Dance Dramaturgy PDF

Didactic Unit III An approach to dance styles and expressive manifestations Dance and Corporal Expression Beatriz Garrido López Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Activity and Sport Science Topic 8 Choreographic composition and dramatisation are revea...

Didactic Unit III An approach to dance styles and expressive manifestations Dance and Corporal Expression Beatriz Garrido López Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Activity and Sport Science Topic 8 Choreographic composition and dramatisation are revealed as an indivisible association. Kinematics on the one hand and emotions on the other walk under the same sun. The union of both is an essential binomial to transmit an idea or a concept in body and soul. Pavis defines dramatisation and dramaturgy as follows: -Dramatisation: also called theatricalisation. Related to a scenic structure of which elements that characterise it such as the plot (knot, approach and denouement), physical and vocal actions, gestures, dialogues, creation of dramatic tensions, conflicts, characters, staging, costumes, scenery, etc. are part of it. In other words, the sense of theatre as a recognisable manifestation. -Dramaturgy (from the Greek, dramaturgia): the art of composing a drama. It is the technique or science of the dramatic art that seeks to establish the principles and in what proportion they are applied in the construction design of a play. This notion presupposes the existence of a set of specifically theatrical rules, knowledge of which is indispensable for creating a play and analysing it correctly. 2 BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW When people ask what is dance? In the ROMANTIC era. When the so-called "romantic ballets" appeared. The idea was that all dance should be continuous movement. Preferably ascending. A body that moves lightly in the air. This idea shaped styles, prescribed techniques and configured bodies. This idea formed criteria for evaluating the aesthetic value of a dance. What did that mean? A strict identification between uninterrupted movement and the BEING of dance. Dance must be based exclusively on movement. Ballet was too tied to narrative, too impregnated by the pose. (Booklets) “La sylphide; Giselle…” It was with Duncan, Graham, Wigman and Laban that modern dance discovered movement as its essence. Dramaturgy and the Nature of Dance In repertory ballet, dramaturgical thinking was already present in the librettos. These set out a story through the traditional structure of beginning, middle and end. This structure was not so clear in the choreographies of the avant-garde at the beginning of the 20th century. From its pioneers Isadora Duncan or Mary Wigman to the unclassifiable works of Pina Bausch or Raimund Hoghe, they highlight the need for a dramaturgy tailored to this artistic expression.  With the modern dancers of the early 20th century, the process of moving from libretto to dramaturgy began. They were seduced by current affairs and created their choreography from music or subjective dramatic situations, leaving the libretto behind (Isadora Duncan, Mary M. Graham created Wigman, Doris Humphrey, Kurt Joss, Pina from dramatic Bausch..). structures and used all the resources of the The emergence of modern dance, which theatre. lasted until the 1950s, marked a definitive Certainly, his art could break with the past. not be interpreted by a mechanised dancer.  Cunningham's appearance sowed the seeds for postmodern dance. His philosophy was blunt: any kind of movement can be valid material for making dance. The revolution initiated by Cunningham and the following generations of choreographers held a conviction: movement is meaningful in its own right. In the 1970s dance was demystified (stripping dance of its lofty, formal or inaccessible character) to the extent that the magic (refers to the spectacular, The dramatic charge almost mystical experience offered by traditional forms of demanded by Graham dance (such as ballet), where dancers seemed to transcend gave rise to an artistic the human with flawless and sublime movements.), even rebellion from the late 1940s to the 1960s the technique, disappeared. (Some choreographers initiated by Merce and dancers minimised or abandoned rigorous techniques Cunningham. altogether, opting for simpler, more natural and ‘anti-technical’ movements.) At the end of the 20th century, the question arose: How to ensure contemporary dance and modern ballet a stable place in the history of universal culture? Specialists see Choreographers use this contemporary dancers as The problem stems from the resource a lot, but from lacking in the task that fact that the notion of particular and somewhat corresponds to every stage dramaturgy in contemporary hermetic perspectives. performer: justification of dance and modern ballet Most of them develop a their stage actions by ceases to be a subject of dramaturgy intuitively. means of research, study in the middle of the Building a methodology imagination and century. along the way. knowledge.  