Midterm 1 Flashcards
What can you learn from modern dance
Movement Kinaesthetic sense/awareness How movement communicates Theroy to practical Social skills Self awareness/self realization Creativity improve teaching and coaching skills
Breif history of modern dance
Was created as a rebellion against the ridigity of classical ballet
Early 1920’s
Isadora Duncan
Greater freedom of expression
Definition of modern dance
Modern dance is a danve fodm in which anything the body can do is acceptabke as long as it fits what you are trying to express
Unique features & movement preferences of modern dance
Floor movement Improvised/interpreted movement Use of spine Parallel and turned out option Pointed and flexed feet
Alignmet
How our spine and major joints are alinging in the movement
Posture
position that your body is in when standing, sitting, laying down
Why have good posture and alignment
Cardiovascular health- better blood flow
Contributes to good muscle and joint health
Appearance and well being
Movement efficiency- when your body doesnt have to work hard to hold itself up, other movements become much easier
How to achieve good posture
It requires practice on a regular basis.
learn what correct posture feels like and try to maintain that new feeling, for a while the new posture should feel unfamiliar and different; seek this new feeling.
What is the Laban Movement Analysis
System that analyzes movement.
His work developed at the same time the invention of modern dance was born.
LMA: Body
Body refers to all the anatomical ways in which the body moves based on developmental progression, including initiation, sequencing, breath, support and phrasing.
Gestures: movement of individual body parts (arms, hands, spine, etc.)
Postures: whole body movement
Initiation: distal, central, lower body, upper body
Sequencing: organization of the body in a movement
Shapes: symmetrical/asymmetrical, curved, straight, twisted, angular.
Direct movements: clear, definable path.
Indirect movements: have a multidirectional or more roundabout path through space.
Relationships: parts to parts, individuals to groups, parts to objects, near/far, over/under, around/through, above/below, beside/between.
Balance: on balance/off balance
Non-locomotion
Movement that happens on a stationary base, i.e., stays in one place in space (does not travel). Can happen on any body base.
Examples: Bend, twist, stretch, swing, push, pull, fall, melt, swat, turn, shake, sink, burst, float etc
Space elements
Place Spatial design Direction Size Level
Locomotion: pedal, non-pedal
the transfer of the total body weight through space from point A to point B on any body base. Traveling through space may be pedal (on your feet) or non-pedal (using another base of support other than the feet) . Examples: 5 basic locomotor actions –, run, leap(one foot to another) , jump(two feet to two feet), hop (one foot to the same one foot) + combinations – gallop, slide, skip (sissonne-from two feet to one foot)(assemble- one foot to two feet)
Dance Composition:
What it is/why do it
We compose dance to express thoughts, feelings, ideas and experiences (in the same way that artists draw pictures).
Composition is also used to reflect and respond to changes in the world
As well as to entertain and provoke thoughts
Choreography
the design and organization of the shapes and actions of the body
Dance composition: Creative process: the process
The exploration in which there is an attempt to create a unique solution to a complex problem.
- Creating- Exploring different ideas
- Evaluate- decide if you want to keep what you created
- Revising
Aesthetic principles of dance composition
Unity: dancing with unity means to have a theme throughout the dance. It can also refer to the idea that all of the components of the dance feel connected
Balance: an equal or logical treatment of rest and action in work. Balanced work means having intense moments then contrasting those with sedate moments
Variety: using many movements and shapes
Repetition: more cohesiveness and help the audience recognize important sections of the dance
Contrast: moments when a choreographer makes a movement stand out because it is different in some way from the rest of the dance or by juxtaposing 2 different movements against each other.
Motif
movement idea. small section of movement that expresses a central idea or theme of the dance (words in a sentence)
Movement phrase:
sentence. grouping of meaningful movements together (the sentence)
Common pitfalls in choreographing
Time
Elements
Timing effects
Creative process: what is it?
exploration often in the hope of
creating choreography
Creating a dance
- Creation of a set, repeatable dance choreography
- Both a product and a process
- Structural arrangement or organization of the dance piece
