My feedback on Contemporary Dance

Task 2

My feedback on my effort to add energy and precision with the direction of the piece was that I need to have more effort in making my angles sharp and in extending my legs and arms. 

The feedback at the end of the class was very good as they said the ending was much better and giving myself a target to work on for the next class is to extend my legs and arms and make my angles more sharp. 

My feedback back on improving my movement memory were I need to practice and remember my dance piece and also my alignment in my movements as well when knowing when to use my arms and legs at the same time . 

Task 3

My feedback on performing my quartet in actions when we flick and jump its fluent, dynamics with different movements in different direction showing what skills we have, spacial awareness with watching out with are partners and using the space that is not in use and rhythm with the movements and music with how they flow together.  

The Seance Performance Evaluation (Acting)

What you did?

The task was to work as a group and act out or scene of The Seance in our characters. It had a focus which was on The Seance  that we was doing to try and get contact with a girl that we all knew from school. It required skills of knowing our characters and naturally acting out as them and knowing the the actual play was about. What I have been asked to do was to remember my lines of  by heart when it came to the actual performance and staying in character no matter what and if I forget a line I should just improvise and also getting to know who our character really is. I thought the task was quit hard at first but after a while my confidence started to improve. My response to it was I would find it hard knowing who my character is and knowing the lines and being able to have the confidence to speak aloud to the audience. The ideas I had was to first find out who my character really was and what was her background which we had to make up and also having an idea of how to remember my line and when to come in. I achieved the task by actually knowing my character and pushing myself to have more confidence when speaking aloud to an audience and also being able to actually knowing all my lines and when they come in.

Problems encountered?

The problems I faced was forgetting my lines and remembering when I come in and also staying in character for example when I forget one of my line I snigger because I feel embarrassed with not knowing what to say and also knowing when to come in because I would forget when to come in some one would have to remind me and also speaking aloud because I would find it hard to have the confidence to project my voice. I tried to improve this by if I forget my lines I should improvise but stay in character and also to remember when to come in I should know who is before me and practice on projecting my voice.

Changes made?

The changes I have made was my character because at first I thought she was a shy girl but she wasn't so I had to change her to my prospective. The reason why I had to change it because it wasn't my character. This would effect me personally because I wouldn't know who my character really is and it would lack my confidence with putting myself out there. I changed by making my character act out as me if I was her in the scene. My work and attitude developed by me working hard on my lines when in character and knowing when to use attitude when necessary.

The performance?

The issues I faced when I went on stage was my lack of confidence when it came to speaking in front of the audience and making sure its loud enough for them to hear. I was ready but very nervous about going on stage. The worries I had was forgetting my lines and forgetting when to come in and also not knowing if I'm loud enough for the audience to hear what I am saying. There were worries that were realized which was my nerves on stage. The performance was quit effective especially to the audience but to us as well. Near to the end my skills had came in when I was telling Jar jar my opinion about what he was talking about by using attitude and also remembering it as it was quit a long line to remember. Something that required characterisation  with me was when I would tell everyone to shh as I was really interested in what was going on and very curious also the part were me an Sophie would have a conversation about my ex Andy and that will show I was putting across that I shouldn't be taken advantage of . My performance skills used was knowing lines of by heart and also knowing when to come in. The effect would be that others would be stuck too and the audience will know that we have messed up and will loose interest and give us bad feedback.

Future prediction?

The three positives about my performance was me being able to remember my lines and improvising when I forgot my line and having more confidence in my self . My weaknesses were me speaking not loud enough for the audience to hear and sometimes coming out of character for example when there are funny parts and the audience laugh I sort of join in but try to seem like I'm still in character, but I will try to work on that for the future.

     

Contemporary dance cover work

Overdrive evaluation

Action: The action that was seen in the dance was movements that were leaps, flicks, swipes, rolls and kicks throughout each section of the dance.   

Dynamics: The dynamics that were seen in the dance was flicking, slashing, gliding and floating which make the dance feel more expressive as it’s so sharp through some movements but gets more elegantly towards the end.

Space: During the dance the dancers had used all the space that was provided by making their movements more bigger by having bigger strides when doing the movements for example the kicks and flicks and also being aware of using all the space with their movements.

Relationships: The relationships that I could see were pairs came along which felt like they were partners, groups which felt like there’s friendship going on and groups that felt like they collided together as if they were family.   

1)      How many sections were there? How many dancers in each section?

There were 16 sections but in each section there were different amount of dancers that were in them, the amount of dancers that were on stage and that were in different sections was at 1-6 dancers in each section.

