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How to create a dance in 4 stages!

STAGE 1: FIND A STARTING POINT: You could Explore Art . . .

Gassed, 1918, by John Singer Sargent.

Panel from 'Shipbuilding on the Clyde' (early 1940s) by Sir Stanley Spencer

Soldiers Painting Peace, Banksy

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Extract Ideas from Different Stimuli: • Newspaper Articles

• Photographs • Extract of a Piece of Text from a play or book

• Extract from a Poem • Use a piece of Music as the Stimulus

• A sculpture (The peace sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos) • A Well Known Saying/quote

“If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.” ― John Lennon

USE OF WORDS TO STIMULATE A THEME/IDEA:

• Revolution

• Surrender

• Suppression

• Intolerance

• Torment

• Tranquillity

• Trauma

• Vulnerable

• Victim

• Persecution

• Relentless

• Forgiving

STAGE 2: HOW TO CREATE MOVEMENT FROM STIMULUS

Consider your stimulus . . .

Can you think of 3 or 4 different aspects you want to show, to give the dance structure and variation?

Now for each section . . .

• How could it be used for actions in dance? Elevation/extension? • What use of space would most reflect your idea? Think about use of

pathways and the stage. • What kind of dynamic energy best suits your idea? Should it flow or be

sudden?

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• How could you use a group of dancers to communicate your idea? What could they represent?

For example:

Stimulus: A letter to a loved one at war

Ideas: writing the letter, the letters journey to the loved one,

reading the letter & the emotions from receiving it.

Section 1: writing the letter

Action Space Dynamic Relationship

I could look at how we write the word “Dear” and create actions that use the shape of the

letters

I would like to use straight

pathways like the lines of a letter, moving across the space from Stage

left to right.

I think its

important for the movement to flow

in this section but I want to

add moments of stillness to

reflect the idea of pausing to

think about what they are writing

I like the idea of

4 dancers all representing a

line of the letter and it starting with a solo and developing into accumulative unison to give

impact!

STAGE 3: USE YOUR STIMULUS TO MAKE A MOTIF A motif is a pattern of movements that are linked together & are seen 2 or more times in a dance. A dance without a motif is like a song without a chorus that rambles on & on until the listener is overwhelmed with information & starts to lose the will to live! How you devise the motif will depend upon the stimulus, but the actions should link clearly to your stimulus i.e use the words of the poem to make the action.

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STAGE 4: Your motif can now be REPEATED, VARIED or DEVELOPED to make your dance!

Repeated – An easy one to start with – the same actions are performed in the same order in the same place on the stage. A direct repeat can be very effective if you are trying to ~ Communicate a sense of rhythm & routine (soldiers training) Varied – Slightly more complicated – the same actions are performed in the same order, but they may now be ~ In a different place in the space (location) ~ Performed quicker or slower (speed) ~ Performed bigger or smaller (size) ~ Performed facing the front/back/side/corner (direction) ~ Performed with greater strength or flow (dynamics) ~ Some can be performed standing/sitting/lying (levels) Variation is useful to demonstrate ~

! Use of different dynamics can affect the mood, slower usually suggests calmer; faster often implies stress/anger

! Size can infer a sense of freedom or restriction ! Whereas different levels can give a sense of power

Development – the most involved methodology of using a motif. In development the motif may make significant changes, this can include Changing the order of the actions through

! Addition ! Deletion ! Substitution ! Repetition ! Reversal (retrograde) ! Stillness This level of manipulation of the movement material is useful for demonstrating ~ ! A clear understanding of motif, particularly useful in abstract pieces ! Can be used to build up a sense of climax or tension ! Complex emotional states can be evoked through combinations of size, level,

direction… ! New material may help the dance convey the mood or narrative more clearly

than a direct interpretation of the stimuli