This week, I spent two days writing short scripts for holiday drama workshops. One is an original story about the magic of the natural world, and one is a (very) abridged version of Robin Hood. These stories inspired the header image, by the way. The image is by Jonny Gios on Unsplash, forever one of my favourite websites.

I really enjoyed writing those scripts. Some of it was a bit tedious, like double checking every student would have an equal share of the lines, but crafting the stories was really fun, and I should remember that necessary work tasks can still be fun and creative. I also enjoyed embedding some deeper themes into the frothy stories about magic and fighting (children's favourite things).

Two days were spent on some early-stage work for a dance commission (I will share more on this in due course). I'm using automatic drawing techniques as my starting point, and so I did some doodling and managed to draw out some cool squiggles. I think I want to use them in the journey across the floor, and the artwork is also influencing the movement quality. It's exciting to have a different starting point for the work, and draw inspiration from an unlikely place.

After I'd finished doodling, I went on the hunt for music to match the vibes. I personally struggle to choreograph without the music, so this was a necessary next step. I've landed on tunes by Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa. Sometimes I feel weird about using popular music in my dance work, but then I remember that my two favourite dance pieces are 'Rooster' by Christopher Bruce and 'Message in a Bottle' by Kate Prince. They use the music of The Rolling Stones and Sting/The Police respectively. If pop music is good enough for them, it's good enough for me.