2)      What is the relationship between the three red female dancers?

The relationship that I had felt and seen between these three female dancers was between friendship and being sisters of how elegantly and in time they were together and how they all stuck as a team.

3)      What are the dynamics when all the dancers are on stage

a)      At the start?

At the start the dynamics were sharper with the flicking and slashing movements which showed more effectiveness of the physical movement towards each other and as a team.

b)      At the end?

Toward the end the dynamics were sharp but became softer as well with more gliding and floating movements which showed more expression and feeling to the dance.

4)      What colour are the dancers costumes?

The colours of the dancer’s costumes were mostly colours of red and grey.

5)      Why has the designer chosen this material? What does it add the dancing?

The designer has chosen this material because it may be comfortable for the dancers to move about in and it adds more flow to their movements and shows that there may be groups or different combinations of dancers that collide together.

6)      What does Terry Riley’s music ‘keyboard study NO.1’ add to the dance?

Terry Riley’s music shows and makes us feel what the movements and the dancers are trying to show it also combines the moments and the music together making it more interesting and also the movements are in time with the music.

7)      Can you count the music beats in one of the section?

In the first section I counted 7 music beats.

8)      Can you see the dynamics on the count of ‘1’- this is always a strong movement for this piece.

Yes I could see the dynamics were quit sharp in that count one because the dancers would hold it strong then move straight into the next movement.

9)      Can you add this to your dancing?

Yes I could work on my using sharp beginnings on the count of one before going straight into the next movement and can do this by improving it and practicing.

10)   How have you improved your dancing since you first learnt this dance – what are you now trying to do to perform it better?

I've improved by practicing and using extension and knowing direction and keeping in time with others in our first and second section that had been learnt in class. I am now trying to work on having sharp dynamics and angles when doing the points in different directions and being able to slow down so that my partner could be in time with me with our duet piece because we need to work on getting the same leg when flicking and turning. 

The Seance diary entry (Acting)

Before:

Dear diary its the day before me and my friends do a séance at Ryan's house for mine and Sophie's friend who had died well basically I didn't really know her, she just used to get on my bus sometimes, well anyways I'm in my room just thinking of what I would say if we got in contact with her, maybe I could say "hay your the girl on the bus I see" or maybe not really because that would be a weird thing to say, I don't know what I would say but be so freaked out if the séance actually works, because I've never actually done anything or experienced it before, but now I'm going to tomorrow and I feel excited but scared.

After:

Dear diary its after the séance and I'm totally annoyed about the actual thing not happening, basically it went like this, it came to the séance day and we all met up at Ryan's house. When me and Sophie got there Ryan was complaining about bringing drinks in the house, Sophie was wandering if I was alright about the break up with me and Andy but I hardly cared because he was too over protective with me. Andy was messing about with Jar jar, Mark was talking rubbish about weed and drinking with Jar jar. Then it finally came to were Phoebe was explaining everything but no one would take it seriously especially Jar jar, so it all had to be stopped and I  had to just leave the atmosphere and go out side, I felt like the only one that really wanted it to work and speak to her because I was the one to tell everyone to listen but no one would, but I guess it didn't work out like we wanted it to so after a while I just went home and had a night in with my mum.    

Jazz Dance research

Research Jazz Dance in Musical Theatre in the 1980's  in Britain?


Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole.

The 1980's saw the influence of European "mega-musicals", or "pop operas", on Broadway, in the West End and elsewhere. These typically featured a pop-influenced score, had large casts and sets and were identified by their notable effects – a falling chandelier (in the phantom of the opera ), a helicopter landing on stage (in Miss Saigon) – and big budgets. Many were based on novels or other works of literature. The most important writers of mega-musicals include the French team of Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil, responsible for Les Misérables, which became the longest-running international musical hit in history. The team, in collaboration with Richard Maltby, Jr,continued to produce hits, including Miss Saigon, inspired by the Puccini opera Madame Butterfly.

Evaluating our pieces in Contemporary Dance

Action:

My actions was making my movements look more longer by using extension and using the correct foot work when Turning and jumping and making my angles more sharper by making them stronger and clearer on which direction I'm heading in. 

Dynamics :

My dynamics was sharp at some points in my movement in my piece for example when doing turns in different directions and my dynamics were soft as well in my movements that took place in my piece for example when moving my feet and body at the time and when tip toeing side to side. 

The space :

When performing patterns were made on the floor in different directions for example when me a Daria and the other duet made are moves more elegantly when traveling with our foot work and making them more sharp and stronger when moves are put in directions I and Daria and my group was using as much space but could of spread out more for when travelling through each other and timing as a group was good apart from when we had to make a connection but wasn't in time because turning was to tricky especially when balancing on one leg while turning round. 

