Dance_Essay

Dance analysis Megan Walshe Dance doesn’t just involve movement to a song; it involves individuals applying dance technique and performance quality of intricate elements to provide a work with meaning and beauty. These intricate elements include various body skills such as locomotor and non-locomotor sequences which relate to the way in which the anatomical structure works to provide strength, endurance and coordination in performing these sequences. In performance there must always be quality; which is the control and variation of dynamics, alignment, kinaesthetic awareness, musicality, focus and commitment to send a purpose of meaning in a song to make others want to watch and appreciate the work. Through my dance core performance to ‘Slow Dancing in a Burning Room’ By John Mayer, I have attempted to incorporate all of these elements of dance. This analysis will provide a deep understanding of how the elements were or were not correctly performed, and what improvements could be made. Locomotor sequences are in every dance piece, they are essentially a group of intricate movements following each other. A locomotor sequence is defined as a movement that travels from place to place usually identified by weight transference on the feet. As there are many complex locomotor sequences throughout the core performance dance, my example of this element is the retire step, more towards the start of the piece, where one arm is extended horizontally out and the other is rotating around to meet the other, while in retire and changing direction of the body to face the front left hand corner of the space. Then stepping three steps on which the third the left leg slides across the floor in a circular motion as well as the arms simultaneously to then face the back, to then slide on that left leg to the floor. In my performance the full extent of the shape where the leg slides down to the floor was not reached. In the transition to the floor I rushed too quickly into the roll which followed instead of holding the shape and completely sliding down into the vertical position. My left leg resulted in an unplanned bend in the shape. It is possible that I felt I did not have the strength to transition softly so I bent the knee to support my roll. The way this fault could be improved is with the use of kinaesthetic awareness and confidence in the movement. Opposite to the Locomotor is the non-locomotor sequence. A sequence also used in every dance piece it is described as a movement that does not travel but rather moves on its own axis staying on a stationary base. In this work, an example of a non-locomotor movement is the repeated movement stationary on the left leg whilst the exercising leg is extended and rotated distal from the front of the body to the back, eversion, all the while the arms are also performing a clockwise rotation superior to the head. This sequence was performed with coordination and balance in my core performance. Evident because the right muscles were engaged and rotation was coming from the hip. These muscles included the deltoid, gluteus maximus and medius, pectoralis major and abdominals. To improve the shape I could have possible extended a little further and held the shape for half a count longer. Strength is one of the most important elements in dance. To perform body skills and sequences you need strength to hold the weight in different situations and movements. Strength is defined as the ability of an individual to exert a muscular contraction or force against a resistance. Without strength we would not learn to be able to perform complex and difficult movements. An example of difficult strength is found in the bridge section of the song. Our weight is supported by the Triceps, Biceps and Deltoid in the upper body as we extend the left leg vertical to create a straight alignment. Engaging in all four abdominal layers, we hold the shape and gently drop it down over to the opposite side it started on. In my performance, I successfully showed the vertical alignment and used the correct muscles to hold the shape. My fault in the sequence was that my drop to the opposite side was tedious and clunky. The possible reason for this is that as I brought down the leg I felt as though I had already achieved the shape so I could relax the muscles, where I should have tensed them to slowly and gently land softly to the ground. Throughout the core performance, stamina is essential. Without stamina, the dance would not sustain strength or balance or coordination. It is described as the ability to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort. In the locomotor sequence where I travel down to the bottom right hand stage corner my grand jetes had lost elevation. Because I didn’t reach elevation I didn’t reach the full extension of the shape. This occurred most likely because of a drop in muscle endurance and stamina as it was reaching toward the end of the piece. To improve this, I need to make sure that my posture is still upright with the abdominals and gluteus engaged ready to propel myself off the floor, as well as engaging more muscles in the supporting leg which propels off the floor including the gastrocnemius, Achilles tendon and soleus. In doing this, a good idea would be go for runs, gradually longer each time so to improve how long I can run for each time. By practicing this, I can train myself to dance for a longer amount of time without my muscles becoming weak or tired. Coordination is another body skill needed to perform a piece with quality. Meaning balanced and effective interaction of movement, coordination is used in every movement and sequence in dance. Without coordination movement would not make sense or look good. A complex example of coordination is the table top sequence toward the beginning of the dance. This is the extension of the left leg abducted from the body posterior. At the same time this extension is happening, the arms extend our anterior at a vertical parallel alignment. Following the table top line, is the inward bend of both the exercised leg and the arms which then snap back out to extend and then snatch back. In snapping the leg and arm back out, the supporting leg propels off the floor to elevate up and then drops back down on the snatch back. Eye line is an important key in coordination. For this shape to be reached and correctly performed the eye line must direct the movement. My fault in this movement was that my eye line got confused and didn’t follow the arm up to the roof instead confusing the following movement which resulted in the landing being sloppy and off centre. What needs to improve is coordination in eye line and the purpose it serves in coordinating each movement with another. To have a quality dance, the movements performed need to be aligned in proportion to the muscles and bones in the body. Alignment is the key to each movements shape. Described as the relationship of the skeleton to the line of gravity and the base of support, Alignment keeps the quality in line through each