clairelaffey-blog

[clairelaffey-blog]

POSTMODERN DANCE

Word Count: 467

The twentieth century dance style, postmodern dance, emerged from the rebellion against modern dances content regarding dancing to something external such as emotions or storylines (Banes 1987, 16). Postmodern represents the era after the modern techniques of people such as Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan (Expert Village 2008). Postmodern dance reflected a number of phases, each showing slight alternations to subject matter, choreographic methods and philosophy of movement. Sally Banes describes the four phases of postmodern dance as The 1960’s Breakaway Post Modern Dance, 1968-1973 A Traditional Period, The 1970’s Analytical Post Modern Dance and 1980’s Rebirth of Content (Banes 1987, 15-24). The 1960’s period saw choreographers united solely because their creations were radically different from that of modern dance. This saw choreographers discover ways to ensure dance was the subject matter of all dance works (Banes 1987, 16). By straying away from structured approaches to movement, creative works saw experimentation with “new use of time, space and the body”. This included the exploration of space when performing movement, including art galleries, churches, lofts, parking lots and spaces outdoors. Time was experimented within movements, such as lying down extremely slowly (Banes 1987, 24). The phase of analytical postmodern dance saw a focus on redefying dance. Expressive elements such as music, lighting, costumes and props were disregarded, enabling a more natural, unforced presentation of creative works (Banes 1987, 20). Choreographers of postmodern dance were considered to be ‘thinkers’ rather than ‘dancers’, as the intellectual process of creating movement was more significant than the end result (Grieve 2008).

 My postmodern dance sequence shows expressionless movement and no reference to anything besides dance. Within the postmodern era, choreographers were more concerned with the decisions behind movement rather than how moves appeared (Kirby in Banes 1987, 14). Movements emphasising dancers goals, concepts and problems were choreographers main interest, and whatever movement came from this process was deemed acceptable (Kirby in Banes 1987, 14). Furthermore, everyday movements and gestures are also seen within my routine as this was a significant choreographic method used to evoke impassive movement. This technique progressed within the fourth phase of modern dance, 1980’s Rebirth of Content, as choreographers wished to redeem the meaning and emotion of modern dance. This reflected the utilisation of language and language-like systems such as gestures and sign language within postmodern creative works. Movement of walking and running are also evident within my choreographic sequence as they represent pedestrian like movements, reinforcing the emotionless perception of postmodern dance. This notion was one of the main foundations of choreography and highly emphasised the approach postmodern choreographers strived (Grieve 2008). 

 Reflecting on how modern dance contributed towards the movement philosophy of postmodern dance has assisted myself in gaining a greater understanding of the postmodern era and choreographic methods and movement evoked from different postmodern artists.

 REFERENCES 

Banes, Sally. 1987. Terpsichore in sneakers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Expert Village. 2008. "Post Modern Dance Techniques : The Basics of Post Modern Dance." YouTube, January 17, 2008. http://www.xxxxxx.

Grieve, Rachel. 2011. "Postmodern Dance." Last modified July 9, 2011. https://prezi.com/b-8oyqs6qp9x/postmodern-dance/.

Pedro, Rachel. 2018. “KYB123 Dance Legacies – Lecture Nine, 2018”. Accessed October 13, 2018. https://blackboard.qut.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-7583270-dt-content-rid-18686290_1/courses/KDB123_18se2/9%20Lectorial%20Nine%20KDB123%202018.pdf. 

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MODERN DANCE

Word Count: 472

Within the twentieth century, Europeans rebelled against the structured rules of classical ballet and opted for a more relaxed, freestyled type of movement (Bedinghaus 2018, para 1). This drastic change was influenced from scientific discoveries made within the twentieth century which concerned an expansion of the understanding of life (Pedro 2018, 2). Albert Einstein’s theory of reality became a motif for choreographic works as “reality became not a ‘thing’ but a point of view – also known as a frame of reference” (Axelrod 1999, 13). Moreover, Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud’s theory that “much of the thoughts and activity that occupies peoples lives is beyond the conscious awareness”, also contributed to the shift of choreographic interest (Axelrod 1999, 8). These discoveries saw a mentality within choreographers that new ideas were better than a re-working of traditional ideas which lead to a lack of classical works created by modern dance choreographers (Collins Paperback Dictionary 1995, 272). As artists had immense freedom concerning choreographic processes, the subject matter of dance shifted, honing on what was felt as a more ‘true expression of contemporary life’ opposed to ballet (Pedro 2018, 2). As the sole purpose of modern dance was to not contemplate but communicate emotional experiences, instinctive perceptions and subtle truths, a drastic change to movement elements were evident.

