katiepalmerprogressions-blog

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The final performance caused a lot of nerves and tension in the hours leading up (and even during) the performance. However, I could speak for the entire group when I say “It was a relief to see the video” or “It turned out so much better than I thought it would”

Yes, there was frustration at times, but that’s to be expected with a group of girls who have just become friends, and are working together to create 1 piece from the many, many ideas... If given the chance, I wouldn't have changed the process at all

I’ve learnt a lot about the many aspects behind choreography that one would not assume are there. The amount of choreographic tools that go in to creating a piece is amazing and it’ s even more amazing that a dance seems most effortless and natural when it has considered all of them.

Thanks,

Katie

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The song turned out really good actually! It really helps with the theme and allows the audience to know what’ happening right from the get go (sound of a car starting up). We perform on Wednesday and I think it will all go well. We know our parts, we crash then do our own parts more exaggerated, join for the choreo together then finish it off. We just have to clarify some timing on Wednesday before the class and finally perform it. Georgia is going to improv her section Wednesday another sound effect is also being added to prompt us to form the line for the end choreo which I personally don’t think is necessary but as long as we get it together then I’ll be a happy little dancer.

Katie

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Olufar Arnalds: This place was a Shelter.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eo1xMC7VbU)

This place was a shelter was the original song of choice. I really liked the somewhat mechanical sounds and the intensity. However, I must admit that the edited music to be used in the final performance is a lot better! :)

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Choreographic Studies

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Week 1 was an introduction to KDB107 and highlighted the unit’s aims, learning outcomes, key topics, what choreography is and the assessment that contribute to its completion. I felt uneasy and nervous to attend my first lesson of my first week at university and was slightly relieved to learn that class was cancelled. Despite this, I understood everything that was mentioned it the lecture slides. One of the last slides asked to think of a word that I liked and thought was descriptive/evocative to me. My word was Perfect as it brings a lot of memories from when I was younger. The task was to create a little sequence, interpreting the word - each letter utilizing a different body part - and remember it for next week. That wasn’t too difficult and I look forward to seeing what other people have come up with

 Katie

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The workshop in week 2 focused on gesture (functional, ritual and emotional) and incorporating them into dance. First though, we paired up and shared our sequence with another person then worked them together, I was paired with LOVE which fit perfectly with my sequence. It was really cool to see how each set turned out. We viewed examples of gestural choreography which helped me realise how simple or complex choreography can become, purely through the use of gestures. In the prescribed task for this workshop, we explored the three categories of gestures and used their movements as a platform so we could add a development, creating dance rather than boring, mundane movements. By doing this, I saw how easy it was to manipulate every-day movements to achieve more dramatic qualities to implement. Last task was gathering in groups of 5 and combing our work - the result will be posted here.

Katie

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The focal areas in week three’s workshop were the tools and rules of choreography. Elements such as motifs, repetition, action, quality, space and relationships were explored through this lesson. I missed the tasks/activities that were conducted due to being absent, however, I had some familiarity with the discussed elements from previous education. Although learning about it previously, I had never really experimented with my movement whilst solely focusing on how these elements have an effect on choreography. Task 1 will be conducted in my own time as it will be helpful in the completion of assessment 2a.

 Katie

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An online session was held this week which introduced different choreographic pieces for us to watch. We had to reflect and respond to these pieces by completing a worksheet that was provided. It proved to be quite difficult when it came to describing the choreography as it required a lot of consideration regarding the movements and other elements that had been discussed over previous weeks. I found the dances to be interesting due to how different they were to what is regularly seen. Whilst the choreography was confusing for most of them, it showed the progression of dance and demonstrated some similarities to what is practiced today.

 Katie

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This weekend we had a workshop designated to our site-specific assessment that is done in pairs. A PowerPoint presentation was discussed for the first section of the class which was extremely helpful in understanding exactly what site-specific choreography actually is. I’m so glad that we explored the concept before starting anything else because it was really confusing to me at first. I now interpret site-specific choreography: allowing a space to have a physical and emotional impact on an individual, leading to define the movements that are created. I didn’t have a partner going in to it but was lucky enough to be paired with Sarah who I’d never met before but is lovely to be around and work with. For this piece of assessment we are working with a confined and somewhat restrictive nook/baggage area. We started the process really well during the allocated workshop time and have mostly completed our 1min of choreography. Now we just have to refine the movements a little more and tweak anything that feels awkward or uncomfortable - we’ll meet up to do this and record the final copy. 

