Cats Workshop: Devised piece evaluation

Devised Piece Evaluation Link 


Looking at the piece that I choreographed for the devised part of the unit I can see
the use of fragmentation in the piece. When the Paparazzi and Journalists enter I instructed them to do 4 movements and then have them rearrange them. As there was only 2  people so one person on each side as part of the groups it was difficult to show this, so on a full scale it would appear a busy atmosphere and the two groups of people would be busy doing the movements which have been fragmented. I also used the use of round by through where the models are being interrogated by the paparazzi and journalists so the groups of people are arranging the models into positions and manipulating them.


To develop this a further piece of choreography it needs a big number of people as I really don't feel with the small amount of us that I am portraying the theme very well. I can imagine a mad rush of people fighting over getting to the front of the cat walk to get the best interviews or pictures of models. The use of props are a must in this song as I would like the paparazzi to have camera and have the journalists have note pads and pens. As further development I will be of course singing as my character when this song is playing so in some ways this will then create a better atmosphere to the piece and I will be able to be involved more when singing and knowing the words.

Cats Solo Dance Evaluation

Cats Solo Dance Evaluation

Looking at my Cats solo from the audition I felt that it went very well. I feel that I performed it was a flare and it was a strong performance and fit the requirements of creating a Cats inspired jazz solo. I felt spatially looking back at the video of my dance that I covered and used all of the space in a definite way and my choreography would have been performed in the exact same way if i was asked to perform it again meaning I knew what I was doing. I feel that I incorporated the correct technique, skills and style to fulfill the brief of a jazz solo as i used pirouettes extended kicks, leaps jumps, step ball changes, splits and a stylistic performance approach.  Where I have developed and created my solo I was inspired by cat like movements and the use of elongated movements of the arms, legs hands and feet which interprets the idea that it is cats as they are very feline and they very much stretch out when creating their lines. I feel I did this in my solo and that I managed to do that. It was clear to see the use of different tempos and rhythms and example near the beginning of the dance I did 2 step develope walks half time and then did 4 flick kicks double time which therefore showed the development and use of tempos and rhythms. It was clear to see the use of repetition in my dance as i repeated the section from the beginning and then again 3/4 of the way through. You could see that I had incorporated and developed a climax in my dance when the music changed, it choreographically needed a lift with its choreographic intent and created a direct correlation to the music my movement  then matched the music I was dancing to. I feel I portrayed the correct character in my dance as I did recognizable cat like movements that would be recognisable to an audience point of view. I didn't have a particular character in mind that I wanted to portray but the fact that my dance had a lot of energy and kicks and jumps it had similar energy to the kittens in the show. If I was to do this again and choreograph my solo I would try to improve by adding more floor work as this would be able to reflect the way in which the cats are portrayed in the musical and would really reinforce the idea that the dance is about cats. I know myself towards the end of the dance I had a brief panic where I forgot a move and quickly tried to get back on track which meant that some of my last moves weren't properly stretched out as I would have liked when  watching it back so that would be a note to self for next time to just not worry and maybe have a few more rehearsals in the space as I didn't feel I had lots of time to rehearse properly in the space full out as it is difficult in a lesson with 15 other people in the room and also finding some free studio space. So for next time I should ensure that I have as much practice in the space before the performance. 

My Cats Solo

My Cats Solo Dance

My cats inspired solo

For my Cats solo I have used a jazz style as a main focus of style as cats has a strong jazz influence in it especially in The Jellicle ball which is what has inspired me for this solo as its original choreography is jazz inspired. If I had decided to have choreographed my dance and taken my inspiration for Victoria cat's solo I would then have chosen a balletic style and influence as ballet is another style and influence seen within the musical. Where I have developed and created my solo i have looked at the video clip of The Jellicle ball and taken inspiration from that looking at the choreographic intent and the way the dancers move. I started off by trial and error coming up with a few basic motifs inspired by cat like movements and a jazz style influence and then began to create a more solid movement material. To reinforce the idea that this dance is based upon Cats i have used elongated movements of the arms, legs hands and feet which interprets the idea that it is cats as they are very feline and they very much stretch out when creating their lines. I have used different tempos and rhythms and the use of repetition in my dance. I have incorporated and developed a climax in my dance as the music changes in the dance and so it needed a lift with its choreographic intent and creates a direct correlation to the music that your movement is then matching your music. 

