Q&A with Greg Schutte: Composer/Sound Designer for ANTARANGA: Between You and Me

When people hear the name Greg Schutte, usually the word "drummer" comes to mind, but his talents extend way beyond that role and just one example is his work as the composer and sound designer for the Ananya Dance Theatre's upcoming work - ANTARANGA: Between You and Me. If you're like me and not entirely sure what "composer/sound designer" all entails - at least for this production - this means that Greg wrote, recorded, played music on, mixed and mastered the entire score for the production.

If you’re not already familiar, the Ananya Dance Theatre is the leading creator of contemporary dance in the global arts and social justice movement. The show itself - ANTARANGA: Between You and Me - is set in a world in deep crisis (much like our own) where most people have lost their ability to sense the energy of other human beings and can no longer recognize or connect with each other. A few humsafar (Urdu for “fellow travelers”) remain, blessed with super-connecting and heart-opening powers. As they undertake perilous journeys, they forge connectivities that may yet heal the world. ANTARANGA is the first work in a duology, and explores themes of intimacy, connection, trust, and community among BIPOC women/femmes.

I've been lucky enough to get some glimpses into the incredible process and previews of the stunning music over the past months, so I asked Greg to share some more about his work, creative approach, the music and more. Read on!

How many years have you done the music for Ananya Dance Theatre?

Quite a few! I did the music for a number of years and then took a break from it because of some touring commitments but returned to do last year's show and now this year's Antaranga.

Generally speaking, how do you approach a project like this that might be different than others you work on? Can you speak to your process?

The biggest difference is that for this project I'm creating all of the music, whereas typically I am recording, producing and performing for other artists for their music and personal vision.

Process-wise, It looks a little different for each show, but generally speaking, Ananya and I meet early on to discuss her vision and the stories and themes that relate to current events and that begins the back and forth of ideas. Some of my early compositions will stay around and end up in final work and then some get discarded because the choreography might change, stories evolve or new ideas emerge. Then, my job is to support the dance and connect the stories to the dance, integrating the sonics of the choreography.

Another difference from the work I do most of the time, is that with dance, there is footwork that makes sound and takes on the form of another group member or instrument. So it becomes another element of the music -- the rhythmic structure and tonality of the footwork is a baseline for a lot of the composition. I am conscious of it when I'm composing and then integrate the footwork sound and framework with the music, whether it be tempos, etc. and then play with the live sonics of the footwork with recorded composition.

Is there a specific piece or something you're especially proud of/really happy with how it came together?

The pieces this year are overall longer than last and the choreography ended up leading to me taking a through-composed composition style and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Each music section is truly new and there's less thematics with respect to traditional western music forms. I typically don't write in that style, so it's been a fun process to get to write that way.

And overall, this year I went in directions I haven't really gone before and I took more chances musically. I wasn't as careful and precious with the music as I'd typically be - instead of thinking about what people would think about the music, I just responded to the feeling of the work and the stories being told and I think that approach really paid off.

What's the most challenging thing about a project like this?

Probably the most challenging thing is to make sure I'm properly supporting and elevating the choreography sonically and that means that sometimes things I write and develop won't get used. The footwork has specific counts and odd time signatures that I have to create the music around, so at times I have to transcribe the footwork rhythm and create music around that rhythmic framework. Another challenge is being able to find specific sounds for certain sections and I often have to get creative with modifying instruments and taking non-traditional approaches to traditional instruments. For example, in one section I played an electric guitar with mallets to get a dulcimer effect and in another, I needed to create a thunder sound which I ended up achieving by peeling tape off a drum. One way to think of it is that it's somewhat similar to a foley artist who creates sound effects for a movie or a soundtrack - I think of it as integrating foley sound design with world music, pop and rock.

What are you looking forward to when you sit in the audience and watch/listen to the performance at the end of the month?

Because I'm typically on stage performing, being in the audience is an unusual and unique perspective for me to get to see how people respond to the work. It's a fascinating experience to get to witness the reactions to the music and the choreography and the whole show. It's just really fun to be on that side of it and watch it all go down.

Why should someone buy a ticket to see Ataranga?

Everyone - this group of dancers, the set design, visuals - just all of the individuals involved - they're all working at an extremely high level. It's a really talented group of artists making the show come together and that comes through loud and clear in the finished product. Plus, in true Ananya Dance Theatre fashion, don't expect to be lightly entertained with Antaranga - there will be moments of discomfort and being pushed out of your comfort zone. It's an incredible show.

The need-to-know details:

When:

World Premiere

Friday, September 27

Saturday, September 28

7:30 p.m.

Where:

The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University in St. Paul

All seats are Pay What You Can, $5-$55; suggested price is $35

You can buy tickets here.