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 Project

Elements 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 your 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?

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/ 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 through 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, chaine, 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 shapes…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)

Structures• AB• ABA• Canon• Rondo• Collage• Accumulation• Chance• Motif and development• Narrative• Theme • Variation

Tools Accumulation• Retrograde• Repeat• Stillness• Pathways• Dynamics• Timing• Elements of Dance• Abstraction• Spatial design• Facings • Levels• Inversion• Contrast

Think about:

• Choreography is the process of selecting and forming movement into a dance, designing the action to satisfy a particular intent.

• It is a process of exploration, improvisation, selection and organization

• It is a way of getting to know yourself• The movements material and method influence the final

product• It is individual for each dance• Focus and performance qualities along with theatrical

elements aid the final effect

• Choreography Cheat Sheet • You can dance about anything, Even the simplest ideas can become great works of art. • As you create follow these simply steps:• Choose the subject matter• Explore and select movement• Coordinate music and movement• Explore possibilities • Refine and memorize • Add finishing touches• Perform • What is you intension? Your dance must be about something. What is important to you and how will you

express it threw movement? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Remember Time, Space, Weight, Energy and Flow • Style of Dance ___________________________________________________________• Structure cannon, ab, aba, rondo, them and variation, narrative, collage, accumulation, call and response,

chance, motif and development, suite , beginning, middle and end, ground bass, other see Experiencing Dance pg 106.

• Music___________________________________________________________________• Unless you are creating a lyrical dance which I don’t recommend make sure you are not married to your music.

The music is not the most important part of the dance it is secondary to the movement. • Ways to abstract a phrase: change the rhythm, change or vary the speed, Repeat the movement, transpose the

movement to new body parts, do the opposite action and combine it with the original movement, make a new unrelated movement and mix it in with the original phrase, interrupt or have the movement take a detour to augment the original movement, let the movement grow and change

• Use the stage to meet your dances needs….• 2 4 2• 1• 3 5 3 Humphrey's chart of stage weight

Self reflection and critique

• You have completed your dance and performed for friends in family in our showcase, now reflection and critique your experience.

Self Reflection

• Self reflection should include: Your thoughts and feelings threw out the process, work ethic, success, your judgments about your piece, and the grade you believe you deserve and why.

• Critiques should include: • Description: should communicate how the dance looked and sounded. This

is the gathering of information. Be aware of space, levels, shapes, rhythm, time and dynamics. Look for interrelationships among the movement, such as: repetition and variation of the movement theme, organization into clear sections, and the dance relationships of the dancers. How does the dance relate to the audience? Is the energy projected out or draws the spectator in? Is the dance narrative or non-narrative? What are the costumes, lighting, accompaniment, and stage atmosphere?

•   Analysis: determines style and the choreographer's intent. Recognize whether the dance is ballet, modern, jazz, tap, ethnic. Many dances combine different styles. Determine the choreographer's intent: 1) the idea that the medium of movement is the message and the materials are placed in an interesting and pleasing manner, or 2) does the movement tell a story or convey a message.

•   Evaluation: conveys how well the choreographer fulfilled his/her intent and the how and why of the viewer's reactions. Note the elements, fulfillment of the intent, and the viewer's personal response. Outstanding individual performance can be indicated as well as the enhancement or diminishment of the dancing, the lighting, the costumes, and the accompaniment to the dance itself. Be aware of your own biases and be specific in statements supporting your likes and dislikes.

How can I write a clear paper that reflects, describes, analyzes and evaluates my dance?

• Reflect, Describe , Analyze, Evaluate • What was the process like? Did you full fill; your

intention? How much time did you put into making the dance? Was your dance well rehearsed? What difficulties did you experience while creating the dance? What was easy?

• Tell about the movements and choreographic tools as well as the intention

• Analyze what was the style of your dance? What was the intention?

• Evaluate How did you do?• 800 to 1000 words

Students will:

• Use ideas in power point to explore several dance studies, then create a dance solo based on information.

• Perform their works in a formal setting

• Write a paper explaining their process and critique their work 800 to 1000 words

• Time frame 5 block classes (and work at home)

1 ESSENTIAL STANDARD: Use choreographic principles,

structures, and processes to create dance that communicate ideas,

experiences, feeling, and images• A.CP.1.1 create dance using appropriate

movement choices; choreographic principles, structures, and processes; and production elements to fulfill choreographic intent and meet aesthetic criteria