Journal Reflection Term One
Dance Choreography Essay
An Essay on Bob Fosse
By Max White
Bob Fosse was born June 23, 1927, and died September 23, 1987. Born in Chicago USA. (Wikipedia, 2016, para.1) He grew up he had six siblings and had Norwegian and Irish parents. He was an American choreographer in musical theatre as well as a director, film director, screen writer, and actor. He has won the most Tonys ever for his choreography with eight Tony awards. Fosse's choreography changed how society saw dancing on film and stage with his style being nothing like anything anyone had ever seen before. His style was unique and edgy with unusual arm movements, poses, and gesture. "I thank god that I wasn't born perfect." Said Fosse. (Brainy Quote,
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2001, par.2) Some of his works included; The Pajama Game 1954, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying 1961, Sweet Charity 1966 and Chicago 1975. (Wikipedia, 2016, para.8) These are the musicals that I will be referring to when giving examples of Fosses choreography work. Specifically the numbers, All That Jazz from Chicago performed by Velma. The Rich Mans Frug from Sweet Charity performed by rich celebrates at a night club. Big Spender also from Sweet Charity performed by the Fandango Ballroom hostess dancers. Steam Hat from the Pajama Game performed by Glady and two other male union workers. And A Secretary is Not a Toy from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying performed by the office staff. All of these works being choreographed by Fosse and some being the works he is most greatly known for. What is performance? By definition, a performance is an act of presenting a play, concert, or another form of entertainment. (Performance, 2016, para.1) So there for performing is to present an art form, art being the expression of your creative skills. Dance is the language of movement, it is using your physical movement as an art form to creatively communicate. A dancer must have a fine ability of interpretation when it comes to understanding what the choreographer wants. A choreographer uses the three main elements of dance to portray their ideas to the audience, these elements are the time, space and the dynamics. Dancers must suspend the disbelief the audience may have as an actor does when they act as truthfully as possible in order to make the audience believe the emotion and ideas they are communicating. Performance qualities of a dancer include manipulation of space, dynamics, quality of line, commitment, time, and control. Each performer will use these aspects of dance to express a performance differently, as we do not express identically like robots, but dancers still maintain a similar physicalization of the movement in order to achieve unison on stage. However total unison of dancers isn't easy for a choreographer to achieve, they must take into account the fact that each dancer has a different physical framework and flexibility may vary. Dancers who have been brought up by different training will also physicalize the movement with their dance styles technique. For example, you can always tell when a dancer who is performing jazz has been trained in ballet and the other way around. Bob Fosse uses space, dynamics and line within is choreography. Space being the area of the dance floor, a dancer should fill this space and also be aware of the space between oneself and the other dancers on the stage with them. In A Rich Mans Frug from Sweet Charity, space is clearly used between the dancers as they form lines, shapes and formations on the stage. Formations create a clear image for the audience and choreographers use formations as a part of the dance itself. In a Rich Mans Frug space and formations assist when two groups of dancers are doing different movements at the same time. In this dance, Fosse also creates depth on stage by having the dancers evenly spread as far back as possible. The dynamics that a dancer uses are very important. In singing and acting a performer will use different dynamics with their voice to emphasise different words and to add meaning to what they are saying. A dancer will do this as well but with their body using it to add dynamics to the range of movements within the dance. In Big Spender from Sweet Charity, Fosse uses a range of dynamics. For the first verse and chorus Foss chose to have the women stand frozen