Choreography

In Today's session we were introduced to several different ways of choreographing. I will be writing about 3 ways in which you can start to build up movement sequences and motifs. 

Painting the room - This task involved us (theoretically of course) dipping a body part in paint of a particular colour which affects the way in which we move. We then had to move around the space filling it with the paint; the floor, the ceiling, the walls. This made us use levels thus making our movements more interesting. We are so played around with dynamics and pace due to the implementation of colour. If we were painting with a blue hand (down to interpretation) we would paint with soft tonnes and maybe wavy motions whereas if we were painting with a red foot we might use sharp kicks and strong leg extensions. This exercise helped us to create strings of movements uninhibited by structure or the need to look a certain way. In my opinion this is a good way to get the imagination flowing and to perhaps create basic movements that can be later on developed. I however wouldn't solely use this method to choreograph an entire piece, 

Circle collaboration - This activity used spontaneous action and class participation to create a sequence of movements. Standing in a circle the first person would start a movement and then the next person would create the move after. We went round until everyone had provided a movement and we had a motif! From there we had a basic routine that everyone knew. To develop this further we were instructed to play around with this motif through :- Fragmentation, Instrumentation and Level Changes (see choreographic devices sheet). This was a good way to create dance material using multiple people as it utilizes many imaginative viewpoints. Although I found it slightly restrictive because you had to think on the spot and it depends heavily on what the person before you has produced.  

Stimulus - We were given a Mary Berry recipe as our  base. At first I was really confused but then after we finished our work I was really impressed with how well this method worked. We went through and underlined all the words we thought could relate to movements for instance; crack, melted, whip, fan freeze etc. From there we made a list of ten words we thought we could use and listed them. For each word we created a movement then linked them all together. This gave us quite a lot of artistic freedom but gave us enough guidelines to aid us in motif creation. From there we were given a sheet full of choreographic devices in order to advance our motifs. I chose to use; Additive, Size and Staging to enhance my piece. I believe that this was the most effective way to choreograph because it produced really strong work full of emotional interpretation and creative use of many performance mediums.

Principles Of Training

As dancer we are always looking to improve not only our technique but our overall fitness, flexibility and aspects pertaining to our physiology. A way in which we can do this is by Progressive Overload. This means in order to grow stronger/better at something we have to increase the intensity of a particular exercise so that we improve. If we kept on training at the same level after a certain time there would be no gain and the exercise would be useless. We shouldn't just increase the intensity though; We should change the frequency (how often we do it) and time (how long we do it for). Here is a helpful anagram to help me remember:

Frequency - How often
Intensity - How hard
Time - How long
Type - What it is

An example of an exercise we did in the session was the plank. We had to first plank for 30 seconds and rest, 1 minute and rest, 1.30s and rest then 2 minutes. This involved us using our cores strength as well as our muscular endurance to sustain this pose. This was a good exercise because it helped to strengthen many areas of my body however as dancers we have to focus on not only our muscles but our hearts as well. We also did a warm up that challenged our cardiovascular fitness. It is very important that we improve on our stamina so we can dance for long periods of time.

Here is a link to a website I did some research on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/pe/exercise/1_exercise_principles_rev1.shtml

Lesson 1 - 10/09/15

The first exercise we tackled was a simple running warm-up. This involved running around in a circle and completing an action e.g. touching the floor, jumping, turning around or changing direction when a number was said. This helped to get our cardiovascular systems working as well as switching our brains on as you had to focus on doing the correct movement. 

We then did an exercise that started to mobilise the spine and engage our hamstrings. The routine also involved a plank position to help strengthen our cores and lunges to stretch out our leg muscles. This was beneficial because it helped to prepare our bodies for the rest of the class. Also by having an awareness of our core muscles from early on in the class we could make sure we were using it throughout to make sure our movements were supported and strong. 

Another routine we did was a Cunningham based curve exercise. Merce Cunningham was an American dance practitioner who created new forms of abstract dance centred around curves, spirals, tilts, twists and arches. I found this exercise quite difficult and very strenuous on many muscle groups. I found it hard to create nice lines when curving my arms forwards in front of me because I kept lifting my shoulders and not pushing my pelvis forwards enough. I improved this through partner observation work and pretending that there was a fish bowl balanced on my torso. I enjoyed this exercise and I liked the way Tasha (classmate) used dynamics to create an interesting to watch piece. She did this by doing a quick throwing motion and contracting her torso but having a slow turn with a leg extension.

We then moved onto a more free swinging exercises. A comment that kept popping up was that we were making the movement look nice but we needed let our heads go. This made the routine look a lot more flowy and legato. This was further improved upon by travelling the galloping motions even more. We split into two halves and one started on the left, the other on the right. This made the dance look interesting as it gave a coming together and separation element to it. If an audience were to watch it they would probably start to infer a story.

The final portion of the class was focused on corner work, jumps and contemporary dance technique. I really struggled with the section as I didn't have much of a base to work from and often got muddled up with my feet. The leaps into rolls particularly threw me as I kept extending the wrong leg and my line was definitely not defined. I need to work on my basic contemporary techniques in order to advance myself as a performer.

Finally we made sure to do a cool down to ensure our muscles don't get too sore. We must always cool down after intense session of work or else we can cause our bodies harm. This was a really good introduction to the Dance AS course and I really look forward to studying further!