How can you create a meaningful dance using the tools and concepts of choreography

Word Wall: Elements of Dance, Intention, Motivation, Clarity, Phrase, Structure, Form

Choreography ProjectElements of Dance

Shape/ Space

Time/ Force

Energy/ Flow

These elements are not separate from one another, rather all work together to

create movement

Essentials Know what your intention is and then say it with

clarity and simplicity Intention: What you want to say Motivation: Why you want to say it Clarity: precise content clear and clean

Try it: Put your arm out. Gather something and bring it in. Try it with different intentions: evil, caring, sneaking, tenderness, teasing, hoarding, loving destroying, saving

Essentials Every movement in your dance must serve

that dance and that dance only. All the movements should validate and help fulfill your intention

Essentials

Choose a adjective that describes you. Example: powerful, sparkling, mysterious, shy, loving, etc. Write your adjective down on a piece of paper Create a phrase that spells you adjective and shows your

adjective by using the intention of the word. We should be able to see your word in the phrase and in the

intension Make your phrase interesting, use levels, shapes, technique,

choreographic tools, spacing, think about what the audience is seeing

There is no right or wrong. Just try and trust yourself.

Essentials Movement Study: Gather, throw, push,

release, turn, elevate, run, sink use the given works in the given order to create a movement study. Now choose an intention, write it down. Perform your study for the class. Let see how many different studies we can make as a class only using different intentions. Can you guess your classmates intention?

Theme Is that which all else clusters around Our theme is ___________ Movement ideas?

Essentials Simplicity: Strive for a lean, elegant

statement. Know what your intention is…then say if

with clarity, and simplicity.

Speaking Body Walk in pairs across the floor. Dancer A has to

option of stopping Dancer B matches their partner/ which/ now try with both dancers having the option of stopping.

Mirror dance A is the dancer B is the mirror /change/ now try it as a movement conversation

Press your right hand to right hand and travel threw the space, use levels facings, and different direction.

Try it Walk in pairs across the floor. Mirrors Hand to Hand What a glorious, subtle instrument

choreographers have to work with. Yes, a dancers instrument is her body---but the choreographer's added concern is in how many ways can this body be moved, be shaped, speak, so as to produce the desired effect?

Phrases The Basic Structure A phrase is to a dance as a sentence is to a

book Single Phrases are grouped together into

larger phrases then built into longer sequences, and formed into sections

Impulse tilt Deep breathing has a strong sense of

beginning, middle, and end

Word scatter Write down 8 description words Powerful, mysterious, sparkling, mushy, colossal, zealous,

thundering, narrow Write down 8 verbs Plie, pirouette, run, slide, leap, balance, chain, twist Write down 8 adverbs Carefully, abnormally, deliberately, helplessly, smoothly,

unnaturally, yieldingly, zestily Scatter your 8 adverbs and verbs on a piece of paper

example: tightly pirouette Choose your intension or adjective to apply to the movement

example: powerful

Forming Beginning, Middle, End Idea of Climax ABA or ABC or ETC Theme and Variation Organic Form life within nature. In dance, it may

be helpful to think in terms of the movement within the stillness, the potential within the potential

87 Transitions take you from phrase to phrase they

shouldn’t be forced

Forming Sequencing or organization of a dance Choreographic devices are ways of

developing nuggets of movement, there by enriching and extending an initial movement in order to build a greater body of choreographic material

Compositional structures are frame work or structures for a dance

Abstraction and Imagery You are a mother with a child. Find ways to hold, rock, feed,

play with, support, love your child. Involve the images in movement. Explore different ways of opening up the image (rock the child on the back of your legs). Use fantasy or surreal “child” surrogates and situations ( the child as a floating balloon, or twice the size of the mother, or shapes giving birth to other shapes0…Now you are played with, supported rocked, fed, snuggled….

Create two phrase 1Mother and child image easily recognizable 2movement takes over an becomes abstract ( a solo of being

rocked, variations on holding and playing)