 Katie

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This is the result of the time that was used during the workshop. As you can see, we play with the shadowed area and have used that to develop our theme. 

The theme is not being able to get out of an area or situation / being pulled back into a dark mind-frame / needing someone to help you recognise that you are missing out by doing what you’re doing. *THIS WIL BECOME A LOT CLEARER*

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Kaitlin Palmer and Sarah Youngberry | Choreographic Studies 1, Assessmen...

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The class has now also delved into the concepts of style, technique and genre; these components of choreography were touched on when doing dance as a school subject. Nothing that was mentioned was particularly new knowledge, but some things were explained differently which helped me to gain a better idea of their definition and effects on the outcome of a piece.

Groups have been formed for assessment 2b but I was left without a group. Thankfully Sarah held a position for me in her group; Sarah, Georgia, Ella and now myself :) . Contemporary is the genre that we will be working with but the exact concept is still a little shaky. We discussed lots of options such as a blackhole, opposites, class struggles (upper, middle, lower), drugs and patients in mental health ward. Car crash is the most appealing idea for all of us at the moment so we further discussed how it could be portrayed... ABA structure with a lot of contrast between before and after the crash then back to A for impact. Use of gestural, repetitive movements seem appropriate. This idea will most likely be altered during the process but I am happy with what we have come up with. It seems like we will all get along well and I look forward to working with them.

[katiepalmerprogressions-blog]

This lesson focused on choreographic scores, finalising the groups for the next assessment (2b) and starting choreography - Georgia was away Wednesday this week (work). It was a bit difficult for me to form a clear understanding of what the other three girls had envisioned in terms of movement qualities, structure and the true meaning to be conveyed. After considering these concerns, we altered our plan/approach. The piece is now binary (AB) rather than ternary (ABA). The first part develops the setting. We will have a sequence that is repeated through the course of this section, with each person separating from the group to do a self-choreographed section. Order will be Ella, Sarah, Georgia then me. Part B is after the crash. When we started choreographing the beginning of the piece where we embody the car, our ideas were slow and disjointed. The little bit we came up with was very simple and not really what I thought we were aiming for. I started getting frustrated as I was trying to make suggestions regarding expanding and varying the movements more but the group didn’t seem to listen. The feedback then came back with the same suggestions that I was trying to make. We have totally scratched it to start new on Monday. I’ll find some potential songs by then and everyone will have had time to chat and try out some options for the moving section.

Katie

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In week 8, a resource consisting of a broad range of methods when choreographing was available for students to look at but I don’t think my group saw it.  

Getting there...

The group struggled to work together and with this being the first lesson we were all at, there was a lot of “it was this” or “I thought it was that” which I wasn’t expecting. However, we did make some progress in the end - good thing we met up 2hrs early. The moving sequence is set and just needs to be added to as each persons’ motif is displayed, we have chosen a song and there is now a clear understanding of what exactly we are aiming to achieve with our final piece. The order for the solos has been changed and is now Sarah, Ella, Georgia then me. Solos will display embodying the car, a child in the back seat, the passenger and the driver. When we form the group again, the crash happens and the choreo will become wilder. We got some choreo together for when the crash happens and also for the end of the piece.Oh, one other thing, Georgia kept mentioning the idea of adding sound effects and what not. I guess I’m ok with it, just a little frustrating that I had found a song that everyone had agreed upon and matched our ideas and was working off for choreographing my part. 

On the home run now!

This was a bit of a laid back meet. We decided that Georgia is going to add sound effects to the music but nothing much else happened. We just clarified details of the end choreo, set direction changes for the moving sequence, and shared our solo parts. Georgia has made it clear that she doesn’t really like to choreograph rather than improv, which would be completely fine in any other circumstance but here, it is kind of annoying. It creates confusion as to when I start my section and also lacks a motif - meaning that we didn’t have one to put in the end choreo where everyone elses is redone (will upload that section). October 2nd we will meet up to get things cleaned up and to try it out with the music - our slot for performance is on the 4th.

Katie

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Sarah and I doing the choreography that is just before the end of the piece