while singing even though it is a very upbeat song. This reflects the women's attitude to their situation and though they sound excited to see the men walking in their physicality does not reflect that. In contrast to the very dynamic wild swinging arm motion, they do when the orchestra plays a loud instrumental section between the lyrics "Hey big Spender." At the core of dance most, dance forms have the same quality of line e.g. Jazz and Ballet. For example posture and the correct technical way of holding one's body. But Jazz and Ballet also have different qualities of line, for example. Jazz turns are parallel and Ballet turns are turned out. Jazz arms are straight but Ballet arms curved. The line of dancers body can be a clear indication of what style and even time period a dancer are performing in. In The Rich Mans Frug from Sweet Charity, Fosse demonstrated through his choreography the stereotypical physicality of the rich celebrities through their body line. For example, when the men lean forward when walking with their noses raised and cigars held out in front of their face. And the long leaned back line the women stand in when walking. Both forms of walking being an extreme exaggeration of a rich celebrates attitude and character. The movement directly expresses the intention and intensity of the characters simply by the use of exaggerated line. Fosse turned an odd way of walking into a popular dance move. I have learnt that a dancer is as good as their level of commitment. The human body can do almost anything and is a lot stronger and resilient than we give it credit for. I have watched many dancers and the ones who stand out are those who have that extra level of commitment to what they are doing. It is also the difference between an amateur and a professional dancer. The amateur learns the moves and performs them while the professional pushes everything to its limit, jumping as high as they can, stretching as much as they can and working as hard as they can. I have seen The Rich Mans Frug performed several times by different groups of dancers. An observation was the level of commitment to the movement. In this dance, there is a female lead who regularly wiggles her hips, arms and hair in a twisting and flinging motion. When performed with half a level of commitment this move can look odd but when performed with 100% committed, though still odd, it looks intentional and unapologetic. Timing is too a dancer as it is too a musician. Without the timing of the notes and music, a musician does not now how long to play the note for or at what speed to play. The written music to a musician is the audio of the music to a dancer. The timing tells us how to dance when to dance and even why to dance. As the timing of a song can give a choreographer the meaning and depth needed to create an effective performance. Music tends to maintain the same tempo throughout the whole song with the same beat / rhythm but the feeling of the music can vary. The lyrics may be sung softly and orchestral accompaniment pulled back to one instrument, this affects the timing of the dancer as they take on board the shift in the piece of music. In All That Jazz from Chicago, in between the lyrics “All That Jazz” there is a pause and a beat be the orchestra. Fosse used a simple shoulder role for the dancers choreography on that beat. It defines the beat in the music and builds suspense for the next word after the beat. From the Pajama Game in the number Steam Heat. The rhythm is maintained for the first section but the feeling of pace is changed regularly as the song wavers from loud and fast to quiet and slow hissing. Fosse emphasises this through the choreography of the three dancers. They go from taking little shuffling steps to taking massive high knee leaps. This happens when the music explodes from quiet to the singers almost yelling the lyrics. Dancers are athletes, proficient in activities of physical exercise. Through dance, dancers are trained to control their bodies in order to execute movement and positions of difficulty. Take the example of a turn. You need to have a strong level of control over your body in order for it to complete several turns, taking into account that all of your weight is on one raised foot. Without strength and control over your muscles, a turn is not possible. Bob Fosse's choreography is a great aid to the performance because they support the musicals.
