On Thursday, October 27, 2016, my Horton class had a substitue teacher. This teacher gave us a twenty count phrase. Dance phrases with counts that are made up of multiples of 4 are generally easier for dancers to learn because most popularly danced music can be counted evenly by 4.
After our teacher for the day taught the class the combination, I asked him if he wanted each group to start after the previous group had danced the first 16 counts of movement. The teacher responded that we should wait until the entire phrase of 20 counts was finished before the next group started. This, for me, gave the last 4 count counts of the phrase an impression of being a "tag" or ending statement, where the previous 16 count would be the body of the choreography. It wasn't difficult for me to maintain good timing in this case.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Syncopated Sissones
In Graham class on Monday, October 17th, 2016, my class was given a sissone combination. For those reading this blog entry who don't know what a sissone is, it is a jump done in ballet from two legs and landing on one leg. In the air, the legs open in this jump. In ballet, the jump is always done "turned-out," with the legs rotated to the sides. Because we were in a modern class, we did our sissones "parallel," with our legs facing front.
Our teacher gave us a specific rhythm and quantity of jumps for this combination. Each jump was a count long, each jump alternating sides. This combination has a definite change in meter (from 4 counts, to 3 counts).
These were the counts: 1. sissone right 2. sissone left 3. sissone right 4. hold 1. sissone left 2. sissone right 3. sissone left. 4. hold. (shift in meter) 1. sissone right 2. sissone left 3. hold 1. sissone right 2. sissone left 3. hold 1. sissone right 2. sissone left 3. hold 1. sissone right 2. sissone left 3. hold.
This change in meter created a different dynamic that made the combination unexpected and exciting. I think this dynamic change made the combination exciting to dance as well, so I was quick to pick up the rhythm of the movement.
Our teacher gave us a specific rhythm and quantity of jumps for this combination. Each jump was a count long, each jump alternating sides. This combination has a definite change in meter (from 4 counts, to 3 counts).
These were the counts: 1. sissone right 2. sissone left 3. sissone right 4. hold 1. sissone left 2. sissone right 3. sissone left. 4. hold. (shift in meter) 1. sissone right 2. sissone left 3. hold 1. sissone right 2. sissone left 3. hold 1. sissone right 2. sissone left 3. hold 1. sissone right 2. sissone left 3. hold.
This change in meter created a different dynamic that made the combination unexpected and exciting. I think this dynamic change made the combination exciting to dance as well, so I was quick to pick up the rhythm of the movement.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Movement, Impetus, and Counting
In Music Class, October 14th, 2016, my classmates and I were instructed to create a short phrase of movement, all stemming from the impetus of one body part and with consistent timing. After completing this, we partnered up and and were instructed to first find a steady rhythm that complimented our partner's movement, and then to set counts to the movement phrase.
Because we didn't set counts when we created our phrases, if completed successfully, there wouldn't be a consistent meter to the counts. The counts we used would more accurately describe the phrase's accents and emphasis. This would be similar to the way Horton Fortification counts are not in a set meter.
Because we didn't set counts when we created our phrases, if completed successfully, there wouldn't be a consistent meter to the counts. The counts we used would more accurately describe the phrase's accents and emphasis. This would be similar to the way Horton Fortification counts are not in a set meter.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Fall for Dance 2016
On Thursday, October 6th, 2016, I went to see the Fall for Dance Festival performance at The New York City Center. Among the many companies who performed that evening was Jessica Lang Dance, The Royal Ballet Flanders, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Alina Cojocaru, Friedemann Vogel, Johan Kobborg, and The Sarasota Ballet.
During Cojocaru's, Vogel's, Kobborg, and The Sarasota Ballet's performance of Marguerite and Armand, their was a live pianist who accompanied the ballet. The ballet tells the story of Marguerite and Armand's love affair before Marguerite falls ill and dies.
There is a moment in the ballet when Cojocaru is lying on a fainting couch and coughing, about to succumb to her illness. I'm not certain what the key signature was, or even if there was one during this time, although the pianist had sheet music that he played from the entire ballet. In any case, the pianist was playing the coughs of Cojocaru in this scene. As a dancer, Cojocaru didn't actually make the noise of the cough, but merely opened her mouth and did the contracting motion that looked like coughing. But I thought it was amazing how in sync the pianist a Cojocaru were at this time, as if she were coughing piano notes. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen.
In addition to this, the phrasing of the music was also made to evoke, not just the sad and dark feeling of someone dying from an illness, but also the rhythm patterns and pitches of actual coughing. It gave the ballet a very realistic, eery feeling that made it come alive.
During Cojocaru's, Vogel's, Kobborg, and The Sarasota Ballet's performance of Marguerite and Armand, their was a live pianist who accompanied the ballet. The ballet tells the story of Marguerite and Armand's love affair before Marguerite falls ill and dies.
There is a moment in the ballet when Cojocaru is lying on a fainting couch and coughing, about to succumb to her illness. I'm not certain what the key signature was, or even if there was one during this time, although the pianist had sheet music that he played from the entire ballet. In any case, the pianist was playing the coughs of Cojocaru in this scene. As a dancer, Cojocaru didn't actually make the noise of the cough, but merely opened her mouth and did the contracting motion that looked like coughing. But I thought it was amazing how in sync the pianist a Cojocaru were at this time, as if she were coughing piano notes. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen.
In addition to this, the phrasing of the music was also made to evoke, not just the sad and dark feeling of someone dying from an illness, but also the rhythm patterns and pitches of actual coughing. It gave the ballet a very realistic, eery feeling that made it come alive.
How many pirouettes do I have time for?
On Tuesday, September 27th, 2016, I had Men's Ballet Class with Peter Brandenhoff. In the class we had a pirouette combination that included three sets of en dehors turns.
If this makes any sense, this were the steps of the combination: Tendu a la seconde (1), fifth position preparation (2), pirouette (3,4), plié fourth position preparation, pirouette ending coupé (5,6), pas de bourrée (7,8), two battements a la seconde closing back (1,2), failli rélèvé attitude (3,4), fourth position preparation (5), pirouette (6,7,8).
Mr. Brandenhoff explained that the last pirouette should not have less turns than the first two pirouettes for the simple fact that the last pirouette is allotted twice the amount of music. I know that this is often a strategic choreographic choice to save more turns for the end of a variation in order to leave a good last impression.
This was particularly challenging because Mr. Brandenhoff also requested of of us to spend less time in the preparation positions (plié) before the turn than the time spent in the turn. So we were encouraged to pirouette as soon as possible, and sustain the turn until the next step.
All in all, this combination required particular musical attention in order to manipulate the length of the balance in the pirouettes.
If this makes any sense, this were the steps of the combination: Tendu a la seconde (1), fifth position preparation (2), pirouette (3,4), plié fourth position preparation, pirouette ending coupé (5,6), pas de bourrée (7,8), two battements a la seconde closing back (1,2), failli rélèvé attitude (3,4), fourth position preparation (5), pirouette (6,7,8).
Mr. Brandenhoff explained that the last pirouette should not have less turns than the first two pirouettes for the simple fact that the last pirouette is allotted twice the amount of music. I know that this is often a strategic choreographic choice to save more turns for the end of a variation in order to leave a good last impression.
This was particularly challenging because Mr. Brandenhoff also requested of of us to spend less time in the preparation positions (plié) before the turn than the time spent in the turn. So we were encouraged to pirouette as soon as possible, and sustain the turn until the next step.
All in all, this combination required particular musical attention in order to manipulate the length of the balance in the pirouettes.
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