and performatic decision adapted to it.
Piotr: 5 - Ella: 4 - Daniel: 4 - Daumantas: 3.