choreography class friday 23rd october

In the choreography class today we looked at structured improvisation, we jumped back into looking Rudolf Labans kinesphere. we used our own kinesphere and reached out in directions within it .E.G :"Right, diagonal, back". we did this by creating a score and then randomly added a body parts to the direction it gave us.

 I found that this was useful as it gave you a predetermined direction to travel in, pushing me to use the space. I found that it gave me unusual movements, as the direction that the body parts had to travel in were not always straight forward. However I found this challenging and an effective way to create new movement material.

His method made my dynamics jerky and sudden, as I had to dash to one direction to the other giving it a manic style and feel. It also manipulated my levels as I was following the score I couldn't stay on the floor for long periods of time, again adding in extra level changes that I wouldn't of put in without using the score.

We then developed this to add travelling sequences in, I found that I used the space a lot more. This will be helpful when choreographing my solo, as It will aid to use the space as effectively as possible.

my thought shower based on my solo

"In this short film I really understood the psychological distress that going blind can put a person through. I would like to use some of the emotions shown, such as anger and frustration into my solo."

 

This video however demonstrates the physical aspects of going blind, it shows how they have to adapt to the world around them once they have lost their vision. It shows the distinction of what he sees and what the majority of the world can see. This is something to think about when choreographing, as with limited vision the movements would become a lot more hesitant and slower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 20th october-choreography class

Manifesto on Mana

I went to watch Mana by ACE dance company it contained two interlinked 30 minute performances. I thought they used alot of strong dynamical movements within their motifs, so it was clear to the audience that they were  fierce individuals.

whilst I was watching Mana I did wonder why they had to be so powerful and strong? I'm not sure if anybody else in the audience felt that this could of been developed on a little more, or maybe just a brief text  given before to explain this.

 In the first half the dancers used sheets of white fabric and performed a shuffling movement on them, whilst this was interesting and added diversity to their motif, again I could not work out what they were supposed to represent. It would of been helpful if they performed a small motif around the cloth indicating to the audience what they are representing.

  One thing I would like to take from this performance is their use of props, it has allowed me to look into how I can incorporate them into future work as it seems the audience find it refreshing.

choreography class friday 16th october

In this class we looked into structured improvisation we were given 3 words to right down on a sheet, then we had to write a contrasting word on the other side.We had to give them numbers going down the middle of the two words, then again on the other side.

 my group used this score to choreograph the dance, I thought that this was an effective way of creating a piece of work because it gave a variety of movements. However I struggled being told what move had to come next and felt that the free feeling of choreography had been restricted.

To improve I would try to not over think what moves fit the words I was given, as this slowed the creating process down. Also I would demonstrate a clear difference within the movement material I choose, so it is clear to the audience that the dynamics are contrasting to each other.

This choreographic tool as it allowed me to explore areas of choreography that I wouldn't normally, and this help to develop me as a choreographer. As I would often focus on an emotion or theme not the dynamics that the score is telling me to use, it expanded my range of movements and I would use it again in the future.

Research into Judson Dance Theater

Motif Developement

I found the motif development very unusual in this performance as it develops the motif using: unison, cannon, changing the speed of the movement and the levels of the movement.This is effective as it signals to the audience what the key movements are. But also they use a voice overlay manipulating the motif on stage during a performance this, then makes it absolutely clear what the motif is meant to represent. It is almost a challenge for the dancer to fit the description given, this is extremely effective as the voice is also very engaging and the motifs create imagery for his words.
(The Place 2013 11 09 Flexer + Sandiland)

Motif developement research

In this work by Anna Teresa De Keersmaeker it is clear that the motif has been manipulated multiple times, this is so that the choreographic intension is clear to its audience. The message here is to demonstrate the sexual frustration that women are experiencing in prison.

To begin with the motif is manipulated through accumulation, signalling to the audience that the emotion is getting louder and stronger. In sections of the dance the motif becomes disjunctive and broken up, as the dancers all perform different elements of the phrase giving the connotations of it becoming overwhelming and hectic.

The same movements are repeated to reinforce the issue however sometimes movements are made bigger E.G: standing out of the chair. This is done to again give the motif dominance and the audience more understanding.

The use of camera in this piece also helps the motif development as it zooms in on singular movements that the dancers perform, meaning that it cannot be missed making it symbolic to the dance. The camera also speeds up the pace of the motif making it look as if the feeling of frustration is out of control. The motif is developed in many different ways but it is delivering the same message throughout.