Here is a diagram of the spacing of my solo and the pathways that I take:

I really liked the music for the Jellicle Ball so it really inspired me to create my solo. I didn't have a specific character in mind from the show that I had the intention of basing it on I was more or less wanting my solo to have a good energetic flare with a good performance level. If I was to say that I am basing the dance on a specific character then it could be the likes of Jemima, Victoria or Cassandra as they are know as the 'Kittens'  in the show and have lots of lively energy which I could therefore base a character for mu solo upon.
When it comes to performing my solo for my audition I need to make sure that I have the correct performance level as well not only having created and choreographed a solo.

Jazz Dance Style Research

Jazz Dance Style Research 

Jazz dance is  shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred back to dance styles that originated from African Americans and that it was only thought that black dancers were capable and could dance the 'Jazz Style'. The term "Jazz" was first applied to a style of dance and during World War 1

 Jazz in a dance form however, originates from the traditional dances of Africans when they were brought to America on slave ships.This dance form developed alongside jazz music in New Orleans in the early 1900s. Beginning in the 1930s and continuing through into the 1960s, Jazz dance transformed from this original form into a theatre-based performance style of dance that required trained dancers. During this time, choreographers from the modern and ballet dance worlds experimented with the jazz dance style. These included choreographers such as George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Jack Cole,Hanya Holm, Helen Tamiris, Michael Kidd, Jerome Robbins, and Bob Fosse. Jazz dance was immensely  influenced by Caribbean and  Latin American dance styles introduced by Katherine Dunham. 

Syncopated rhythms are very common characteristics in jazz music which was then adapted into jazz dance in the early twentieth century and has remained a significant characteristic.

Isolations are a quality of movement that were introduced to jazz dance by Katherine Dunham through her use of undulating spines and torsos and hip rotations.

Improvisation was an important element in early forms of jazz dance, as it is an important element of jazz music. A low center of gravity and high level of energy are other important characteristics of jazz dance. Other elements of this profound style dance are less common and are the styles of their  choreographers.One such example are the inverted limbs and hunched-over posture which are of Bob Fosse 

example of Fosse: 

Cats

Andrew Lloyd Webber brought in choreographer Gillian Lynne to choreograph cats as he saw this musical as more like a ballet of Cats.Lynne basically invented a whole new style of dance for the musical, studying the way her own cats moved to create a feline effect. They decided to have the cast composed only of dancers, singing being a secondary attribute, as the dance was so elaborate and they had a very short time to rehearse. There is a definite Jazz style and influence which can be seen in the big dance number 'The Jelicile ball' . There is a big tap routine number seen as well in the song 'Gumbie Cat' 

