Week 5:


Week 5: Structure and Gestures 

The lesson started with a talk about the importance of Structure: to know where we are heading, to use movements with purpose and to review carefully what we want the audience to notice. Choreography - Creating and Developing Dance Performance by Kate Flatt, was referred to and the words "establish the world you like the audience to enter" resonated with me.

The first task was to create our structure. Seven sections were created:

1. Marching

2. Coming Together

3. Countdown

4. Chaos

5. Fear

6. Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder

7. One-Minute Silence 

Each section is of importance and, as they develop, we see people becoming ever more fearful and damaged. We are revealing the rising internal distress that will eventually consume. Marching is simply the organised, and impersonal front where an individual works only as part of a group. Once completed, the reality of war is revealed. The audience gradually develops a deeper connection and understanding of the soldiers.  

The last part of the lesson was to create a gesture independently that related to our theme.  Choosing our 3 favourite, these were then developed in 3 stages, increasing the energy each time in order to develop meaningful, expressive movements. Thus, a ‘shove’ started as a light-hearted joke, turned into a concerned grasp, and then into a determined push as if to save somebody from danger. 

Finally, we developed one of the three gestures into a small group phrase - this was a gesture which embodied anxiety and fear. Placing ourselves in a diagonal line, we used cannon. We continued adding to this sequence which ended in a position that imitated barbed wire: hooked fingers, entangled arms and twisted upper bodies. 



Referencing:

-Flatt, K, 2019. Choreography : Creating And Developing Dance For Performance. Ramsbury: The Crowood Press Ltd, p.158.

Comments

  1. rosabella murphy23 November 2020 at 08:35

    This is a great blog Louisa in which I really enjoyed reading. I like how you have created several different sections to help guide you through the structure of your piece. I also love how have included an image and a video of your phrase, I thought you have created some very interesting movement here. Did you face any challenges during the process of this task?

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    Replies
    1. LouisaBratby4 December 2020 at 08:26

      Thank you. I think finding the right gesture to use was the hardest part of the process- to know what simple movement could be expanded on effectively. However once we had this, the developing of the movement came far more easily.

      Delete
  2. Nanson29 November 2020 at 08:02

    While choreographing, have you found that having clear sections has helped creativity or focus? Or has it limited this

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    Replies
    1. LouisaBratby4 December 2020 at 08:14

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. LouisaBratby4 December 2020 at 08:19

      Structuring our piece into sections has greatly helped us visualise what will be taking place. As well as this, it stops us from drifting away from our stimulus. We can also use our time wisely as we can clearly decide what section to work on in our lessons. We have realised our piece relies on our structure. This is why we have taken time to analyse and consider what it is we want to project and portray in each section since all our movements will follow on from here.

      Delete
  3. Lucy Imamzade4 December 2020 at 00:03

    This blog is very detailed with a clear understanding on the task you faced this week. Do you think this is a task you will consider when choreographing your piece?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LouisaBratby4 December 2020 at 08:17

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. LouisaBratby4 December 2020 at 08:22

      Developing gestures was an interesting way to create and intensify effect. Therefore, I believe my group and I will continue experimenting with this method throughout our sessions.

      Delete

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