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.