Rehearsal 12, 09 July 2020

9am – 1pm

Rumah P7:1SMA

Haizad started off the rehearsal by updating the performers about the developments of the production along with some of its technical aspects:

- The recording location is now changed to Drama Centre Black Box

o There will now be a 7m x 7m white box demarcated on the floor

- Sudden short discussion on what they learnt about Sudirman’s death and his story

- As for the solos:

o Haizad decided for them to be done lyrically.

o They were to inform Daryl what they prefer their lighting to be.

o For now, Haizad’s lighting will include a diagonal line, and Sharul’s lights will be colourful.

- As for Song 5, the duets:

o Light will gradually become “smaller”, at the end of the segment only fitting one in the light.

o The audience will be able to choose who is in that light at the end of the segment.

- As for Song 6:

o The stool will be used as the make-up table, situated upstage center.

o Folding of clothes will be in the middle of the stage.

o The cup noodles, accompanied by newspaper and a candle will be downstage right.

§ Clearance will be required for using the candle in the black box.

o The one doing the plank will be downstage left.

o Haizad might want to do 3 or 4 configurations for the performers, 1 for each song.

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Updates and clarifications.

The performers then proceeded to tailor the choreography for the Umbrella segment, Song 7, to each of the 4 songs, while keeping in mind the placement of props from the previous segments. Since there are 4 songs and there are 4 performers, one of them will be “featured” in each song and will be the first to enter the space for the allocated song. There are also small differences in positioning due to the different sequence of entry for each song. It was also mentioned by Haizad that they will have to remember the small differences in the choreographies and timings for each song. At the end of the segment, the performers will come together with their umbrellas downstage left. The transition or ending of the segment has not been determined yet, after arranging the umbrellas.

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The end of the segment.

The performers customised the choreography into three of the songs; Suci Dalam Debu (Syimah’s), Untukmu Ibu (Xiao Jun’s) and Penghujung Rindu (Sharul’s). Running thoughts and notes during the process:

- They fine-tuned the timing (without music) while still leaving room to adjust when music is played.

- There were some moments where they intentionally contrasted the timings (between keeping to the music’s beat and moving double speed) to keep it dynamic.

o Both seemed to “fit” the music, so it is down to preference on what speed the performers connect the choreography with the music better.

o It appears that they were fitting the choreography into the music as compared to choreographing with the music.

- Moments in the choreography that fit in nicely with moments in one song fit differently in the other songs.

- The process progressively became smoother as they went along;

o Sometimes taking reference from the previous song’s moments and timing.

o Sometimes because they were more familiar with the choreography, therefore being more aware of which part of the choreography fit better with which part of the song.

- Even though some of the songs were about the same duration (~5 mins), they had different tempos, which led to nuances in the timing and choreography.

o What if the song was edited to fit the tempo of the choreography instead? Would that have a different effect / nuance?

- Occasionally, they would “fix” the timing on the fly, as they were dancing with the music.

- There were some exaggerated dramatic parts that were added into the choreography to better fit into the song.

- What determines the synchronicity with the music i.e. counting, timing, layers, rhythms etc?

- The performers commented that 2 of the umbrellas are more Chinese-centric, due to the design and material used (as they were made from paper, which was invented in China)

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Fine-tuning the choreography into the different songs.

After the process, Haizad mentioned that they will continue with the last song for the Umbrella segment, and will go through Song 8 as well as their individual solos. The performers then dispersed as Xiao Jun had another rehearsal and Haizad needed to prepare for an online conference. Syimah and Sharul were to work on their solos and/or research till the end of the rehearsal.

Observations and notes as they went about:

- Syimah played her song on repeat through her laptop.

o Sang along as she knows the lyrics, and continued even when the song stopped

o She has a clear relationship with the song.

- Sharul was trying with props from the studio namely the tudung saji, a photo and his long sleeve top.

o His actual props are tepak sireh, batik and a photo.

o He shared his idea / concept with Syimah and showed her what he developed so far.

- Syimah was checking with Adi for clearance to use a non-smoky candle and a small amount of water for her solo.

o It will need to be checked with Drama Centre.

o Since it is a recording, arrangements can be made to ensure the safety in the space.

- Haizad chipped in that their props should not obstruct the following segments.

- The performers are free to choose the filters for the video, and can discuss with Hafiz.

o They can also share their preferred number of angles. If they do not have any, it will then be decided for them.

- The consideration of wearing shoes (contemporary) or being barefoot (Malay).

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Developing their solos.