Dance

Activity 1 : Socio-cultural context

• Is your Work influenced by socio-cultural context? Explain and demonstrate examples of this influence from your Work. You could refer to social, historical, cultural, natural, political or spiritual events or aspects.
  

• In your Major Study Performance Work what are the styles of dance that you think are the most prevalent? These may be subtle or obvious: e.g. Does it incorporate the use of parallel and turn out as Modern does? Does it largely defy gravity like classical ballet? Are there a lot of isolations of body parts similar to those in jazz?

• Who are the major influences on the history of the dance style that you have identified?

• Are there characteristics of choreographers who are known to Work in this style? e.g. contractions, examples of fall and recovery similar to Doris Humphrey's Work, lyrical reinforcement and the atmosphere created like musical theatre.
  

• Discuss the influence of dance style on your Work.
  

• Create a family tree of the influential people within the style/s you have identified, in chronological order.
  

• Describe the movements or phrases from your Work that you think are influenced by these styles.
  

• Perform these sections on your own, keeping in mind the historical roots of these eras and why they were originally created.
  

• Outline the changes that have occurred over time to your style and how its development is now shown in your Work.

Activity 2: Personal use of the elements

Analyse your Work in terms of the following elements of dance and discuss how each contributes to its presentation as a unified whole.

• Space (level, direction, pathways, dimension or shape
• Time (accent, rhythm, metre, phrasing, tempo, momentum, and stillness)
• Dynamics (release of energy, weight or force).

Listen to your accompaniment without moving and picture yourself performing the Work.

Whilst you are listening be aware of the elements of space, time and dynamics.

Listen again to the music and this time draw on a large piece of paper the floor pattern of your Work. Think about where in the space you need to begin and at which times you are taking up a small amount of space and when you utilise the majority of the space. Also be aware of the range of heights you utilise e.g. When are you low to the ground or when are you largely in the air?

List the variety of dynamics that you utilise within your Work. Try to adjust the dynamics so that they have the best amount of force and energy for the intent of the Work. Select one movement phrase and try to use the least effective dynamics in attempt to understand the best option.

Perform the Work without any accompaniment and identify the element of time in your Work. Are there distinct rhythmic patterns? Does it change time signature? Are you utilising all of the length of time in order to complete the movement, which also reinforces the intent of the whole Work or perhaps a section of it? Are there moments within the Work where you have to think in advance in order to remember technically challenging movement?

How does your use of the elements support the thematic intent of your Work?

Activity 3: Terminology in relation to the characteristics of a Work

List any terms of movement that are style specific in your Work.

Give an alternative meaning or new term for the word.

Attach the quality of the movement that you need in order to execute it in your Work, e.g. Jete: big flying jump, light and never ending, spiral rotation of the spine, contorted and entwining.

Identify the characteristics of the style which uses the terminology to reinforce the theme, e.g. The intent of the Work is to show the movement of birds. The Jete section of the Work reinforces the impression of flight that never ends.

Select a section of your Work that best enables you to explain and demonstrate the characteristics of your Work using appropriate terminology.