Evaluation of Down and Out

Evaluation of Down and Out 

We did 4 performances of our dance down and out for the year 12's show. Each performance of our dance proved to be different each time due to people doing different things because of timing issues and some people forgetting the routine. From the feedback we were given it apparently didn't look too bad because myself, Saxona and Cherkanah were on the stage blocks and the three of us stuck to the same choreography to each other and the people who were performing on the floor then were doing something slightly different. In a way it was frustrating as I knew what I was doing as I'm sure others did too but for most nights it kept going wrong in places even though we had rehearsed it a lot. The dance was very much reliant on counts and phrases as ques when to move so this could have been a factor where people may have lost themselves and lost count.  I think also it could have been the case that we had rehearsed in a space so much larger than the actual set it was difficult for some people to adjust and remember last minute changed to the choreography. The routine was based and inspired the video clip of 'Down and Out' from the film version of Bugsy Malone. There was a lot of marching and travelling of the dancers so we decided this should be our opening sequence as it creates an atmosphere straight away and the beats from the music go well with the marching steps we do. Most of the dance is performed in unison with elements of unison, rhythms made by myself, Saxona and Cherkanah where did body percussion creating beats and rhythms and by the end of the routine we used canon as a whole group which I think changed the dynamics of the piece and made it more interesting for the audience to watch.  During the rehearsal process, we tried to do an improvisation sequence where we gathered in a circle and every dancer would enter the middle and have a solo opportunity. At first we thought that this would be a good idea to give people a solo opportunity and the chance to do something on their own and however not everyone liked the idea in rehearsals due to it not giving the right atmosphere and look to the piece, also taking into consideration it would not work in the limited space we had to perform in. We used a lot of repetition so we had quite a few different motifs which we tried to develop throughout to make them all slightly different to each other for example we had a box step movement that we all did at one point at the start of the routine and then we repeated the motif with the box step involved and the people on the floor continued doing the box step and myself Sax and Cherkanah changed and developed it to instead do a stepping forward and back movement with arms reaching backwards instead. 
If or when it comes to next time where we need to do a group choreography we need to work out our spacing and find out any staging or props or set that could be in our performing area. We could then in rehearsals mark out in the studio with tape or chairs or tables to mark out our performance space so we can get used to the amount or how little of space we have instead of leaving it until show week to sort it out which was stressful and time consuming for everyone. I think overall the dance went well as it looked effective the use of levels and dynamics and repetitive movements and the use of canon and unison. to conclude as a first choreographed group dance it eventually worked out okay and even if people did forget what they were doing they carried on to get back on track and were professional in carrying on and not making it obvious that a mistake had been made. 

Our performance

Motif and Development

Motif and Development

Motif: A motif is a movement or short movement phrase that forms the basis of the structure of a dance
A Motif can:

• Convey the theme/idea of the dance in a physical form
• Mark a recurring feature of the accompaniment, e.g, chorus of the music
• Convey the character
• Reflect the initial visual stimulus, e.g, pose from a picture, photograph, sculpture 

Repetition- Repeat exactly the same
Retrograde - Perform it backwards. Start at the end and follow it back through the space - like a movie run backwards
Inversion - Used in creating choreography that produces variations on a movement phrase. Inverting the movement phrase would mean executing it as if ‘looking in a mirror’. 

Size- Condense/ Expand. Take the motif and do it as small or big as you can.
Tempo- Fast/Slow/Stop. Exploring the speeds as in how you perform the motif as well as finding moments of stillness
Rhythm- Vary the rhythm but not the tempo. The variety and pattern of beats should be alternated, not the speed or the length of time it takes.
Quality- Vary the movement quality. Try the same movement quivery, drifting with erratic tension.
Instrumentation- Perform the movement with a different body part; eg flick out left arm you could flick out left leg.
Force- Vary the amount of force you use when producing the movement. Do it with great force, very little, gently, weak and strong.
Staging- Perform it at a different place on the stage and/or with a different facing to the audience, sideways or diagonal.
Embellishment- The movement itself can have the embellishment or a part of the body can be embellished as it is involved in the movement. Or try embellishing both the body and the path of movement at the same time.
Change of levels/planes- Change the motif to a different plane; horizontal,verticle, sagittal plane or any other slice of space. Do it on a different level. Trace the path of the gesture and use it as a floor pattern and move along that.
Fragmentation- A choreographic device where only a part of the movement sequence/motif is manipulated. A movement is broken down into smaller units.

Dance Lesson on Bugsy Malone Choreography

Dance Lesson on Bugsy Malone Choreography

In this lesson we further looked at our choreography for Down and Out and added a bit more to our dance.
Here is what it is looking like: 

This lesson was difficult as quite a few people were missing so it was difficult to gauge how the piece is going to look as it is hard not knowing the placing of where everyone is. 
What needs to be improved on by everyone is getting into the character and the use of dynamics on the piece so really perform it well so showing the stomping being fed up. 

