Information
1991 DOCUMENTATION
Home Movies and Other Family Secrets (1991)
FULL CLOSETS
Dancers: Chara Huckins, Lori Hunter,
and Sarah Hudelson-Stack
Choreographed by: Elizabeth Miklavcic
Photograph: Video Still
2011 DOCUMENTATION
TorinOver10 (2010-2011)
Salt Lake City in 90 Seconds
Created by:
Jimmy & Elizabeth Miklavcic
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Presentations Are Available!
For further information go to
Education
Contact Another Language
about scheduling a presentation
for your organization.
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Contact Information
Office: (801) 707-9930
e-mail: info(at)anotherlanguage(dot)org
www.anotherlanguage.org
ANOTHER LANGUAGE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
National Advisory Board
Charles Amirkhanian
Executive Director
Other Minds Festival
San Francisco, CA
Jeff Carpenter
Multimedia Specialist, NCSA
Urbana Champaign, IL
Kent Christensen
Artist
New York, NY
Karly Rothenberg
Faculty Member and
Industry Event Coordinator
AMDA College & Conservatory
Sun Valley, CA
Utah Advisory Board
Pauline Blanchard
The Pauline Blanchard Trust
Wayne Bradford
Systems Administrator
University of Utah
Harold Carr
Software Architect
Oracle Corporation
Board of Directors
Kathy Valburg
Another Language President
Whitney Loosle
Jan Abramson
Staff
Jimmy Miklavcic
Founding Co-Director
Elizabeth Miklavcic
Founding Co-Director
Gallery
Art-of-the-Month
Another Language Performing Arts Company's Art-of-the-Month was created to publicly feature a variety of visual art expressions created by the directors of Another Language. Exhibiting abstract acrylic to digital paintings, and running the gambit in-between, this gallery exhibition offers the viewer an online gallery experience with a new addition each month. The Art-of-the-Month web program began September 2010, and features a variety of paintings, showing a body of work spanning decades. Extensive visual art galleries are available to supporting members in the Membership area of the website.
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Retro - 1 (2024)
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By Elizabeth Miklavcic
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Retro - 2 (2024)
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By Elizabeth Miklavcic
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Retro - 3 (2024)
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By Elizabeth Miklavcic
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Retro - 4 (2024)
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By Elizabeth Miklavcic
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A fractal is a never-ending pattern. Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales. They are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop. Driven by recursion, fractals are images of dynamic systems. Geometrically, they exist in between our familiar dimensions. Fractal patterns are extremely familiar, since nature is full of fractals. For instance: trees, rivers, coastlines, mountains, clouds, seashells, hurricanes, etc. Abstract fractals – such as the Mandelbrot Set – can be generated by a computer calculating a simple equation over and over. – Description from Fractal Foundation Website
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Spotlight
Ted Speaks His Mind - Site Specific Performance (1986)
Upstage Rt. - Geneva Ann Moss, Elizabeth Miklavcic
Downstage Lft. - Jimmy Miklavcic
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Dancer Placement
Video Still
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THE STAGE AND THE FRAME
A Comparison Between Choreography and Photography
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I have spent years studying choreography and I have spent years studying photography. As I pursue the visual 2D frame more and more I am struck by the creative and technical parallels of these seemingly different artistic pursuits.
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In choreography, the knowledge of where the stage impact spaces are for positioning dancers in places of power, such as the four corners, movement on the diagonals from upstage to downstage, center stage as an anchor, and off-center positioning used for visual tension enhance the composition. The choreographer understands this, the audience, maybe, not so much, but the audience does know how the dance they just experienced impacted them.
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There are a variety of factors, for example, where and how the dancers move in the
space, and
the pathways upon which they travel will draw the audience’s attention. There are so many other elements to consider, such as movement invention and dynamics, rhythm, levels, repetition, as well as, technical elements such as lighting and sound.
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Understanding the stage space you are working with is, also, an important factor. Are you choreographing for a large proscenium stage with the audience sitting on different levels? Those levels consist of the orchestra, the mezzanine, and all the way in the rear balcony, affectionately known as the nose bleed section. Seating placement impacts the experience for the audience member.
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Other stages can be very intimate. Is the audience on the same level as the performer? Is it theater in the round? Some performances might be sight specific, which Another Language Performing Arts Company has done many through the years, such as Ted Speaks His Mind (1986), Where Paths Seldom Cross (1989), and Alley (1989) just to mention a few. All of these factors change the viewing and, also, the kinetic experience for the member of the audience.
