Further Links Contact Us Search Help

Syllabus | Exams | Assessment | Glossary | Site Reviews | Teachers

Dance

Home > Dance > Core > Performance > Performance quality applied to the Dance

Performance quality applied to the Dance

Performance quality and the individual

Tutorial 1

The body is the instrument for the communication of ideas and emotions presented in a choreographed work.

Each body has a specific range of motion depending on the skeletal frame and the ligaments that support it. The way the muscles have been trained and developed impacts on the range of motion available to each dancer and their degree of control.

The study of dance technique allows the dancer the freedom to perform the choreography safely, efficiently and to the fullest extent.

Two dancers present the same dance. Both dancers achieve performance quality through their ability to control dynamics, achieve quality of line and project a sense of character

A dancer who understands the process of composition is better able to interpret the dance.

The choreography should be driven and based on concept or intent. It needs to be a coherent organisation of phrases, and sections, driven by thematic considerations that create a unified whole. If the dancer is able to understand that the choreographer has selected a certain shape or movement as a symbol and mechanism for communication, and understands the significance of the elements of dance (space, time and dynamics) in forming a work, they are better able to perform the choreography.

For example: at the start of the first phrase the dancer communicates the idea for the dance through the correct placement of the opening shape in the space. The shape should symbolise grief and introspection and requires the dancer to maintain a correctly aligned, grounded plie, in second, while the torso is shaped by the contraction of the abdominal muscles. The shape is curved and pulled toward the dancer’s centre. It is placed in the centre of the performance space on a relatively low level. The dancer shows a strong sense of line through the body and the eye-line.

The correct execution of the shape in the space characterises the work. The movement motif is based on this shape and is developed throughout the phrase. The use of level and direction increase through this phrase until its climax and then resolves on a lower level (on the floor) in a variation of the first shape.The dancer is required to unfold” her body controlling level and direction and eye-line in space.

The movement is performed in time relevant to the phrasing of the accompanying music. As the music commences the dancer is aware of tempo and meter and counts accordingly. The counting provides a timeframe in which to perform movement.

The ability to control force and time enables the dancer to achieve the correct dymamic of the movement.

Dynamics:

• vary in level to reflect a phrase of music
• can be seen in contrast in order to excite a kinaesthetic response and
• can support character in evoking emotional qualities.
  

In this work the dancer communicates a sense of release from the restriction of grief, through the application of energy or force, in order to build the level of the dynamic to a climax in this phrase.

For example: the shape is held still in time before the music begins but has a significant dynamic. A static contraction creates a dynamic quality that communicates the emotional quality of tension.

The dancer then creates a sustained dynamic as she applies force and extends the arm line. The dynamic starts at a low level as the arm unfolds and circles around the body.

The phrase then builds to a jump resolving on the floor. This exemplifies the dramatic effect of dynamic contrasts.

The elements of dance are further developed in consecutive phrases. In the second phrase certain counts are accented. This fragments the motif in the second phrase. The dancer needs to know the music and pay attention to counts in order to perform the movement correctly in time.

Movement is developed increasing the range of dynamics and space. The dancer must apply force against the floor to achieve the suspended dynamic quality in jumps and travel through the required pathway while maintaining focus as more effort impacts on stamina.

Use of weight and muscle intensity with variation of energy support the dancer’s ability to control the intensity of the dynamic. Use of breath is also integral to the control of the movement.

The performance quality of the choreography is enhanced through the application of a strong sense of focus and committment to the work. This has much to do with interpretation and is more likely to be achieved if the dancer understands their part in the composition process.

A clear intent and logical manipulation of the elements of dance can only assist the dancer in understanding their role as the communicator of ideas and emotions and thereby heightening performance quality.

In the process of choreographing a work the teacher or choreographer can use a variety of images and language effectively to communicate what is required in performance. Description, association, emotion in combination with anatomical terminology and an understanding of bio-mechanics can effectively communicate to the dancer what is required in most cases.

To perform well requires the dancer to overcome selfconsciousness and to work in a role set by the choreographer. The teacher or choreographer can provide a safe learning environment that supports this risk-taking activity.

There are other qualities of which the teacher or choreographer has little control but much appreciation. A maturity that enables the dancer to interpret and perform with a degree of confidence makes the choreographic process less difficult and results in the choreography being realised. The dancer’s willingness to give something back of themselves reveals a generosity of spirit which is appreciated by an audience and serves to promote dance as a valuable artform.

Back to Performance quality and the individual

Back to Performance quality applied to the Dance