Following this lesson we then spoke to Rachel and she said she wanted us being on the stage blocks which will be in front of where the rig will be as the seating for audience is on tables so we  wouldn't be able to do our formation so we now need to rearrange it and put people up on the stage blocks as well as having them in front. We can have people walk through the audience but our original formations we are going to have to change. We can still use the content of what we have created and choreographed it is now we need to re think our spacing which is starting to prove difficult because of finding rehearsal space and time for us to practice and rehearse. To save time we can repeat movements which would then enable us to not spend lots of time creating new material so instead we could maybe fragment some phrases that we already have and reorder them. 

Rush Review

'Rush' Review

Akram Khan is the choreographer of 'Rush' who is well known for his other work such as 'Zero Degrees' and 'Confluence'. 
Within 'Rush' the dance styles that you can see are classical Indian dance style which evolved from ancient origins fused with contemporary dance. The dance piece is inspired by parachute jumpers and the idea of free-falling. Khan liked the idea of experimenting with the five senses (Touch, Smell, Sight, Taste, Sound). Khan started his process of creating choreographic material by improvising and focusing on visualizing  movement/positions related to freefall, and the senses. There are 3 dancers in the piece making the dance a trio (Akram Khan, Moya Michael, Gwyn Emberton. The duration of the dance stands at 30 minutes long. 
The choreography is focused about actions of the waist , chest, arms and hands, the dancers perform the gestures and motifs either together in unison, or calling out rhythm changes in a traditional way. A rare Indian cycle of nine and a half beats in the choreography's structure for movement, space and music. 
The choreographic devices used in this dance are; Motif development, unison, cannon and repetition. Unison can be seen when the dancers start off the beginning of the dance by rearranging phrases of movement where the dancers circle their arms in a propeller fashion and the dancers use cannon and rearrange phrases to create interest to their dance and reinforce the idea of paragliding and free-falling as when you free-fall it is a manic sensation and you can see changes in speed and dynamics to show this. The tempo of the piece changed in the middle of the dance as if to show the speed of free falling after you jump out of the plane, and from this the dancer's actions of turns and rolls become faster and more of the dance space was used. I find this dance interesting to watch as the dancers use different speeds and the 3 dancers invariably are performing different movements at different times which creates some interest however it was extremely repetitive which i found i lost interest after a little while as there wasn't much else going on to the dance.

First Lesson Starting Bugsy Malone choreography

First Lesson Starting Bugsy Malone choreography 

In this lesson we started on creating some material and some motifs to begin our choreograph for 'Down and Out'. We had another look at the original film choreography to get some inspiration. We started on having a look at the military and uniform idea and the use of a bowl and spoon so we started off by having people march in on the 'Down down down down, down down down and out' lyrics to start of the piece until we are in a line. From there we used a set phrase and re-ordered it and used canon to then go down the line to do our phrase of 4 movements twice. 
Here is the clip to our video to show what we came up with for our first lesson on creating material.  

Looking at this clip of our first try of creating motifs we have created a good start and a good use of space and formations. what we need to do now with our choreography is to create more material ad check with Rachel where we will be performing in the space as it is cabaret seating and so the formations that we have created may not be able to work in the space. Also we need to start creating more material and extend on what we have already done. 

Dance For Camera - Themes and Ideas

Dance For Camera


Themes and Ideas




What is your theme?


Based upon the idea of Rosas Danst Rosas




How will you show this through the use of actions/dynamics/space/relationships?


The space would be around the corridors of college and the frustration being at college and doing work and deadlines. I wont be using motifs from Rosas but its based upon the idea.


Where will it be set?


College


Are there any health and safety concerns?


Would need to check I can use some space around college and it is available.


How many dancers?


2/3


Will you use any props?


Chairs


What will your dancers wear?