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When a movement piece begins to come together, an important factor that I examine is if the composition is reaching beyond the stage into the house, to the audience member. Has it touched the viewer in some manner? Is there a response? One of my favorite things to take into consideration about a dance that I have created is to examine the impact of the choreographic motional dynamics. If I’ve touched you, if my work has impacted you, that is important. Otherwise, you are just looking at wallpaper.
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The capturing of a photograph is anything but still, as the photographer goes through the process of making the frame. Getting to the location, finding a composition, knowing the camera settings for the conditions at hand, waiting for the light, battling the elements, and finally taking the photo, are factors that require a maximum amount of effort.
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Wide Shot - Purple Mountain Area (2024)
Classical Grand Landscape
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Photo: Elizabeth Miklavcic
Foreground, Mid-Ground, Background
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There are many parallels between a photographic composition and staging a piece of choreography that can be examined. The use of levels is interesting. Think about where the photographer is shooting from; at ground level, mid-range, eye level, or from above, either because of being at a viewpoint or using aerial equipment such as a drone, or shooting from a helicopter. These points-of-view can be applied to the low, medium and high levels of the dancer, as well as, understanding the stage space placements discussed earlier.
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There is the foreground, mid-ground and background compositional considerations of the photographic frame. What element in the composition is moving the viewers eye through the photograph? Is there a leading line? Where is the point-of-focus? Is there something interesting happening in the captured moment such as, the splash of a wave, a storm, lightning, sunlight cresting or setting over the horizon? Another consideration can be the actions of what a person might be doing at the decisive moment that makes the photographer want to click the shutter. How does that translate to the 2D end product that ends up on a wall or on the monitor of a device?
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There is a series of compositional templates that photographers use to place points-of-interests in the stronger areas of the visual frame. There is the
Rule of Thirds, the
Golden Ratio, the
Golden Triangle, the
Diagonal, the
Fibonacci Spiral,
and many more. The thought is to place important compositional elements where the template lines intersect. The viewer will respond to a composition that is constructed in this manner. Of course, rules are always made to be broken, but it is interesting upon evaluation of many photographs how often some element of compositional design translates to a more impactful image.
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Aerial Undulation - Purple Mountain Area (2024)
Follows No Apparent Rules
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Photo: Elizabeth Miklavcic
A Favorite Photograph
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Time is a huge component of photography and of dance. Is the dancer performing movement at a slow, medium, or quick pace? What is the timing between the dancer and the music? Is the dancer on the beat, or purposefully off the implied rhythm?
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Considerations of time are key to creating a photograph. What is the shutter speed? Is it rapid fire to freeze motion such as a bird in flight, or is the photographer taking a long exposure? That can be anything from .5 seconds to several minutes, and possibly longer to create a dream-like image that can smooth out water, or create motion blur of the subjects being captured.
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In photography, the exposure triangle is taken into consideration. You have the shutter speed, the aperture, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which is the camera’s sensitivity to light, all needing to work in tandem. ISO is derived from the greek isos, meaning equal. The camera’s technical elements require balance. This means choosing how wide or narrow the camera’s f-stop is for the shot. A wide open aperture such as a 1.4 f-stop can create a soft surrounding environment, whereas f/16 or narrower will sharpen the landscape from front to back. Additionally, choosing the speed of the shutter, involves an ISO setting that will let in enough light. Arresting a moment in time on the camera’s recording element, such as an image sensor or a frame of film.
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The best parallel I can think of is how technical theater enhances a dance. A spotlight on the dancer with the rest of the stage dark narrows the focus of the audience to the highlighted motion. Lights on-full opens the view of the stage and all the activity taking place. Technical theater elements are imperative for a full immersive experience. Though super-simple performances without any stage components can also be impactful. Nothing is set in stone. I’m just making comparisons between these art forms.
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I look at the stage space and the photographic frame in very similar ways. The same considerations are taken into account to create a compelling piece of art. I’m influenced by the history of my experiences, and I find it fun to realize how similar very different art forms can be.
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By Elizabeth Miklavcic - Founding Co-Director
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MEMBERSHIP
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Another Language Performing Arts Company is a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization. Part of our mission is to combine different art forms in innovative ways and broaden access to cutting-edge performance art with today's technology. We have been able to pursue this mission with the generous support of our national, state and local granting organizations, and our contributing members
Please help us continue our innovative and ground-breaking work by becoming a contributing member. Simply select the link below and contribute now.
- Contribute Now -
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BENEFITS
5x7 Cards by Elizabeth Miklavcic
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Sun
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Carnival In A Pinhole
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Emerging From Blue
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Ruffle's Opening
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