Chapter 3 - Dance Appreciation and Composition PDF

CHAPTER 3 – DANCE APPRECIATION AND COMPOSITION  Have you ever tried watching a dance routine without understanding what is happening in the performance? Have you completed a whole dance show and could not even remember a thing or two about it?  When a certain dance performance h...

CHAPTER 3 – DANCE APPRECIATION AND COMPOSITION  Have you ever tried watching a dance routine without understanding what is happening in the performance? Have you completed a whole dance show and could not even remember a thing or two about it?  When a certain dance performance has poor choreography, it is difficult for it to be understood and appreciated. When a dance fails to communicate its intended meaning or if it does not have a meaning or significance at all, it is hard for the audience to grasp the content of the performance. How then can a dance become a good dance? What makes a good dance? A good dance displays a significant meaning or conveys a message. Sometimes, it also portrays life experiences. Dance may be presented abstractly and symbolically but still convey emotion and meaning. A good dance lifts and transports the audience from their seats during the performance.  It has a beginning, middle, and end/conclusion. The beginning of a dance may come in a form of shape, a pose, or an entrance. The middle consists of a development or the exploration of the main idea. The ending/conclusion should be clear and may be in a form of a shape, a pose, or an exit.  All works, whether it is sports, music, or dance, must have a form brought to their elements by means of orderly arrangement, meaning, and purpose. There must be a sense of direction. A good dance therefore, must have a shape or form for its choreography to be effective. What is a FORM? A form is the instrument by which ideas and elements are arranged or combined into a logical sequence which results in unity and consistency, and by means of which the content or idea can be expressed and communicated. It is organizing factor of any work or dance composition. What is a FORM? The form should progress through time from the beginning to the end of the choreography. Each section is composed of several units that are smoothly connected to each other. These small units are called phrases. What is a PHRASE? When you combine one movement with several others, they form a unit. When units are pieced together, they make up a section in the choreography and the sections together form a whole dance. Therefore, “a phrase is the smallest unit of form in the whole dance.” It can be related to a sentence in writing compositions. Choreographers and dancers use movement phrasing when working on dances. What is a MOTIF? A good dance contains a theme or motif to be able to convey its meaning or intention to the audience. A dance without meaning makes it harder for the audience to understand; thus making it superficial and easy to forget.  What is a MOTIF? A single movement or a short phrase of movement that embodies the style and intention of the dance is called a motif. A good dance uses a motif in which the movements are repeated, varied, and developed by manipulating the movement components or elements.  What is a MOTIF? One good example of a dance with motif is the Itik-Itik Philippine folkdance. It is easy to identify the motif of this dance as it simply portrays the movements of an Itik (duckling). CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD DANCE What are the characteristics of a good dance? Like any superb tasting dish, dance can only be considered good if it has the right ingredients. Whether it has a meaning or may be presented abstractly, it must contain certain qualities that make the choreography effective. These characteristics include unity, continuity and development, variety and contrast, transition, repetition, and climax.  Unity The interconnected phrases of the dance are coherent and flow smoothly together. The movements fit together and each plays an important role that contributes to the entirety of a dance. It is crucial for a dance to have unity to effectively make the audience understand the choreography as a whole. It also attracts and holds the audience’s attention. Continuity and Development The phrases of the dance that are organized progressively, making each movement phrase move naturally into the next. There is a continuous development of the movement phrase and the audience is swept along to the end. Some dances develop organically in much the same way a play or a novel grows from a process of natural unfolding of an idea, or sometimes it is built upon a structure ordinarily associated with poetry. Variety and Contrast Making one or several variations that highlight the facet of the motif. This provides variety within the development of a dance. It introduces new material, which is noticeably different from anything so far seen in the dance. Variety and contrast in movement phrases add excitement and flavor in the dance. Changing the direction, use energy, timing of a movement phrase, and avoiding repeating them in the exact way are ways to add variety to the dance. Examples of contrasting movements are slow to fast, short to long, and minimal to large movement phrases. Transition This is the link between movements, phrases, and sections of the dance. It makes the logical progression of the dance flow smoothly. Also, it is vital because it keeps the unity and continuity of the dance. Transitions may vary from length and complexity. They may be long or short, gradual or abrupt. They may also be simple or involving an entire phrase of movement. Repetition It emphasizes movements and phrases that are important to the dance and gives a feeling of closure to a work. Some phrases need to be repeated in choreography so that the audience can see those movements again and identify its significance. Usually, when a certain phrase or a section of choreography is repeated, it is the main message of the dance. This function to make clearer the meaning or intention of the dance. Also, if the audience gets familiar with the movements, it gives them a feeling of comfort. Climax This is where the apex energy in the dance is reached. It is similar to a climax in a story where a series of events culminates. The climax may be a fast and enraged blast of energy and action, or could it fade away to a gentle and quiet exit that marks the end of a particular story. The music will often assist both the choreographer and the audience when determining this point development.  All these characteristics are organized to contribute to the development of a meaningful dance. It is easier to recognize a good dance when all these characteristics have been applied in the choreography. As the author in dance choreography, Sara Cerny Minon (2007) has pointed out, “all phrases in a work should be designed to form the integrated sections of your dance, and all the sections of the dance should be placed in a sequence that moves toward an appropriate conclusion. The development of a work should lead the audience logically from the beginning through the middle and on to the end of the dance.