Day to day wear


How will you edit it?


Moviemaker

Dance For Camera - different camera angles

High angle shot:

Long Shot:

Over the shoulder shot:

06/10/14 Dance lesson

add ideas about what you could choreograph and why

06/10/14 Dance Lesson

In todays lesson we went onto a different unit choreographing a dance for a song which is either in Into The Woods, or Bugsy Malone for the year 12 shows. The choices were either The Witches Rap from Into the Woods or Down and Out from Bugsy Malone. I decided I would like to be in Down and out and be part of the choreography for that song.

Here is a clip of the song:

Once we had watched the video of Down and out from the film of Bugsy Malone we then created a mmind map with some initial ideas of what we were thinking of doing with the dance. Here is the mind map I created:

Looking at the film clip of the song we made our mind map brainstorming some ideas that come to mind. When it comes to our choreography I feel that we could incorporate the use of a metal bowl and spoon and use this as percussion with the music. Also the use of rhythmic foot patherns as well as this can emphasise the music and create a direct correlation. It is very uniform and military like with use of formations so I think that these are some good ideas and starting points to begin our choreography for the song. 

Script Writing: Opening Scene

Script Writing: Opening Scene

At a dance school, 2 friends (17 & 18 yrs old) Alice and Danielle sitting in a changing room.
Mother and Daughter (10 year old daughter and 36 year old mum) Sharon(Mum) Emma (Daughter) talking with the dance teacher
Girl waiting in the waiting room ready to teach, Megan (23 years old)


Alice: 3 weeks until our audition Dani! So excited

Danielle: I know I cannot wait. This party tomorrow night is the last time I'm drinking until after the audition

Alice: oh yeah me too, alcohol isn't good for your voice so 3 weeks of no alcohol will be fine i'm sure we can cope (Laughing together)

Danielle: It's crazy though isn't it, we are growing up. We have been going to this dance school since we were 3 years old and we could potentially be leaving this place to go off to drama schools

Alice: I know its crazy, God what is Miss Jenkins going to do without us! Losing 2 seniors, might as well kill her now!

Danielle: bless her

(lights go down on changing room section of the stage and then go up on Mother and daughter - Sharon and Emma talking to Miss Jenkins)

Sharon: okay so I want to push Emma to do as much as she can through the dance school and do all the classes she can plus all festivals and competitions and do as much as possible

Miss J: Okay, well make sure you don't tire her out she's 10 years old and she needs to still focus on school work, its good you have a passion for what your daughter enjoys doing but you need to think about the strain on Emma. How do you feel about all this Emma…?

(Emma goes to speak)

Sharon: She's fine, she can do it all

Miss J: if you say so, but please don't tire the poor girl out and make sure she has time for her studies

Sharon: I want my daughter to be a star and she is going to be a star one day so i need to make sure she does as much as possible to get better and better, don't you think thats right that she does all these extra classes and performances?

Miss J: yes to an extent but she needs time to play as well as work

Sharon: This is play, she loves it. I pay for it all she should love it.

Emma: Can I say something…

Miss J: Whats that Emma?

Emma: I am quite tired already I don't want to do too much more

Sharon: She doesn't know what she's talking about! You need to do all this flower to get better you want to be a star don't you?

Emma: I guess so

Sharon: Yes mother I do want to be a star. For goodness sake stop slouching and stand up, no one wants to hire a hunchback now come on you've got a singing lesson then a drama lesson to go to. Thank you for this Talk Miss Jenkins

Miss Jenkins: You're welcome…I guess

( Lights down on them and up on Megan in the waiting room, she's sitting on her phone)

Danielle: Alright Meg

Megan: Oh hiya Danielle, how you doing today?

Danielle: Not too bad thank you, i'm looking forward to your lesson we always can't wait for your thursday lessons you work us so hard and help us so much and its always so fun!

Megan: Aw thanks Dani thats really lovely, but between me and you I 'm not sure how long I'm going to be staying here…

Danielle: What?! What do you mean are you leaving?!

