Didactic Unit III: Dance Styles and Dramatisation

Didactic Unit III

• Focuses on dance styles and expressive manifestations.
• Examines dance and corporal expression.
• Presented by Beatriz Garrido López, a Bachelor's degree holder in Physical Activity and Sport Science.
• From UCAM.

Choreographic Composition and Dramatisation

• Choreography and dramatisation are interconnected and essential for transmitting ideas.
• Dramatisation (theatricalisation): related to the scenic structure encompassing plot (beginning, middle, end), physical/vocal actions, gestures, dialogue, character creation, staging, costumes, scenery, etc.
• Dramaturgy (Greek: dramaturgia): the art of composing a drama. It involves establishing principles and proportions in play construction, requiring knowledge of theatrical rules for play creation and analysis.

Brief Historical Overview

• Romantic era ballet focused on continuous, ascending movement.
• This movement ideal impacted dance styles, techniques, and body configurations.
• A strict connection was established between unbroken movement and the essence of dance.
• Ballet, heavily influenced by posing, was gradually replaced by modern dance emphasizing movement as its core.

Dramaturgy and the Nature of Dance

• Dramaturgical thinking was present in repertory ballet librettos (scripts), outlining the storyline.
• Classical models of narrative structure were often less clear in avant-garde choreography, particularly within 20th-century contemporary dance.
• Pioneers like Isadora Duncan, Mary Wigman, Pina Bausch, and others highlighted the need for tailored dramaturgy.

Dramaturgy and the Nature of Dance (Modern Dance)

• A shift from libretto-based to more abstract, subjective, and contemporary ideas occurred, creating original choreography based on current affairs and emotional responses.
• Modern dance developed, impacting dance from the early 20th century which lasted until the 1950s, it established an alternative way of seeing dance and its potential.

Cunningham's Impact on Modern Dance

• Merce Cunningham challenged traditional dance conventions, paving the way for postmodern dance.
• Emphasized the value of movement.
• The use of non-conventional and diverse movements became part of modern dance.
• The 1970s saw a decline in emotional dance, in favour of more technical approaches.

Contemporary Dance and Modern Ballet

• The 20th century concluded with technique having more value over narrative content, which is relevant in both contemporary dance and modern ballet.
• Specialist perspectives point to a lack of clear justification for stage actions in contemporary dance.
• Choreographers often develop dramaturgy intuitively rather than by following a specified methodology.

Different approaches to dance choreography and what they mean

• Dance choreography is more adaptable and responsive to a wide range of inputs, including but not limited to life experiences, emotions, feelings, and ideas that inspire the artists.
• Physical demands and technical aspects have increasingly become more significant, with more choreography exploring the human body's capabilities.
• Specific artistic expressions such as Broadway and other pop-artist productions influenced dance choreography and increased the scale of dance and its audience.
• This created greater possibilities and diversity in dance.
• The term 'vertiginous' suggests rapid and dynamic dance movements.

Why is Dramaturgy Not Widely Used?

• The dominance of technique over narrative in the 20th century hindered widespread dramaturgical application.
• The same issues concerning technique prevail today.

What is Dramaturgy?

• A language structured to accomplish functions equivalent to verbal language.
• An interpretation of actions that convey a story.
• The way to narrate a story (storytelling) using dance.

Dance-Theatre

• Playwrights establish a space for themselves with the emergence of dance-theatre.
• Dance-theatre is characterized by a shift in the starting point of dance creation to include the interaction between choreographers, dancers, collaborators, and playwrights to interact, resulting in a unique mix of various artistic forms.
• Dramaturgy's principle involves a clear interconnectedness of all elements, such as actions, steps, and sentiments, to create a coherent narrative.

Choreographic Creation and Dramaturgy

• Dramaturgy is described as the total practice of text, staging, and producing a specific effect on the spectator.
• Choreographer's role is to structure textual and scenic materials, including qualities of movement.

Dramaturgy vs. Choreography

• Choreography is the spatial arrangement of bodies, while dramaturgy describes the underlying narrative.
• Dramaturgy and choreography, taken together, help communicate ideas through movement in a dramatic performance.

How to Assign Emotions in a Dance Piece

• Establish the subject and create a description.
• Choose the type of narrative and narrative structure that fits the story.
• Apply primary emotions to the various plot points of the story.