Throughout the 80s and 90s, younger generations, seduced by vertiginous and acrobatic dance, ignore the goodness of dramaturgy. More physically and technically demanding: Choreographers began to explore the limits of the human body, challenging the physical capabilities of dancers with fast, precise and physically demanding movements. This approach took dance into territories close to acrobatics, where control, strength and flexibility were as important as artistic expression. Influence of external disciplines: Dance drew on elements from other physical forms such as circus, martial arts, breakdancing and gymnastic techniques. This resulted in a style that emphasised jumps, spins and movements in the air that required great physical dexterity. Aesthetics of performance: In the 1980s and 1990s, dance became an important component of large stage and media productions, such as concerts by pop artists (Madonna, Michael Jackson) or Broadway musicals. This context demanded spectacular, impactful and energetic movements. Dizzying energy: The term ‘vertiginous’ suggests choreography that moves quickly, almost without pause, creating a sense of dynamism and adrenaline. The dancers were transformed into ‘art athletes’, with choreographies that resembled a mixture of sport and dance. Why is dramaturgy not widely used? The 20th century closes with the same symptomatology as 100 years ago: the tyranny of technique over all things. WHAT IS DRAMATURGY?  A language capable of developing the same functions as verbal language. Dramaturgy is the meaning of actions. DRAMATURGY IS THE WAY TO WEAVE A STORY. ➔ The playwright in dance begins to find his or her place when the concept of dance-theatre appears. ➔ Dance becomes dance-theatre when the starting point for creating a work ceases to be the technique, the plot or the text, and becomes a specific field of bodies, voices, flavours, words, images... where choreographers, dancers, collaborators and playwrights interact. ➔ The dramaturgy of dance demands coherence, which comes from the concrete materialisation of actions, steps, gestures, thoughts, objects, costumes, props, rhythms and tempos. CHOREOGRAPHIC CREATION AND DRAMATURGY  Dramaturgy: Totalising practice of the text staged and intended to produce a certain effect on the spectator (Patrice Pavis in his book "The analysis of performances"). According to this concept, the main task of the choreographer will be to arrange textual and scenic materials such as: ❏ Quality of movement ❏ Types of interpretation ❏ Rhythm ❏ Costumes ❏ Make-up ❏ Music or sound ❏ Voice ❏ Set design ❏ Lighting ❏ Other resources such as video, etc.  Dramaturgy Vs Choreography: Choreography is understood as "the spatial design of the bodies", the movement score. Dramaturgy would be “the narration, realistic or metaphorical, of the intention of the stage action “(Mondragón, 2017). Choreography is the order of body movements in space and dramaturgy is the order of images and their meaning. When creating a dramaturgy with movement, it is important to create a dramatic universe through choreographic resources in order to make the audience consider it credible. The choreography must be perfectly planned, from beginning to end, and the symbolisations must be "legible", i.e. they must have UNITY, CLARITY AND COHERENCE. In stage dance nothing must be gratuitous. All the elements: music, movement, spatial design, rhythm, duration, lights, sound... must be used in function of a coherent creative unity in order to capture the interest of the audience. To organise the making of dance within dramaturgy is to reflect: What am I going to say? What am I going to say it for? How am I going to construct the dramaturgy of this dance? What kind of structure am I going to create? With which elements am I going to compose it? How do I organise time and space? Through whom and for whom?  The meaning of a choreography is different for each spectator, as it arises in association with LIVED EXPERIENCES. In the absence of words, the choreographer draws on resources from all the arts, not only from the theatre. ○ From POETRY: Metaphor and content. ○ From MUSIC: structure and rhythm ○ From PLASTICS: shapes, lines, colours and volumes. ○ From ARCHITECTURE; Constructive sense  It can start from an idea, an emotion, an experience, a musical theme or the need to tell something. The choreographer can develop his work in a linear way, but he can also start at the end and go backwards, or he can create individual pieces for the sole need to express himself One of the fundamental aims of dramaturgy is communication, not only performer - The choreographic spectator, but also choreographer - dancer. work is based on different sources of Dramaturgy in dance appears as an inspiration and organising principle that helps to clarify the working methods. central idea, to develop it and to communicate it to the audience. "The playwright is the one who organises the choreographer's thoughts". GUSTAVO LLANO Three options for conceiving a primary intention and how it is organised in a creative process in dance (Medrano, A.)  