 Movement within the modern dance period saw each choreographer develop their own vocabulary of dance, meaning that each strived to create movement significant to themselves (Cohen in Kraus & Chapman 1981, 112). Within my modern dance sequence, I maintained a heavy centre of gravity when performing movement. Rejecting the classical technique of light , floating movement, modern dance sees a deliberate use of body weight to enhance movements (Bedinghaus 2018, para 3). Obvious falls to the floor are also evident contrasting the upright, rigid body position of ballet. Movements seen in modern dance project ‘centrally initiated movement’, meaning movement evokes from the centre of the body, exercising abdomen muscles combined with exhaling (Giguere 2013, 16). In exploring this technique, my movement piece sees “greater use of the torso, evident on a horizonal than vertical plane” (Horwitz in Reynolds 1979, 136). Furthermore, within my modern dance sequence I have utilised many technical elements such as positioning of the legs, either parallel or turned out, feet either pointed or flexed and maintained a strong, weighted movement whilst dancing. These technical elements helped me achieve Merce Cunningham’s choreographic technique of expansive physicality and unusual shapes combined with straight lines and the technical precision of ballet (Feidelson 2013, 1).

 By exploring modern dance movement techniques, I have gained a further understanding of the modern dance era and have reflected upon the way movement was introduced to this dance period. In gaining an understanding of different choreographers approaches to methods of choreography, I have gained a physical comprehension of movement prevalent within modern dance.

  REFERENCES

Axelrod, A. 1999. Twentieth century history.  New York: Alpha Books.

Bedinghaus, Treva. 2018. "What Are the Characteristic of Modern Dance?." Last modified April 10, 2018. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-modern-dance-1007279.

Collins Paperback Dictionary. 1995. Great Britain: HarperCollins.

Feidelson, Lizze. 2013. "The Merce Cunningham Archives." The Dancer or the Dance? 1 (16): 1-6. https://nplusonemag.com/issue-16/essays/the-merce-cunningham-archives/.

Giguere, Miriam. 2013. Beginning Modern Dance. Champaign, United States: Human Kinetics Publishers.

Pedro, Rachel. 2018. “KYB123 Dance Legacies – Lecture Five, 2018”. Accessed October 12, 2018. https://blackboard.qut.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-7565453-dt-content-rid-17616071_1/courses/KDB123_18se2/5%20Lectorial%20Five%20KDB123%202018.pdf.

Reynolds, N. ed. 1979. The dance catalogue.  New York: Harmony.

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CLASSICAL BALLET

Word Count: 497

Classical Ballet emerged in the late 1800’s and is recognised for its highly technical and intricate dance movements and patterns. All classical art forms within the nineteenth century reflected characteristics of order, control, economy and restraint, influencing focus towards hierarchy, status and tightly set rules and guideline (Pedro 2018). The dominance of superiority reflected within both ballet movements and positions of importance within ballet companies. Beginning in the nineteenth century, ballet companies showed clear distinguish between stars, soloists and corps de ballet (Encyclopedia Britannica 2018, para 20). The hierarchy of movements became evident within choreographic methods and structures of classical ballet as technical elements became the focal point of classical ballet works (Pariona 2017, para 2). Technical movements began to reflect the society of which they originated, including the rigid carriage of the torso seen in early classical works which resulted from the restriction of clothing, such as corsets, within that period of time (Neals 2010, 1). The emphasis upon technical movements further influenced a change of attire, straying away from the knee length tutu, the classical ballet period introduced the ‘short cut’ tutu, implemented for further visibility of leg and footwork (Pariona 2017, para 2).

 When choreographing my classical ballet sequence, I focused heavily on maintaining a continuous flow of movements which co-ordinated with the entire body (Hungerford 2015, para 5). The classical ballet technique focuses on rounded arms within basic positions, helping portray an elegant, graceful flow of movement. Movement positions of the head, arms, feet and body highlight this graceful approach as it enables dancers to move with agility, control and weightlessness (Encyclopedia Britannica 2018, para 1). Furthermore, I highlighted techniques reflecting turned out positions of the legs. Developing a turned out position increases the range of movement within the legs and hips, creating extended lines of the legs, which was highly predominant in the classical ballet period (Encyclopedia Britannica 2018, para 1). The turned out position, along with other stationary positions of the arms and feet such as first, second, third, fourth and fifth, became the basic to all classical ballet movement and today are still the fundamental positions in developing correct ballet technique (Encyclopedia Britannica 2018, para 5). Within my sequence, I demonstrated all positions of the arms including a port de bras. Furthermore, movements including allegro such as jetes, petit allegro including entrechats, pirouettes, kicking of the working leg and arabesques are movements that develop the high paced tempos and technical elements within the classical ballet art form (iBuzzle 2018, para 4). When executing these movements I maintained the correct arm placement and posture to maintain the traditional light, flowing structure evident in classical ballet.

 As the classical ballet era was, and still is, very structured and technical in movements, I heavily focused on the importance of the positioning of the legs, arms, head and body within my sequence. From this task, I have expanded my knowledge of the Classical Ballet era and reflected on how movements imitate the classical period.

 REFERENCES 

Encyclopedia Britannica. 2018. "Ballet After 1945." Accessed October 10, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/art/ballet/Ballet-after-1945.

