Dance For Camera - First Draft

First Draft Video -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISwAiiDovLs

Shots/Camera Angles Used:

• Mirror Shot - seen in dance studio clips
• Close Up - e.g. legs and hands movement.
• Establishing Shot - opening in the dance studio.
• Long Shot - seen in outdoor clips.

Stimulus/Structure: 

My stimulus is girls and their power. I want the feeling of the piece to be positive, showing myself in the video as happy and confident. I currently have one main motif, which you can see being performed in the first 20 seconds of the video. In my first draft, I also used the lyrics of the music to influence my choreography.

Choreographic Devices: 

• Repetition - e.g. saluting, jumping back on myself.
• Retrograde - e.g. 2nd dance studio angle.
• Levels - e.g. floor movement in garden.
• Dynamics - e.g. my opening position with both fists to my waist is both still and sharp. The rising arm to salute holds tension and is one of the only slow moments in my choreography.

Dance style: 

A mix of street and jazz.

Music:

Run The World (Girls) - Beyoncé

The song is empowering to women, as Beyoncé vocalises what women do and what they deserve. Therefore, it suits my stimulus well.

Costume:

This is the aspect I need to work on most. The costume I wear in the dance studio sections fit well with my theme because the khaki-coloured top presents a military look, suggesting power. Whereas, I am wearing my everyday clothes in the outdoors section. The jeans restrict me from fully doing the choreography and the jacket appears heavy. Next time, I am going to take inspiration from the following image -

The image of Beyonce imitating the classic Rosie the Riveter shows her dressed in a bright red bandanna and loose denim top. The pose along with the 'We Can Do It!' slogan fits well with my feminism/girl power stimulus.

Space:

The dance begins in the dance studio, and shifts to outdoors. It returns to the dance studio every now and again, which is where the dance finishes.

Rosas Review

Rosas Danst Rosas first premiered on stage in 1983. The film version of the piece came 14 years later (1997.) It is a dance which contains 4 dancers who are exploring the theme of human behaviour/rage, which is shown excellently through different dynamics. For instance, the movement at the start of the piece is very slow.  This is one of five sections of Rosas, and is performed on the floor. The accompaniment of only the sound of the dancer's breathing furthers the effectiveness of the movement. I enjoyed this section of Rosas because it holds a lot of tension, showing how highly-skilled the dancers are. Furthermore, it is a section which is successful in maintaining the audience's full attention. 

The second section of Rosas consists of the women repeating a motif on chairs. The ticking sound in the accompaniment paces the movement, contrasting to the opening section. A movement which stands out to me is the arm swishing out and rushing back into the dancer's body. This is because from all camera angles used, such as over-the-shoulder shot, establishing/long shots and close-ups, it creates the same impact, due to it's sharp dynamics. This is my favourite section of the dance because of the use of a prop. The chairs create interest. I am pleasantly surprised and inspired by how creative you can be choreographing with a prop used in everyday life. Lastly, the use of canon and unison is another reason why this is my favourite section of the dance. Canon provides the audience with something different to look at, whilst unison creates a strong and slick looking performance. 

Close-Up

Establishing Shot

Section 3 of Rosas is my least favourite. This is because the tone of the piece completely shifts. It shows females travelling around the institution, and this consequently means less change in dynamics. Throughout this section, I think that the choreography is all performed at the same neutral level, which takes away from the excitement felt by the audience in the sections prior to this. 

Overall, I think the dance is at it's best when there's only the 4 main dancers. The addition of more dancers in section 3 is slightly distracting. The theme of human behaviour is experimented with well, showing two different ends of scale - stillness and madness.

Research for Script

To try and reflect as real emotions as possible and the true life of an alcoholic, I looked at AA forums. The positive responses would work well for Lynn's dialogue as she is technically Ton's advisor. For example the highlighted part of the response below would fit her character well. This is because I am planning for her to be an individual, who has lost friends along the way and doesn't dwell upon it. 

"avaneesh912 wrote:
I made up my mind to just enjoy whatever life brought me.

Contentment is the mother of happiness.

... for their happiness is more dependent on their preferences than your offerings.

Are you happy in your own company? This is the skill of happiness.
(http://www.e-aa.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16855)

AA forums also have their negative posts, which I can take inspiration from for Ton's character. For example one man posted the following - 'How long did it take for the obsession and craving to start to ease, that's the part that I'm petrified of over coming' (http://www.e-aa.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=16837). This shows how much anxiety alcoholics endure. This has made me imagine Ton to hold a lot of tension in his body.