The director decides to research a particular topic. He or she creates the central idea from which the primary intention emerges. This idea needs to be maintained and developed during the process of creating and staging the work. It is up to the dancers-actors to communicate what the director wanted to say from the From a intention. specific The creator is an author and director, a topic dramaturgist of dance.  The idea comes from a playwright who is not conditioned to a specific theme. He builds with them the scenic actions that are formed from the technique and the fundamental elements of the dance composition. During the process of construction and deconstruction of these actions, a primary intention emerges at random. From a randomly This intention develops, maintains and evolves until it ends in the creation of a arising dramaturgical text that does not necessarily have to narrate something concrete. intention  The idea of creating the show comes from the playwright and the primary intention comes from the author of the literary work. The playwright needs to research and analyse the author, his work and his intention in order to try to communicate what is originally intended. There is a risk of not communicating the From a essence of the author's intention, but a reinterpretation originates from the literary playwright's thinking. work  Impressions - what counts? 1. What I think you are talking about? 2. What sensations it conveys to me? 3. Is there something that connects me (captures my attention) with what I am seeing? IT Dansa “WHIM Fractured Fairytalke” Alexander Ekman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGbCm43U3So Pepping Tom “32 rue Vandenbranden” https://www.peepingtom.be/en/production/32-rue-vandenbranden Marina Mascarell Martínez “I had a blue bicycle, they have my blue”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBMeV3GjISA&t=236s  IT Dansa “Whim Fractured Fairytale” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGbCm43U3So A piece about how we should always keep our judgement on the outside even when we are going crazy on the inside... All parts of the piece show a variety of situations, inspired by life. As I watched the dress rehearsal, I realised that we had created a kind of strange musical, black and sad. You don't really know if you should laugh. It is funny, but not really funny... It is sad, but not really sad... It is pleasant, but not really pleasant.  Peeping Tom “32 rue Vandenbranden” https://www.peepingtom.be/en/production/32-rue-vandenbranden 32 rue Vandenbranden, directed by Gabriela Carrizo and Franck Chartier, takes us to a mountain landscape with only two rickety campers for shelter under a wide-open sky. We find ourselves in a small isolated community where the inhabitants are confronted with their loneliness. The focus in this creation lies on the internal forces that determine which turn the characters will take; their motives are being exposed and stripped of their consciousness. The borders between what happens in reality and what they believe that happens become blurred. They lose themselves in fear and remain trapped in their own isolation. Gabriela Carrizo and Franck Chartier wanted to dig into all the psychological burdens that can prevent people – even those who appear to be at total liberty to do what they want – from ever really escaping their roots, their family or their culture. ORGANISING A DRAMATURGY OF DANCE WAYS TO TELL A STORY With movement. With the body. With dance.  TYPES OF NARRATIVES LINEAR NARRATIVE NON-LINEAR NARRATIVE CIRCULAR NARRATIVE INTERACTIVE NARRATIVE  The most common. It is based on telling events in chronological order. This is the way classic stories are told. Try to transform our idea/theme into a story and see how it sounds. LINEAR NARRATIVE  The order in which the story is told is NOT the order in which it happens. It jumps around to make up the whole story. NON-LINEAR NARRATIVE  It follows the same patterns as the linear structure but with the exception that the beginning and the end coincide. The story ends as it begins (it does not mean that the story begins at the end). An example would be that after CIRCULAR something has happened everything stays the same. NARRATIVE  The story progresses according to the decisions made by the viewer. There are different paths and possibilities. Therefore there are several possible endings. INTERACTIVE NARRATIVE Types of structures Chronological Structure In Media Res Structure Climax-based structure Disordered structure Inverse structure Non-ending structure  CHRONOLOGICAL STRUCTURE The beginning is the introduction where the situation and characters, if any, are presented. It is the most basic and simple, but that does not imply that it is worse than any other. IN MEDIA RES STRUCTURE The story begins in the middle of the action and from there tells what has happened before with flashbacks. These temporal changes should make us understand the reason for the conflict in which the play begins.  