Megan: Possibly, i've been offered a job abroad

Danielle: Wow thats amazing! but such a massive thing to go and do! You've got a boyfriend haven't you?

Megan: Yeah Phil we've been together for 2 years now

Danielle: Wow, you guys are seriously perfect for each other though, how long will it be that you are away for?

Megan: 6 months…

Danielle: 6 months?! Jeeez! how does Phil feel?

Megan: I haven't told him yet because I don't know what to do

Danielle: come on talk to Dani

Megan: It's just my life is here, he is the love of my life! But 6 months away from each other is such a long time that I don't think I could do that, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! I've heard he might propose to me soon which I would say yes to but 6 months which could possibly roll to a year is way too long to be away from him. Ugh I don't what to do

Danielle: Well you obviously love him, and you are thinking of more reasons not to go than to go…

Megan: Thats true, but if we truly love each other 6 months apart shouldn't jeopardise our relationship if we love each other

Danielle: I know but you are going to be in a foreign country and away from him like thats a hard thing to do!

Megan: I don't know what to do, this is a life changing thing to happen to me

Danielle: But how will Phil see this? He loves the bones of you, you are his world and 6 months will really take it's toll on you both

Megan: I just need to think about it more. Thanks for this chat Danielle. Now go get your kit on and I'll see you in there we are starting in 10 mins.

Lights go down on the stage

Workshop Unit: Cats devising assessment - My Idea

Workshop Unit: Cats devising assessment

As part of our Workshop Unit for our musical Cats we need to take a song from the musical and devise choreography to it to comply and fit in with our concept for Cats. Our concept is based on fashion and the fashion industry, the Cat characters are now based upon models, journalists and fashion icons.

My character is Munkustrap who in the original show is a black, grey and silver cat and is the protector cat and is right hand man to Old Deuteronomy. In our concept I can see my character being like Felicity Green OBE who is a British fashion journalist and former newspaper executive. Or someone similar to the role 'Emily' from the film The Devil Wears Prada who is second in command who essentially is what my character is like.

The song I have Chosen to Devise is the song 'The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles'. The song is originally sung by Munkustrap and is described as a battle between two neighborhood dog tribes, the Pekes and the Pollicles, who bark "until you could hear them all over the park". The cats stage the battles by dressing up as dogs and barking in each other's faces. This goes on until the Great Rumpus Cat arrives and scares the dogs away. 

The Original Pekes and the Pollicles

The way in which I am thinking of portraying my devised choreography for this song so that it fits in with our concept of fashion is that I am deciding to have 2 groups of people the Pekes & Pollicles and have one group as Photographers/Paparazzi and another group as Journalists. I am wanting this song to be a battle between the two groups of people and their interrogation of models so taking their picture constantly, hassling them for gossip and information. I have an idea of having the Paparazzi on one side of the cat walk staging and the journalists on the other side. I imagine my character standing on the cat walk singing and telling the story of the song and having the models walking up and down the cat walk around me being hassled by the two groups.  I think this would be a suitable idea as paparazzi and Journalist play a big role in the fashion industry getting inside gossip from models finding out what people are wearing and latest designs. This song comes after the song 'Old Deuteronomy' so that song could possibly be a press launch for a fashion event and there are journalists and paparazzi there interrogating people. I found it difficult at first to think of a concept as I couldn't keep it how it is written because it would not fit in with our fashion industry concept if two groups of dogs were having a brawl so I had to think of something that would be appropriate to the theme. I then thought perhaps two groups of models fighting over something  -  a new fashion item possibly - but then I was told that the Peaks and Pollicles song was too be sung and performed by the year 12's so I thought that the idea of paparazzi and journalists would be an appropriate idea and be a diverse song to the rest of the songs in the show showing a different side to the industry. 




My Filmed Pitch Link

Unit 12 - Classical Theatre Assessment Sheets