extension, abduction, and flexion and so on. Related with coordination, balance and strength, alignment works with all these body skills show the precise beauty in shape. A prime example of alignment in the class dance is the plank position which is then followed by the fetal contraction position. Correct alignment was shown through the plank which was performed at its full extent. By the stacking of the bones in relation to the abdominal muscles, the plank like line was evident. Then transitions into the fetal position where the abdominal muscles create a contraction of the head and stomach. An example in the dance where alignment was lost was the off centre extension. Early in the dance after a single turn we perform a lateral tilt where the body is off its natural centre extending the leg and arm which form a diagonal shape. The shape of this tilt was not reached as I did not stay in proper alignment. This was because I did not lock in my pelvic bone in relation to the gluteus maximus. Performing the off centre tilt without the hip locked my balance and alignment become messy and off. To improve this shape I need to lock in the correct muscles and bones as well as engaging my external obliques and other abdominal muscles to support the extension of the leg in the lateral tilt. To create variation and meaning to a performance use of control and variation of dynamics is used. Dynamics are used to portray movements with a special meaning. Relating to musicality, which is the attention and sensitivity to the musical elements of a dance while performing; dynamics connect to the feel and sound of the music along with the lyrics being sung. Dynamics can be soft, rough, dramatic, sharp and so on. Musicality uses dynamics to find the theme of the song and the motif, which is the movement inspiring other movements, within the dance. The motif in this dance is the movement performed on the lyrics ‘slow dancing in a burning room’ ironically being the title of the song. This is the non-locomotor movement involving the L shapes arms anterior to the torso and the parallel alignment of the feet of which the right foot performs a dorsiflexion which rotates a half circle before coming back to parallel whilst the L shaped arms move in the same direction, the right arm performing a circumduction slightly moving the other arm to follow. This is carried out with soft dynamic as the lyric is ‘slow dancing’. Variation in dynamic is evident at the beginning of the dance where the soft, circular high release is performed over the lower back but then contrasts to a sharp drop towards the back of the room. Dynamics keep the piece interesting and meaningful to watch. For a performance to be more than satisfactory, great focus and commitment is needed. Full dedication and attention throughout the dance is vital, and through my performance I put in 100% effort doing the best I could and continuing even if I did a movement incorrect. To show evidence of focus throughout the piece, my consistency of interpretation was found throughout. In my perspective the piece was a dramatic piece as the lyrics refer to the words, ‘doomed’, ‘dying’, ‘sadness’ and ‘burning’. This pointed to the struggle of death and ‘going down’. With this, I felt the meaning behind the movements was of utter importance to keep focus in especially my facial expressions and eye line to keep my interpretation consistent and committed throughout. An example of this was the bridge. As I swayed my torso back and forth before the sequence of the leg vertical I made sure my intention of that slow struggle was evident still in the dance especially the climax of the bridge to truly show the meaning behind my movements. One of the most important keys in dance is definitely kinaesthetic awareness. A difficult element of dance as it is used throughout the piece at all times, kinaesthetic awareness is the ability to feel and know where one’s body is in the space, including legs, hands, arms, feet, without having to look. For a dancer to use this is every movement and sequence they perform it will be a successful performance. In my performance I unsuccessfully incorporated the use of this element. Towards the end of the dance mainly, especially in the eight count roll on the floor constantly rolling over slowly and dragging it out, I lost awareness of what my feet were doing and I concentrated too much on what the top half of my body instead of the bottom as well, resulting in dead weight feet. This meaning my feet were left hanging instead of being tight and together during each roll they flopped around one after the other sometimes pointed, sometimes forgotten. By transitioning each movement to the next ensuring each part of the body is still containing some purpose even if it’s maintaining stillness in a quality line will be the step to improve my awareness. The final element to ensure performance quality using dance technique is safe dance practice. Safe dance practice is essential in preventing any injuries when performing complex body skills. To help us understand safe dance practice we use the acronym S.M.A.R.T. The S stands for stretch strength and stamina; three things that must be used as a dancer. Before doing any complex movement you must stretch out each muscle in the body to ensure full potential for performing. The M stands for maintenance of your fitness levels to increase overall dance endurance and ability. To maintain your fitness it is recommended to do daily dance classes and daily stretching. The A stands for alignment important for any complex body skill in creating a quality line and shape. R stands for r.i.c.e.d which is the five steps after an injury occurs. These steps are resting, so to not cause more damage than has already been done, then ice. This reduces swelling and pain. Compression is the third step which stops bleeding and swelling, then elevating the injury to reduce further swelling and bleeding. Finally the d stands for diagnosis where you go to a medical practitioner who will diagnose your injury. The final letter in S.M.A.R.T stands for training. Training in all areas of performance quality and technique helps stabilise the elements in dance such as body skills, balance and coordination. As we trained during class for our assessment we practiced safe rolls to the floor. An example of this is in the chorus, the fall to the side on the floor previous to the slow dancing in a burning room lyric. This drop has been carefully planned to reduce stress and injury on the body. By leaning to the opposite side of the drop and letting the knees and legs drop first, the risk of falling on the head or neck is reduced and the landing becomes softer. In overall technique I give myself a 5 out of 10 mark and for performance quality I give myself 6/10. As an individual performer I tried my best to perform all the dance elements in creating a quality piece. My performance felt better than my skills and technique shown within the dance and by analysing myself I can learn from my mistakes and improve on what I did incorrectly.