Encyclopedia Britannica. 2018. "Classical Ballet." Accessed October 10, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/art/classical-ballet.

Hungerford, Kim. 2015. "The 7 Basic Principles of Classical Ballet." The Ballet Source (blog), April 10, 2015. https://www.balletcurriculum.com/the-7-basic-principles-of-classical-ballet/.

iBuzzle. 2018. "Ballet Positions and Movement." Accessed October 11, 2018. https://www.ibuzzle.com/articles/ballet-positions-and-movements.html.

Neals. 2010. "Classical Ballet." Accessed October 10, 2018. http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/8775/8775_show2.htm?keepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=550&width=900.

Pariona, Amber. 2017. "When And Where Did Ballet Begin?." Last modified April 25, 2017. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/when-and-where-did-ballet-begin.html.

Pedro, Rachel. 2018. “KYB123 Dance Legacies – Lecture Four, 2018”. Accessed October 9, 2018. https://blackboard.qut.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-7559321-dt-content-rid-17472528_1/courses/KDB123_18se2/4%20PP%20for%20Lectorial%20Four%20KDB123%202018.pdf. 

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ROMANTIC BALLET

Word Count: 488

The Romantic Ballet era commenced within the early nineteenth century and reflected upon prevalent romanticised art and literature as a structure for creating ballet works. This notion saw similar characteristic between Romantic Ballet and The Romantic Movement including concepts of the lives of ordinary people, fixation of mystical and irrational themes and a favouritism towards other eras and exotics lands (Pedro 2018). The evolution of Romantic Ballet saw these characteristics surface as the romantic era of dance saw conflicts between good and evil, beauty and ugliness and realism and fantasy within creative works (California Ballet 2010, para 5). This fantasised persona saw stylistic features of soft, floating, ethereally movements, introducing new features to Romantic Ballet. The costuming of ballerinas saw a change to choreographic and movement approaches. The removal of hoop skirts, corsets, masks and wigs enabled a more light-weight appearance, aiding more expressive features and freedom of movement (California Ballet 2010, para 3). The introduction of bell shaped, knee length tutus saw ballerinas perform more intricate leg movements and an increase to the standard of technical proficiency (The Dance Anthology 2011, para 4). This saw choreographers create a link between dynamic techniques of previous eras and dramatic storylines, in which I explored within my own Romantic Ballet choreography.

 In developing my own Romantic Ballet sequence, I explored specific movement structures of the Romantic period and heavily based choreographic sequences from Romantic Ballet dancer, Marie Taglioni. The use of soft, rounded arms and head-lines within my sequences is specific to Romantic Ballet’s movement as this presented a flowery, graceful appearance (The Dance Anthology 2011, para 4). A forward tilt in the upper body was also evident to furthermore achieve this look. The concept of a weightless perception and elevation of allegro is evident as this reflected the development of pointe work within the era (Pedro 2018). Pointe was introduced to create the illusion of floating as ballerina’s portrayed spirits flying across stage, however only minimal, dainty movements were seen en pointe as the support of pointe shoes was unavailable (Royal Opera House 2013). Technical ballet steps such as Pas de bourree, pirouettes and arabesques are also evident within my choreographic sequence. All three moves within the Romantic era would also be performed on demi pointe as ballerina’s did not have the strength to perform such demanding movements on their toes without support (Royal Opera House 2013). The series of pirouettes within my dance shows low, controlled legs with light bouncing motions. The arabesque is held at a 45 degree angle, with a slight lend of the torso allowing a release of weight if performed en pointe. All movements performed within the sequence followed Marie Taglioni’s graceful, floating perception and reflects heavily upon the Romantic ballet era’s structures and characteristics.

 By exploring movement specific to the Romantic Ballet era, I have gained an in-depth understanding of the Romantic Ballet period and the relevance of movements and choreographic methods present.

  REFERENCES

California Ballet. 2010. "Ballet in the Romantic Era." Last modified June 4, 2010. https://californiaballet.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/ballet-in-the-romantic-era/.

Guglielmotti, Florencia. 2013. "La Sylphide (fragmentos 1906 y 1964)." YouTube, June 30, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcqdN1hdNt0.

Pedro, Rachel. 2018. “KYB123 Dance Legacies – Lecture Three, 2018”. Accessed October 2, 2018. https://blackboard.qut.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-7548561-dt-content-rid-17330550_1/courses/KDB123_18se2/3%20PP%20for%20Lectorial%20Three%20KDB123%202018.pdf.

Royal Opera House. 2013. " Ballet Evolved - Marie Taglioni 1804-1884." YouTube, March 5, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DGp0qUcuuM.

Royal Opera House. 2013. "Ballet Evolved – The first four centuries." YouTube, February 14, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auDNcfK0Wcs.

The Dance Anthology. 2011. "Classical Ballet vs. Romantic Ballet." Last modified January 15, 2011. http://thedanceanthology.blogspot.com/2011/01/classical-ballet-vs-romantic-ballet.html.