Creation of Staging of Dance and Its Contexts

• The staging involves composing the stage, positioning stage elements, and decisions made by the choreographer.
• All visual elements (sets, costumes, props) must harmoniously complement the choreography to effectively convey the intended message and aesthetic.

Staging in Dance

• Stage design requires careful consideration of composition, the positioning of elements, and the holistic vision of the performance (idea).
• These creative decisions must be subject to the choreographer's vision.
• It creates a dramatic space, an architectural representation, and a specific relationship with the audience.

Elements to Master for Staging a Performance

• Rhythmic structure is the foundation of the performance.
• The understanding of space is crucial, which includes spatialization of actors.
• All elements are required to develop a cohesive performance.
• Harmonisation connects all elements to produce a coherent whole.

Rhythm in Dance

• The rhythm of movement serves as a foundation for dance staging.
• Rhythm effectively visualizes time.
• Rhythm is a crucial element in every moment of a performance to convey the intended essence.

Spatialisation in Dance

• A study of the space available when planning a performance is critical when deciding on the size, shapes, and relationships between dancers.
• The space should effectively support the choreography, narrative, and intended meaning.
• The relationship between stage and audience contributes fundamentally to spatialization and scenography.

Harmonisation in Dance

• Harmony encompasses the orchestration of all elements within the dance piece (i.e. music, costumes, lighting..).
• This creates a cohesive and integrated presentation that reflects the choreographer's intention.

Evidence of Meaning in Dance

• Evidence of meaning in dance can be conveyed in several ways:
  • Complementary evidence: demonstrating the sense of the original idea.
  • Stylised evidence: emphasizing visual impact and details through design choices for a more personalised presentation.
  • Parodic evidence: presenting counterpoints to the initial ideas.

Context in Dramaturgy

• Context pertains to factors surrounding an event.
• Context helps explain and define the meaning of events, actions, and the intended result for the audience.
• Understanding context provides viewers with the necessary background and connections to properly interpret the performance.

Dance Analysis

• Analysis involves critical observation.
• Aims to deepen understanding and appreciation for the piece.
• Analysis tools involve noting details pertinent to the show's production and performance.
• Audience members naturally perform analysis when they interact with artistic presentations, either through commenting or reacting to them.

Levels for Understanding a Dance

• Understanding a dance performance requires examining the creating company or artist, the technical and aesthetic elements of the presentation, and finally, the audience's response and perceived feelings (personal).

Criteria of Qualitative Assessment

• Comprehensive criteria guide qualitative assessments.
• The qualitative aspects of the performance involve an assessment of diverse factors, from the technical aspects and the performers' relationship to each other, to the choreography's impact on viewers.

Criteria of Collective Composition

• Criteria address the collective nature of composition, linking various components like music, movements, and other compositional elements to convey a unified theme.

Attendance and Satisfaction

• Levels of personal satisfaction with the performance.

Stage Space

• Aesthetics consideration for the space.
• Stages and how that connects to the overall dance performance (the form and composition of stage space).

Lighting Analysis

• Analyzes the lighting design and its symbolic influence.

Objects in Dance

• Origin, properties, function, and relationships of objects.
• Objects add dimension to the performance and context.

Costumes and Makeup

• Function, aesthetic appeal, and how the attire complements the performance.

Actor Qualities

• Actors' physical attributes and their interactions.
• The interaction, relationships, and physical qualities of performers.

Function of Music and Silence in Dance

• Analyzing the integration and impact of music or silence during a performance.
• Evaluating its role as a supporting element.

Rhythm of the Performance

• Exploring the rhythm of movement and its relationship with the duration and timing of the work.
• Rhythm connects with audience perception.

The History of the Performance

• Includes analysis of the performance's historical context. This involves studying whether or not it's connected to a current issue.
• The piece would be analyzed to consider its message and narrative.

The Spectator

• Spectator reactions and their influence.
• Exploring audience perception, expectations, and responses to the artistic work and how these responses influence the overall experience.

Final Conclusions

• Discussing the performance's social or community impact.
• Summarizing noteworthy details to offer a complete perspective.

This quiz explores various dance styles and their expressive manifestations, emphasizing the relationship between choreography and dramatisation. It covers the essential elements of constructing a drama and the historical context of ballet's evolution during the Romantic era. Test your knowledge on these significant topics in dance education.