 'Stressful events, such as bereavement or losing a job can also trigger heavy drinking, which can then lead to alcohol dependence' (https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/mental-health/alcohol-dependence) 

The above has influenced me to include tragic events in my story. I have the idea that Ton will get married and soon after divorce, which will take him on a downwards spiral - in other words, make him alcohol dependent. 

Script Starter Questions

5 W'S

1) When?

When is your story going to be set? 1990/2000s.

What time period is your story going to be done in?

The story consists of current day and flashback scenes. Ton and Lynn discuss his life over a few meetings so the time period is likely to be between 2 weeks and a month.

 

Is it going to be Linear or Elastic? It is a linear narrative, in terms of the chronological order of flashbacks. However, the jump between different time periods also makes it an elastic narrative.

What is the structure of your story? I plan to have a definite climax in the middle of Ton's storytelling. The climax will also symoblise the turning point for his character - a tragic event which is the final straw, consequently leading him to seek help.

 

2) Where?

 

Where is the play going to be set?

My play is based in London. There will be various settings in my play. The opening scene is in a house, as some others are. The current day scenes will be in an ordinary hall- this is where the AA meetings take place.

How are you going to show it?

To show that my play is in London, I want to include sound effects like buses driving by and cars beeping. This suggests a chaotic atmosphere and reflects London realistically. As for the various settings, I plan to design different minimal set pieces, which can be easily dragged on and off stage.

3)What?

What key plots and issues happen in your story?

Ton being a victim of child abuse.

Ton going on and off track - trying to recover.

Ton losing his family, slowly becoming a repeat of his Dad.

 

What are the themes & Issues in your story?

Family issues

Addiction

4)Who?

Who is telling your story? Ton - narrating his past to friend, Lynn.

Who is in your story?

Ton - Protagonist.

Lynn - Friend from A.A.

George - Ton's Dad.

Emma - Ton's Wife.

Chrissy - Ton's  Mum.

Uncle & Auntie

 

5) Why?

Why are you writing this story? To warn the audience of the dangers of alcohol, and to show that recovery from alcoholism is achievable, if you're dedicated.

Why are you basing it on your theme? The theme is close to my heart. Having a family member who has been sober for 20+ years, it is important for me to showcase some of their incredible story.

Dance For Camera - Practice Q&A Sheet

Choreographing Cats - Performance Workshop

My Pitch

For performance workshop, me and Josh worked collaboratively on our duet - Gus: The Theatre Cat. The first thing we did was adapt the fashion concept to our songs. 'Gus: The Theatre Cat' is a slow and mellow song, with a clear nostalgic feel. As Asparagus is an old and respected character, we came up with the concept that the song would be a masquerade ball that was being held in his honour. The ball is taking place because Asparagus has graced the cover of another popular fashion magazine. In the magazine are pictures of Gus throughout his lifetime, which would explain why he is overly reflective. In this concept, my character is Gus' personal assistant; by playing this role, it gives explanation to why I sing about him so graciously. 

The song being such a slow pace meant choreographing was slightly harder for us. We had to keep the movement simple. As the concept was a ball, I wanted to include ballroom dancing. There are an equal number of dancers so we decided put people in pairs for a section of the dance, in which they would waltz in a circle. For the rest of the dance the choreography held a contemporary atmosphere, with flowing movement.

Gus: The Theatre Cat - Assessment

Stage layout idea:

Growltiger's Last Stand was another song where I assisted in choreographing. Coming straight after Gus: The Theatre Cat, me and Josh remain the same characters. However, the fashion concept changes from a reflective ball to a pirate fantasy. We have planned to use swords to highlight the pirate theme. The pirate fantasy is a flashback to one of Gus' highly anticipated and incredibly successful fashion show.

Growltiger - Assessment

Other choreographies, I helped with were:

• The Old Gumbie Cat  - the final instrumental section (before 'For she's a jolly good fellow!'). Having previous tap experience, I was keen to get involved. Beth wanted to choreograph tap that wouldn't be super challenging and helped her do this.

• Mr. Mistofeelees - Duet with Ellie in the dance break.

Later rehearsal of Gus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZwbBTfkmeY&index=89&list=PLl8RU1N6TfpJpZWLRF3dBzBufipRHux9- 

Later rehearsal of Growltiger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lna3I-YMvNw

Practicing Camera Shots

High angle:

Over the shoulder:

Long shot:

Establishing shot:

Low shot: