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Dance observation paper
Dance analysis paper
Dance observation paper
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At the beginning of the song, there was rhythmic breathing in the music, and a single spotlight in the left corner of the dark stage was placed on the group of dancers in a huddled pile on the floor. Before each before each breath exhaled in the song, all of the dancers moved around in a circular formation. Slowly, they formed the huddled pile on the group after they heard the breathing. As the dancers started to separated, a couple of people elegantly elongated parts of their body, such as gracefully kicking a leg in the air or reaching their arms to the ceiling. On each breath one dancer moved herself away from the group, and another girl strayed away as well until every dancer is spread out across the stage. The dancers continued to dance …show more content…
A man spoke boldly with emphasis on each phrase while the music was playing. The dancers executed different movements with stretch arms and pointed feet, such as diverse forms of leg lifts and jumps. In the dance, the change in music gave the atmosphere a western-style vibe, which made each movements held out longer. Later, a more modern style was played with soft trumpets in the background, decelerating the tempo for about twenty seconds. Once this occurred, the dancers traveled back onto the ground and performed different movements. Since the tempo amplified again, the dancer rose up from their low-levels movements to perform medium-leveled movements, consisting of reaching forward while bending the knees in a squat position. Towards the end of the dance, they dancers slowly transitioned into the left corner of the stage until each dancers turned off the stage behind the curtains. The final position were two dancers in a corner of the stage, facing each other as the lights dimmed …show more content…
With every move the dancers performed, they portrayed someone needing to catch a breath in order to execute each move efficiently. Occasionally, the dancers danced in pairs by leaping into each other’s arms and slowly rolling off each other’s backs, meaning one must rely on another to gather breath. However, some of the dancers that were on the stage at a certain time danced by themselves. This carries into the idea that moving along with someone else will make moments more enjoyable, it would be easier to breathe since there would not be much of a burden present. Also, people must look into themselves to get their own breath when no one is there to
In the piece the dancer is very distinctive and powerful in his movements. He often holds positions in an asymmetry stance which is a quality that comes from balancing ephebism. Ephebism is one of the five African aesthetics that applies vitality, power, flexibility, drive, and attack in its movements. The holding of the various positions requires great strength and demonstrates a stamina that is similar to the strength and stamina needed for the long hours that African dances are held for. Granted, the stamina and strength for African dances requires a much longer building period, however, training one’s body to hold and sustain an unnatural position is no small feat. In addition to this one characteristic of ephebism, the dancer’s arm movements throughout the piece adhere to an attack like jolting or sharp movement and further enhance the component of ephebism by creating the youthful movements that word ephebism correlates to. The flexibility in this dance piece is seen dramati...
In which the definition is used in reference to the absence of motion. The dancers use this element whenever they roll over into an embrace grasping each other while they are in the low position on the ground. This is unique to me because the embrace shows that the two dancers in the story have a physical
The next work of the program, Courtly Airs and Dances, is a multi-movement work composed by Ron Nelson. The piece is split into six movements: Intrada, Basse Danse, Pavane, Saltarello, Sarabande, and Allemande. Each of these present distinct characteristics that separate it from each other movement, yet all are united by being a style of dance. The first movement, Intrada, presents a fanfare-like opening to the multi-movement work. The trumpets and brass section as a whole lead this, as they create a sense of nobility. The key is major and the tempo is one that could be described as allegretto—it is not a fast tempo, yet more brisk than an andante pace. The texture is homophonic, as there are different parts being performed by different
The dancers did not seem defeated, but slightly emotionally disconnected. I felt like this signified the exhaustion that comes while waiting for the rain. There were several positions that were held in the first part of the dance. I also noticed that flicking motions were a motif in the dance, whether that be from their wrists or their ankles. Morgan Moore first showed this motif as she held her leg up in a tilted position and stared down at the sheet below her. She began to flick her wrists which not only reminded me of one who is flicking the rain off their fingertips, but it looked like a begging
Every dance that is created by a choreographer has a meaning and or purpose behind it. The dance choreographed could be used to send a political, emotional, or a social message. Regardless of the message being sent, each dance created possesses a unique cultural and human significance. This essay will examine and analyze two dance works from history and give an insight into what each dance work provided to the society of its time.