Theme Research

variation research

Manifesto -seeta patel

                                             Seeta Patel

I enjoyed watching this performance as I thought it was unique and vibrant. Whilst watching this performance I felt that the intentions of the choreographer, was to bring Indian culture into the world of Contemporary dance. This was done through movement such as hand symbols and music as a live percussionist was present, this complimented the dancer well and added to the ethnic feel.

 However as this was a cultural dance I often felt my self ask the question what do the hand signs mean? With little knowledge of this style of dance I got lost in the movement and struggled to interpret it. I think it would of been more beneficial to the audience if they had more audio overlays giving droplets of information, or even a backdrop with text or photographic images to reinforce the storyline. This would make it more assessable and individuals would get a greater understanding of what is being presented.

Space research -"Richard Alston Dance Company - Overdrive"

I like how the dance is performed in such a big space however this does make it harder to use all of the space effectively. Also I couldn't help but notice how each set of dancers use the space differently as some do the same movements but stay alone in the space and others join together and engage in contact work filling the space with different dynamics.

space research- Motion Control

Out of all the performances involving space I found this the most abstract, but then in turn it made me as a viewer wanting more. I liked the way that they used the camera to reduce the space that we saw the performer in.

 

At one point in the box the performer actually runs out of space which was very unusual but worked well. The turning of the camera gave the choreographer the opportunity to explore all areas of the space, as it was made for camera so they had more flexibility in the way things can be perceived. In the end section I found it gave a surreal feel, that the dancers space was restricted by being stuck to the floor. All of the different expressions of restricted space gave me the connotations of claustrophobia.

Space research -"Martha Graham - Lamentation"

This piece does not show the space but shows how the dancer is using the cloth as a symbol of being restricted in the space. The slow bound movement enhances this feeling of being enclosed by the space, almost looking like a struggle to be free.

Choreography research-"Beach Birds for Camera (1993) - Merce Cunningham Dance Company"

In this work I like how all of the dancers are performing something different in the space, as it fills the space up and it looks crowded. However the way the dancers leave the space of the camera lenses is most interesting to me, as we gradually see the space become more vacant.

Space research -"KINEMATIK Dance Theater: Measures - Site Specific Performance at DUMBO Dance Festival"

This was a very unusual piece, the fact that they used a Site Specific stage really gave the imagery that they were actually measuring the space around them. The use of the Tape measure continues to amplify this, serving to be a quirky prop that engages the viewers and gives them a better understanding of what is going on.

 

 As the piece continues the amount of space they use gets bigger, I particularly like that they also explored space that was not in their performance area. As they look into how much space there is from the bottom of the towers to the top.

 

It is interesting to see that they also verbalise the space into measurements as it adds another element reinforcing the idea of space. The measuring of people is risky but works well in getting the audiences attention. Overall I thought that this was a fun choreographed way of looking into the space around us in everyday life.

Space research "Wild Space Site-Specific Dance Excerpts"

When watching this piece I could not  help but notice that they used all of the space, no space was left untouched and this gave the viewer plenty to look at. The use of shadows filling the stage vertically I thought was clever, as it is something we struggle to accomplish when their is just a few dancers on the stage.

The camera zooming in and out also gave different perspectives of space. As it restricted the space when the choreographer wanted us to look at a specific part, then also when zoomed out it allowed the viewer to look around the space freely.

The different use of Site -Specific Stages also gives each dance its own feel and a sense of character, giving the performance more depth. The use of the dancers upper body on the balcony I also thought was a excellent use of space, as it is so unexpected  you initially think that it is the dancers on the chairs who are being manipulative but really it is the ones above.

Tuesday 13th october chorography class

What is a Stimuli?

What is a motif?

why did Ballet shoes develope into pointe shoes?

Word swap Laban

                                    Press or  flatten

                 Dab or Prod

Punch or whack

Flick or Stab

Slash or Rip

Wring or Mangle

 Float or Hover

Glide or sweep

 

Monday 5th october choreography class

Friday 2nd October choreography class

Tuesday 29th septembper choreography class

 

Labans Efforts - all images are from google images

"Laban is named after Rudolf Laban, "

　

"He was a choreographer movement theorist, and a dancer".

　



　

"Laban categorized the movements of humans into four different parts":

Direction Weight Speed Flow





　

　
"Direction is either direct or indirect". "Weight is either heavy or light." "Speed is either quick or sustained"




　

"Flow is either bound or free."
　
Laban then put these parts together to create The 8 Efforts:

Wring

Press Flick



                                                                                            Dab
     Glide
                          Float
        Punch



Slash


　

　

　

　

　




　

Rudolf Laban