CLIMAX-BASED STRUCTURE The first thing we are presented with is the climax of the story. Then the introduction leading up to that climax, and it continues to the end. The why of things is more important than the things themselves (e.g. murder at the beginning). DISORGANISED STRUCTURE Usually associated with non-linear narrative, so not entirely chronological. It can be done simply by altering the order of events.  REVERSE STRUCTURE The story starts at the end and jumps around to tell you what happened. There may be a single jump at the beginning so that the whole story is one big flashback. STRUCTURE WITHOUT END Open ending: you don't know exactly how it ends. It is normal to close the main conflict and leave the secondary ones open.. WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO? 1. Think about the topic 2. Make up a story with the theme and write it as a short story 3. Decide on the narrative 4. Decide on the structure  EMOTIONS ARE MESSENGERS OF THE BODY Emotions that assign movements  It is manifiestated in the throat Everything to do with the neck. Produces the physical need to FLY SADNESS  Manifests in the hands/jaws. Everything related to places that express tension. Produces the physical need to FIGHT ANGER  It is manifiestated in the stomach Everything related to the trunk. It produces the physical need to STOP. FEAR  It is manifested in the heart. Everything to do with the breast. Produces the physical need to UNHOLD JOY  1. I decide the topic 2. I invent the story in the form of a short story 3. I decide on the type of narrative 4. I organise the structure 5. Apply primary emotions to each of the parts of the structure HOW TO ASSIGN EMOTIONS? CREATION OF THE STAGING OF OUR DANCE AND ITS CONTEXTS What do we mean by staging?  The composition of the stage STAGING IN Where to place each element DANCE Decision of the elements to be performed IDEA: everything that appears is subject to the will of a choreographer. Conjunction of the elements that form the IMAGE. The graphic design of the scene  SCENOGRAPHY COSTUMES AND CHARACTERISATION ACTING AND MOVEMENT LIGHTING AND SOUND STAGE These elements are used to help create an DESIGN illusion of different places, times, characters or to emphasise a special quality of the Theatrical performance and differentiate it from art everyday experience. Elements to master for staging a performance RHYTHM SPATIALISATION HARMONISATION EVIDENCE OF MEANING  The rhythm in which the dancer moves is the basis of the staging. It is the visualisation of time in space. A writing of the body. An inscription of this body in the stage space. RHYTHM  A study of the space available should be carried out: Dramatic space: the space of the dramatic work that is captured by the imagination. It is the space that the spectator must construct with his or her imagination. Scenic space: as an architectural enclosure. Scenographic space: that which arises from establishing relations between stage and SPATIALISATION audience.  It is the organisation of the TODO (ALL) by the choreographer. Linking and ordering the different procedures of the staging. As an integrated whole. As an autonomous system. HARMONISATION  It can be COMPLEMENTARY evidence: the sense of the original idea is followed without altering anything. It can be a STYLISED evidence: the visual effect is more sought after, it is more personalised. It can be PARODIC evidence: the issue is questioned through the parody of it in the movement. EVIDENCE OF MEANING  Dramaturgy in general is useful for plays that tell a story, but it also has something to say for plays that don't tell a story. It is necessary to place the staging in CONTEXT. Context is a term that derives from the Latin contextus and refers to everything that surrounds, either physically or symbolically, an event. From the context, therefore, an event can be interpreted or understood. Context concretises action and movement. Whatever you do, the context will give the exact references for the viewer to get an idea of how to understand our ideas.  TOPIC 9.Dance Analysis The narrative identification of Dance  Every spectator who comments on a show makes an analysis Points Names Deepens Why an Establishes links between elements analysis? Strives to find reference points  ANALYTICAL TOOLS ★ Verbal description ★ Taking notes ★ Questionnaire  TAKING NOTES THE VERBAL DESCRIPTION QUESTIONNAIRE The simplest method: Writing notes forces you to break the spell to rationalise Necessary to analyse talking among the It will be difficult to break everything we see. spectators a few minutes out of the mould of first To be systematic, later. impressions. complete and precise. But verbalisation goes Drawing translates a much An attempt to enter into against an aesthetics of more primary reaction: reflection and learn from art: by the deepening of without verbalising mistakes or successes. the scenic actions Description trivialises the aesthetic experience ○ Fixes a perfil It must be conceived as a ○ A displacement story that narrates what ○ An angle of the scenery happened. Analysis of creation To analyze a show is to investigate both the company and the show itself. Answering the following levels of questions makes the construction of the work or choreographic piece more comprehensible. 