The dancers begin in unison in a large clump. They dance together with slow movements; reaching up with their arms straight and palms open. It is to be noted that when they stretch their arms up, they tilt their head and look up as well. Throughout the piece the dancers repeat this movement, which represents reaching and praying to God. The dancers are constantly reaching up, embodying their despair and their yearning for help. As the dance progresses, the dancers repeatedly break out of the clump in the center and do different movements and their own sequences. After this, they always go back to their clump and do synchronized movement. Their constant breaking away from the group symbolizes their continual want to be free, as well as their persistency. On the other hand, their constant going back to the group shows how African-Americans will always be joined together by their culture, prayer, and hardships. Additionally during the piece, multiple dancers will run up to another dancer and jump or hold onto them, and then they do a couple of movements together. This shows how they are reliant and dependent on each other, and how they need each other throughout their suffering. Lastly, Much of the movement in this section possesses the downward energy characteristic of African dance, which symbolizes a connection to the earth. The choices Ailey made choreographically communicates all
Learning about Dance: Dance as an Art Form and Entertainment provides visions into the many features of dance and inspires scholars to keep an open mind and think critically about the stimulating, bold, ever-changing and active world of dance. Learning about Dance is particularly useful for those who do not have a wide and diverse dance contextual, such as students in a preliminary level or survey dance course. This book consists of twelve chapters. Chapter one dance as an art form focuses on the basic structures of dance. Dance is displayed through the human body, it has the control to communicate and induce reactions. Dance can be found in many different places, it enables the participants and seekers to touch and knowledge the joy of movement. Dance is discovered as being one of the oldest art forms worldwide. Dance existed in early cultures was recognized in a sequence of rock paintings portrayed dance. Since this discovery of rock paintings, several other forms of art have been found that depict dance. People used rituals in order to worship the gods and believed that the rituals held magical and spiritual powers. During the ancient period civilizations sentient decisions began to be made with regard to dance. Other periods that had an impact on dance were the medieval period, the renaissance period, and the contemporary period. Chapter two the choreographer, the choreographer is a person who comes up with the movements created into a dance routine. The choreographer expresses themselves through choreography because this is their way of communicating with the audience. In order to be a choreographer you must have a passion for dance. Each choreographer has their own approaches and ways of making up a routine. Choreographers ...
As stated before, we began by breaking apart the stages of life and assigning each individual solos depending on the individual’s preference. Then, due to our time constraints, we opted to create our solos on our own time and to work on the movements that all of us must do together, together. The primary strategy of creating our movements and choreography for the dance was to correspond our movements to the meaning behind the lyrics being sung and the stage of life currently occurring. For example, before my solo as the three of us are playing together as children, the lyrics being sung were, “Are you going to age with grace? Are you going to age without mistakes…?” Because the lyrics were talking about the mistakes and blundering made as one matures, I took begin my solo, angrily kicked down the Jenga tower to show my frustration at my own personal faults. The kick both exhibits my balance as I kick and move my leg into an uncomfortable position and fits into the storyline and music shown, producing a stronger effect on the viewer. This is just one notable example of the many that displayed our
The setting was in a subway station underground. The set did affect the way the dancers moved. Most of the time they would advance toward each other, conveying a message of being intimate, not really were they ever apart from one another. Although they never really retreated from each other, the viewer does get a sense of push and pull from the dancers. The idea of “slip” was to find a way to slip through the pain and let go of the past that can damage
Overall time helped demonstrated the masses’ movement unity as they moved with the time and the individual’s struggle as she moved contrary to the group’s time. The dance began with a lively Bach movement, which created a feeling of excitement as the mass of dancers moved with increasing speed. The short duration needed to complete movements, regularity of the music, and repetition of dance patterns of the group established their synchronization with time. In contrast, this allegro tempo created a nervous, rushed feeling for the individual woman, which established her contradiction to the groups perception of time. The sharp, sudden adagio tempo change in Part 2 created an uneasy mood, while establishing distrust and tension between the individual woman and the masses. The stillness of the mass dancers in response to the woman in Part 2 exemplified this segregation. As the tempo slowed in Part 4, an element of sadness and isolation was apparent in the individual woman’s movement. In contrast, this tempo change for the group created an intimacy between the individual heterosexual couples. This intimacy further isolated the individual women and demonstrated her movement against groups perception of time. The changes in tempo of music and dance movement complimented the third element of dance, dynamics or
Jonas, Gerald. Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement. New York: Abrams, 1992. Print.
During the performance, the principle of spacing was demonstrated when the dancers scattered themselves across the stage and used excellent spacing. As each scene approached, they respectfully stationed themselves in their allotted positions. Never was the stage oddly spaced or bare. Also, the core principle of dance was demonstrated by using rhythm/time. This referred to the speed of moment of the dancers.
“Sex and the Social Dance” was a streaming video which examined the sexuality of social dances around the world. Regardless of geographical location or decade of popularity, dance conveyed social values. In particular, the sexuality was expressed through physical contact or lack thereof, in the gender roles of the dance, and in the purpose of the dance.
Also, the performers are constituted with same number of men and women. They imply the importance of equality through the performance. The female and male dancers use the same movements to show that they are equal. The message being conveyed here is important, on the grounds of its social influence and giving the whole performance a deeper meaning. The thing makes dancing different and odd to other occupations is the fact that most famous and well known dancers are mostly females, since on other social circumstances males tend to dominate more realms. Here, besides all the female masters, the male dancers appear as much as the female artists do and they also showcase what they are capable of. As I watched more of the performance, the interactions between dancers and the LED lights became more appealing to me. Dancers use their bodies to interpret the connections between human beings and technology. Moreover, the background music also plays a vital role in the production of this whole piece of art. The tempo of the music, the dance movements, as well as the frequency of the lights going on and off together appeared to the audience as a desirable combination. I love how the dancers do every movements according to the rhythm of the music and how they two fit perfectly. All of those things together made a great show to watch and
“Dance, the art of precise, expressive, and graceful human movement, traditionally, but not necessarily, performed in accord with musical accompaniment. Dancing developed as a natural expression of united feeling and action.”