Musical theatre is an art form as are the dances within them. Musical theatre dances must relate to the song being sung, the character or characters within the story, the plot, the style of the musical and time period. It is a choreographers job to not only create an effective image onstage but also connect the dance with the musical in which it is performed in. For what is a dance without performance. In All that Jazz from Chicago, the song is seductive and performed in a burlesque style. Bob Fosse used few subtle and small movements of the individual body parts that execute the pianos beats as well as demonstrating the words of the song. Fosse used stillness more than usual in a dance number and it gives a climatic suspense and an even build throughout the performance. Still and silence is just as effective as the largest of movements which is a technique that Fosse manipulated to sexualize and bring the music to life through the dancers bodies. Fosse's choreography choices fitted the style, music, and feel of the song giving the dancers a greater connection with the performance. Fosses use of choreographing in this dance for me reflects the style of the era and the Jazz age. The subtle sexual and relaxed movement mirrors the Jazz music and the rise of women as more openly sexual and scandalous in the 1920's. In A Secretary is Not a Toy from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Fosse's choreography mimics the office work place. He includes the use of type writers, pads, and pens as part of the dance. He uses something as simple as women and men walking and moving through the office space and turns that into choreography. He then adds rhythm and simple dance movements such a skips, hops, arm gestures and holding out the props, all executed on the beats. He also uses his choreography to show the relationship between men and women in the working place. In
formations, men and women are regularly segregated from one another positioning the women at the lower levels. The men regularly click their fingers at the women as they would when summoning them or demanding their attention. Fosse regularly has the male dancers observing the female dancers as they walk past or work, at one point even grabbing their bottoms. In this dance, Fosse has applied the subject matter of the song to the choreography. The choreography contradicts the lyrics of the song "A secretary is not a toy, no my boy, not a toy." But Fosse through the art of dance exposes the truth, though told not to use a secretary as a toy the audience understand that that rule is never obeyed. This demonstrates Fosse using his creative skills and the combination of a musical subject matter and dance to create a musical theatre performance. Before Fosse choreographed Steam Heat, George Abbott the Author of The Pajama Game asked if Fosse would stage the dance of Steam Heat in an appropriate manner to the amateur theatre it is supposed to be performed in. “Do something small.” He said. (Wikipedia, 2015, para.3) Steam heat is performed at a work convention by the workers themselves and not professional dancers. I believe that Fosse greatly achieved this request. This again demonstrates that a choreographer of Musical Theatre can not create whatever they want because it looks good it must be appropriate for the setting as well. Bob Fosse is remembered for his new, recognisable and distinctly different style. When ever I watch a Fosse dance I forget that they are dancers because his choreography creates an image and emotion, not a sequence of impressive movements that do not relate. His choreography does what is necessary, there is always a build throughout the dance and a level of repetition that maintains the image of the piece, like in a piece of music where you may repeat the chorus. Personally, I love Fosse's choreography because it never asks for your approval. Most dance pieces aim to impress the audience with high kicks and distorted body positions. Fosses choreography very cleverly takes the audience on a journey not only with the dancers but with the music as well. "Choreography is writing on your feet." Said Fosse. (Brainy Quote, 2001, par.2) I grew up with dance being exam syllabus and competition dances, exams being robotic and competitions being about how flexibly impressive and strong you can be. But dance is an art form not a competition, a culture that I believe dancers have incorporated into their way of seeing dance itself. When actors put together a scene it is a group effort as does a choir or chorus but dancers have a segregated culture and mind set which can result in you feeling very alone and unworthy. Fosse has made me rethink my own choreography and the way I approach putting a dance together. In the past I drew upon the dance moves I have stored in my memory from my experience of exams and competitions. Piecing them together for the only purpose of filling the length of two to three minuets. But now I will approach choreography by first listening to the meaning, feeling, purpose and intension of the music for my inspiration. And instead of simply thinking up a combination of random movements I will craft the movement into the plot of the song and the journey that the character mentally goes through. As Fosse's choreography did and all choreography should do. Reference Page: Wikipedia, (2016, April 20th) Bob Fosse. Retrieved from; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Fosse Brainy Quotes, (2016) Bob Fosse Quotes. Retrieved from; http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/bob_fosse.html Broadway the American Musical. Excerpted from ST. JAMES ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POPULAR CULTURE. 5 VOLS. St. James Press, © 2000 St. James Press. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group. Retrieved from; http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/bob-fosse/ Google Definitions (2016) Performance. Retrieved from; https://www.google.co.nz/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=performance+definition Wikipedia, (2015, July 16th) Steam Heat. Retrieved from; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_Heat
...’s work. Although dancing Taylor’s choreography, Grossman was allowed the freedom to experiment and this factor allowed him to develop as a performer. Grossman has admitted that he had some fear in dancing in Taylor’s Company; however he has further added that in doing so his fears were gradually diffused and he in fact reached “a sense of peace or calm”.