59  Describe everything you know about the Company: its origin, the type, its biography, how many artistic works have already been made, if they have had relevant awards, from which country they come from or place….. It is recommended to visit the website of said group, band or company to have information about. Level I. About the Company or Band 60  Describe it based on the artwork you are going to see or what you have already seen: director, choreographer, dancers, lights design…In this level you will find all the trades and people who have participated in the construction of the work, in addition to an argument or synopsis. If you go to the theater, do not forget to ask for the hand program, there you will find everything. Level II. Technical - artistic sheet from the spectacle 61  Answer that the work has transmitted to you, both at the level of feelings, emotions and also the story that you have understood. Level III. Your subjective experience 62  We can evolve and deepen in the technical analysis through a qualitative assessment of the dancers or players: Level IV. Criteria into the development of the technical levels of analysis of a choreographic piece 63 Criteria of qualitative assessment 1. Quality of movement 2. Variety of spotlights in space 3. Organization formulas on stage 4. Rhythmic composition systems: simultaneity, alternation, accumulation, canon, cause - effect.. 5. Fast, continuous and fluid transitions 6. Complexity and difficulty of actions and movements Through an observation sheet, which 7. relationship gaze-dancer or performer with the public assesses the use of the body (item 1 and 8. Space levels 6), space (item 2,3,7,8 and 9) and time 9. Space design (item 4,5 and 10), objective technical 10. Group synchronization criteria that we they serve as basic work ingredients 64 Criteria of collective composition 1. High rhythm of the artistic work 2. Level of synchronization of sound and music with physical actions 3. Level of synchronization of the design of lights with physical actions 4. Level of recreation of a specific atmosphere that transports the public to an imaginary space 5. Level of narrative coherence with the design of the scenes 6. Level of understanding of the story or theme Collective criteria of composition that 7. Creative use of space and time value the whole of the work in all its 8. Use of different concrete and abstract languages dimensions of composition: conceptual, 9. Ability to keep the viewer’s attention use of scenes, transitions, physical actions, 10. Synchronization and coordination of the group lights and music…how all these narrative lines overlap to convey 65  Level of personal satisfaction of attending the show less to more ( mark with an X or surround with a circle) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Level V. Attendance 66  ❏ What aesthetics do you propose? ❏ What form does it take and what form does the stage where it happens have? ❏ Relationship between space and public THE ❏ How does the scenography change? STAGE SPACE  ❏ What type is it? ❏ Naturalist ❏ Metaphorical ❏ Is there a colour relationship between light and objects? LIGHTING  ❏ Origin and matter. ❏ Objects that take on multiple functions: Polysemy ❏ Utility THE ❏ Symbolic functioning OBJECTS ❏ Relationship with space and the body.  ❏ Function ❏ Aesthetics ❏ Relationship to the body COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP  ❏ Physical description of the actors. ❏ Relationship between them: Displacements/afinity. ❏ Movement - Body Relationship ❏ Voice: Qualities, diction and vocals QUALITIES OF THE ACTORS  ❏ Type and gender. ❏ Relationship with the part (with the type of movement) ❏ At what moments does it intervene? FUNCTION OF THE ❏ Consequences MUSIC/ NOISE /SILENCE  ❏ Rhythm of movement. Light. ❏ Link between the actual duration and the lived duration. ❏ Continuous or discontinuous rhythm. RHYTHM OF THE SHOW  ❏ Gender ❏ What is being told? ❏ Does it narrate the movement or another element? ❏ Is it connected to the present day? THE HISTORY  ❏ What were your expectations? ❏ What general reaction did you feel? ❏ Which images, which scenes and which themes interest you and do you remember? ❏ How do you play with the viewer's THE attention? SPECTATOR  ❏ Does the show cover any social function? ❏ Is there anything particularly noteworthy with respect to the other elements? FINAL CONCLUSIONS