Week 10 - Studio Performance
During our choreography lesson this week I performed the
solo I have created based on dementia. The aim of this task was to be able to
perform in the space that we will use for our assessment and also the receive feedback
for our solo to allow us to make improvements. Our learning outcomes are:
1.
Critically analyse and evaluate a variety of works
by a chosen choreographer within the current dance scene.
2.
Demonstrate the application of theories,
processes, devices and technical dance skills to choreograph, create and design
original dance to pre-selected stimuli.
3.
Critically evaluate and reflect on personal
choreographic work and the creative processes used.
I personally believe I have fulfilled these as I have
analysed and evaluated Wayne McGregor’s works including ‘Infra’ and ‘Woolf
Works’, commenting on the movement, lighting, costumes and evaluating why they
have been used, different interpretations and my personal opinions on the
piece. Additionally, I have done extensive research into his choreographic
processes and how he creates movement based from a stimulus, including
improvisation. Also, how he has worked with cognitive neuroscientists to extend
his knowledge on the human body to enhance his choreography. From this, I have been
able to include his choreographic processes within my solo.
I received some feedback from my teacher after the
performance. For example, my teacher suggested I should add more weight to my
movement as I have a lot of contractions and swinging movements so adding
weight would add depth and dynamics to the movement. Furthermore, I was told to
try and use more space and travel more on different pathways. Lastly, I was
told to emphasise my facial expressions to portray the emotion of the piece. I
will do this by looking in pain to try to imply confusion and the emotional pain
that dementia patients may be in. I will make these changes to my solo to
hopefully improve the quality of movement and fully show the intention of the
piece.
After watching the video of my performance, I have decided
to edit some of the movements, try to add more gestural movements and repeat my
dementia motif more so the piece links more efficiently. From the feedback
given, my solo has clear choreographic devices and motifs which are clearly
seen by the audience which I am glad about s that was of my aims before
starting the piece. By applying my feedback, I will hopefully be able to
improve my solo and make it successfully fit the criteria and brief!
I have attached my energy level timeline and a clip from my solo below.
I like how you have laid out you blog as its very clear for me to read. I like how you have done extensive research into his choreographic processes as I have seen throughout your blogs, it has helped you. You mentioned that you got some feedback from your teacher about adding more weight to your movement. How will you do this within your choreography?
ReplyDeleteOverall, this is an excellent blog, and you have said that you will now alter a few movements. I am looking forward to seeing your final piece.
Thank you for your comment. I will add more weight by really pushing myself to relax within movements such as contractions or body ripples, perhaps by relaxing my head more or bending down further will help. Also by adding my dynamics to the movement such as impulse and release, it will develop the movement, hopefully emphasising the weight in the movement!
DeleteYour blog is very clearly laid out and easy to read. I wondered what choreographic devices you will use to illustrate the pain and confusion of dementia sufferer? Also, what does the addition of gestural movements add to the piece?
ReplyDeleteWithin my solo I have used repetition and fragmentation to show the idea of confusion as someone who is confused may have to repeat/ have something repeated to them many times. Furthermore, this links to memory loss which dementia sufferers also experience. The use of these devices can also link to the pain they may feel as the pain is repeated everyday. The addition of gestures accentuates and helps to show the symptoms such as confusion which I am trying to show within my piece, such has having my hands placed on my head, almost like someone is losing their mind. In my opinion, the use of gestural movement helps me emphasise my stimulus throughout my piece and helps it link efficiently.
DeleteThis is a really good blog post, with a very clear lay out.
ReplyDeleteI like how you've discussed the feedback you received from your teacher and have gone into detail about what emotions you will portray through your facial expression. I also like how you have mentioned your strengths in your choreography, like having clear choreographic devices.
What sort of gestural movements will you include to further evoke the idea of living with dementia?
In my piece I have a gesture where I place my hands on my head which is repeated throughout my piece, it is sometimes developed to have a head roll as well. I use this gesture to imply confusion/ as if someone is losing their mind.
DeleteHow did the Studio Performance create an impact on your creative process? How have you applied the feedback you received throughout the creative process? Has the application of feedback made the work more or less successful in your view? Also how will you ensure to create the best possible outcome, ensuring to sustain yourself, keeping engaged and the purpose behind your piece, throughout the duration of the choreography?
ReplyDeleteThis is a well-considered post and I feel you have shown a clear understanding of the topic, I feel the work you have produced so far is possibly around the 2:1 criteria. If you are looking to progress to a 1:1, it will be worth considering the quality of your reflective skills, research, ability to answer the questions and critical thinking. By demonstrating the ability to develop plans of action and integrating received knowledge of practitioner-based processes with evidence of varied personal research as well as critically reflecting your process (showing awareness of own strengths, weaknesses, and developing ability to compare alternative theories and analytical approaches) and considering possibilities, and their consequences to develop appropriate actions, it will offer new questions for your consideration and may help you identify areas you might not have considered with within your project. Can you ensure you have evidence of these areas within your work.
Miss Norman
Thank you for your comment. The studio performance really helped me as it made me realise areas of weakness within my solo which I can improve on. It also helped me identify areas which may need to change/ be altered and also allowed me to do my solo in the space I will have in the assessment. I was told to emphasise my facial expressions to portray the emotion of the piece. I will do this by looking in pain to try to imply confusion and the emotional pain that dementia patients may be in. I was also told to use my space more which I have applied to my work as I re-blocked my solo to suit the space in the studio better and show that I am travelling and using more space and different pathways. I think applying the feedback has made my work more successful as it has allowed me to receive other people’s critiques and thoughts on my choreography which allows me to improve it and make the intention of the piece clearer. A weakness I identified when watching the video of my solo is that I don’t seem very confident and I’m not performing very much. This led my movements to not be at their maximum ability. To combat this, I have tried to include points in my dance in which I make eye contact with the audience and again I have tried to emphasise my facial expression at a greater level to really show the emotions. I have also added more weight to my movement, which was again part of my feedback. I have done this by bending lower and adding a feeling of impulse and impact. This has given a sharper more powerful dynamic to stronger movements and has made the movement heavier in softer movements.
DeleteWell done! It is really good how you have taken all your feedback on board and responded to it. In what ways do you think increasing your travelling and using more space can enhance your choreography?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. Travelling more will make my piece more interesting rather than just moving on a linear pathway as well as helping all my lines and extensions be fully completed. It will also help link to my stimulus as one of my aims was to use change of direction to suggest confusion so by using more space, the change of direction in movements will be more noticeable.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog and in your solo the inspiration from Wayne Mcgregor's movement style is clearly shown, well done!
ReplyDeleteYou mention above that Miss Norman told you to include more weight into your movements so you have come up with the idea of adding more dynamics.
What type of dynamics will you incorporate into your piece and why?
Thank you for your comment. By adding more weight the dynamic will by more heavy on softer movements and will make stronger movements more sharp and powerful! This will also create more contrast within the movements and make them seem more definite and convincing.
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