In many different scenes, dances were created to capture how each character felt in the scene that they were in. For example, when the crow was being bullied while he was tied up on the cross, Fatima created a dance to show him finding his inner courage and no longer having fear of the birds. I loved when Dorothy and Scarecrow sang walking down the yellow brick road because the dance gave the sensibility of people uniquely living the spirit of expression. The dance looked fun and vibrant like many of the jazz dances we see today. One of the styles of jazz that were engaged in the film was bebop. Bebop is characterized during the 1940s as having a fast tempo and improvisation based on the structures of a situation that inspired the movement. I noticed that bebop was displayed well when Ne-Yo danced because of its complex technique, fast tempo, and improvisation while singing at the same time. This style of jazz was suitable for the presentation of the film because it kept me as an audience engaged in every dance that was choreographed. With the tempo being very fast, it allowed for the movement to be big and easily
Renowned choreographer Alonzo King is the Balanchine of a new style of dance, his style of dance, a style shying away from the expected and catapulting its audience into a state of wonderment. Alonzo King uses sharp lines intertwined with severe movements, all engaging a classical technique in order to create movements, unseen in the dance world. King’s impressive résumé includes having trained with a number of world-renowned ballet companies, and setting works on an even more substantial number of companies, along with establishing his own celebrated company: Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet in San Francisco, California. Alonzo King began dancing at a young age in Santa Barbara, California. He continued his training in New York at the Harkness School of Ballet, Alvin Ailey Dance School, and then the American Ballet Theatre School and School of American Ballet as a scholarship student.
Before this time the most common type of jazz was swing jazz which was a type of music that people were able to dance to. In the 1940’s the popularity of this type of jazz declined while a new type of jazz called “Bebop” became more popular which was a genre that was meant to be listened to instead of being danced to. When Keiko and Henry go to the Black Elk’s Club they listen to swing jazz and have a sweet time. Later in the story, Henry visits Keiko at the internment camp. Keiko tells him about a dream that she had where Henry was dancing “‘I don't know how to dance,’ Henry protested. ‘You knew how to dance in my dream. We were dancing in some club, with all kinds of people, and the music—it was the song he played for us.’” (Ford 162). In this part of the story Keiko is dreaming of the sweet times with Henry dancing to swing jazz. However, the bitter reality was that she was stuck in the internment camp and Henry is unable to dance. This reflects the shift of jazz music from sweet, swing jazz that people can dance to, to bitter, bebop jazz that people can only listen
Alvin was born during the Great Depression to two working class parents in Rogers, Texas. His father abandoned the family when Alvin was a mere six months old, leaving him and his mother with the struggle of fending for themselves. The inability for Alvin’s mother to find work led to their move to California in 1942, where Alvin was introduced by a classmate to the most influential person that would be the foundation for his future successful career in modern dance, Lester Horton (DeFrantz 1). Alvin was captivated by Lester’s work, which focuses on building a strong body, and made the executive decision to start his dance training in 1949 when he was eighteen years old. Because Lester Horton’s dance company embraced diversity, and accepted dancers of all ethnicities and backgrounds, Alvin was given the opportunity to do something great with his
By the late 1950s, Graham had reached star status among both the intelligentsia and the public. In 1932, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation awarded Graham an unprecedented fellowship in dance (Phillips 65).
Throughout the years, America has pursued the performing arts in a large variety of ways. Theatre plays a dramatic and major role in the arts of our society today, and it takes great effort in all aspects. Musical Theatre, specifically, involves a concentration and strength in dance, acting, and singing. This is the base that Musical Theatre is built upon. For my Senior Project, I helped choreograph multiple scenes in a community musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie”. Choreography is a way of expressing oneself, but it has not always been thought of for that purpose. Agnes de Mille’s expressive talent has drastically affected how people see choreography today. Agnes de Mille’s influence in the world of dance has left a lasting impact in the Performing Arts Department, and her revolutionary works are still known today for their wit, lyricism, emotion, and charm.