Relationship : 

In our group it worked as a piece for example when travelling through each other and making connections and also the feeling of the connections when travelling for example when ash an Marta put there hands on my and Daria and we go under there arms and pose the  connection there was that we moved from there presence to were we felt comfortable and when me and Daria at the beginning when we take two steps and touch ash and Marta and then turn and leap the connection there felt like we just met but had to go so that's the relationship that was in our piece. 

Evaluation on our piece that we performed 

What worked : 

What worked was the relationship with connecting with the other duet so for example when me and Daria walk toward Ash and Marta we face each other and touch hands as we move in to are piece. 

What didn't work:

What didn't work was some movements with connecting was hard to get to in time for example when me and Daria had to turn with are right leg we had to touch the other duet while still carrying on with are piece but it didn't work out with timing. 

What was good : 

What was good was that are moves went with the others and flowed with travelling through each other and connecting with each other for  example when me Daria travel through ash and Marta we still have a connection through are movement and when Marta and ash travel through us the have a connection with us while we still do are piece. 

What was bad : 

What was bad was that the timing needed to be fixed between each connection for example when me and Daria have to touch ash and Marta when at the same time and remembering the directions of the moves that were made for example when me a Daria had to Change direction of our moves so that we could have moments when we had connection with the group and making the connections more clearly for example when me and Daria have to touch the others by hand and look at them while turning at the same time. 

What we need to work on as a class: 

Posture focus on the core head up and delivering energy and synchronisation. 

Singing ( Jesus Christ Superstar )

Monday the 29th of October we had a singing lesson with the second year musical theaters we rehearsed Jesus Christ superstar Hosanna, and Simon Zealotes then we had learnt a new song called Jesus Christ superstar The Temple. 

Here is a video of the song:      

Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke. The Movement also included the new African-American cultural expressions across the urban areas in the Northeast and Midwest United States affected by the Great Migration (African American), of which Harlem was the largest. Though it was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, in addition, many francophone black writers from African and Caribbean colonies who lived in Paris were also influenced by the Harlem Renaissance.#

The Harlem Renaissance is generally considered to have spanned from about 1918 until the mid-1930s. Many of its ideas lived on much longer. The zenith of this "flowering of Negro literature", as James Weldon Johnson preferred to call the Harlem Renaissance, was placed between 1924 (the year that Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life hosted a party for black writers where many white publishers were in attendance) and 1929 (the year of the stock market crash and the beginning of the Great Depression).

The back ground of the Harlem Renaissance:
Until the end of the Civil War, the majority of African Americans had been enslaved and lived in the South. After the end of slavery, the emancipated African Americans, freedmen, began to strive for civic participation, political equality and economic and cultural self-determination. Soon after the end of the Civil War the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 gave rise to speeches by African-American Congressmen addressing this Bill. By 1875 sixteen blacks had been elected and served in Congress and gave numerous speeches with their newfound civil empowerment. The Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 was renounced by black Congressmen and resulted in the passage of Civil Rights Act of 1875, part of Reconstruction legislation by Republicans.

The music that Harlem Renaissance used:
A new way of playing the piano called the Harlem Stride style was created during the Harlem Renaissance, and helped blur the lines between the poor Negroes and socially elite Negroes. The traditional jazz band was composed primarily of brass instruments and was considered a symbol of the south, but the piano was considered an instrument of the wealthy. With this instrumental modification to the existing genre, the wealthy blacks now had more access to jazz music.

Feedback on improving our duet peice and pieces from overdrive for Contemporary Dance

In our Contemporary Dance class we have been working on pieces from overdrive and our duets that contain mainly moves from the pieces we learnt from overdrive. When we are rehearsing our duets we then were paired up with another duet so that we could collide our pieces for example travelling through the other duets piece when performing our own piece. Tuesday lesson was about making more stronger then showing back to the class so that we could get feedback from our class mates and teacher.
The feedback that my group got back from the class was that it was good how we all travelled through each others piece but we needed more space between each other because the other duet needed more space to travel through without hitting the others, the feedback that me and my partner got back was that we had to know each others more and focus on ourselves more, the feedback that the other duet got who was in our group was that they had to add on more to there piece as it was to short and my partner and I still went on.


The feedback I got back from Dominique (teacher) was that I need to make my angles sharper.


My feedback for myself is that I need to improve on using more space by making my moves more bigger and stronger, focus more on my self  then on my partner and learn my partners routine and remember it.