4.Bob Fosse showed great interest in dancing when he was very young because his father was a dancer and this influenced a lot to his future career. His marriage with Joan McCracken helped a lot in his shortcomings in classical dancing like ballet. He was remembered by his eight Tony Awards. In his musical works, he got inspirations from Jack Cole’s directions and made innovations of his own. The unique stage effect and dancing skills made him the most recognized musical directors of his time.
Ballet is one of the world's oldest and newest forms of dance. One man that created new audiences for ballet and mastered the dance to its fullest was none other than George Balanchine. He brought the standard ballet to levels no one has ever seen before. In the world of dance, there have been many wonderful and talented choreographers but Balanchine's work affected the dance world so much that he was a legend long before his death. Not only was he legendary worldwide but also his influenced American Ballet. George Balanchine's unique style of dance created the "American style" of Ballet.
Jazz dance today is presented in many different forms. Jazz history and famous jazz dancers and choreographers have helped influenced what we know today, as jazz dance. It is incorporated in an assortment of styles including, hip hop and Broadway, Jazz dance today has its own movement, while there trendy modern types of jazz, traditional jazz never goes out of style. Over the years, jazz dance has become popular in the media and can be found in music videos, television, movies, and commercials. Jazz dance is always changing with the time periods, and can be found in social dance, musical theater, dance schools, and night clubs.
The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and artistic movement inspired by African American artists, writers and musicians. The movement demanded recognition of overwhelming talents in the arts, literature, and music. For the first time in history, African Americans earned status, respect, and credibility in a world powered by white. Black musicians brought the stylings of Jazz and blues, while writers and artists took to depicting “black problems” and ways of life. The practice, previously unknown to traditional Anglo literature, quickly became highly regarded in worlds that transcended skin color. It was both a means to reach out and connect as a color-coded brotherhood, and provided insight into the life of black
Since theatre was established as an art form, it has constantly been changing and developing as new methods of theatre styles came to light. This is also true with how musical theatre developed into how we know it today. Vaudeville and burlesque were forms of theatre in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s that forged the way for the American musical to emerge. The elements that writers used from vaudeville allowed for not just musical acts to be performed during the course of the story, but eventually became a way for the story to further be told. The American musical was not always as big as it is today, and vaudeville and burlesque acts made it possible for such a type of performance style to develop. Musical writers used multiple elements, not just the song element, in their stories. This change did not just happen overnight. The evolution from vaudeville and burlesque was a gradual one, taking years to further develop the performance styles into the Broadway musical we can see today.
Ostlere, Hilary. “Taming The Musical.” Dance Magazine 73.12 (1999): 84. Expanded Academic ASAP. Westfield State College Library, MA. 15 April 2005.
...downfalls. Fagan in his own hope want the audience to look at dance without going through boredom or thinking dance as a medicine (Bramley 24:1997). The musical has allowed this particular component to make differences to such challenges from one dance to the next. This was possible due to Fagan’s approach to choreography that are different compared to another choreography that was designed to other Disney films turned musicals i.e. Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid. These two notable musicals have taken the stages of Broadway by storm. However, there is an ingredient missing to those shows that Taymor was able to capture from beginning to end with the Lion King. It was a risky challenge that Fagan radically took out of the negative into the positive with the use of vocabulary to approach the use of dance and movement as part of a highly successful musical.
On the night of the DancePlus performance, I saw numerous little performances. There were six of them in total and the one I had most reactions and favors to is the last one of the first half, which is called Swampin. It was choreographed by John Evans with additional material by Oluwadamilare Ayoride, Jennifer Payan and surprisingly, the dancers. Usually what I would expect from a piece of dance performance is choreographers dominating the process of being creative on the grounds o f coming up dance moves. However, this time, it is nice to see how the dancer actually participating first hand in the creating process of the whole performance which would definitely benefit the quality of the dance, since the dancers would their own choreography