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Showing posts from February, 2021

Duncan: Arm's Flow & Movement Ideas

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  Question 1 After listening to Duncan's quotation, what would you say was her goal for women's dance?  Question 2 How does the ideal person in Ancient Greece fit Duncan's model of a dancer? Question 3 How did transcendentalism influence her dance? Question 4 What does focus mean in Duncan technique? Question 5 How do focus and flow relate to the solar plexus or center of the chest?  Question 6 What does Duncan virtuosity mean? ------------------------------------ Activity Working with light fabric individually. Throwing fabric and grabbing it before it falls Couples, exchange fabrics as they are thrown Let go of the fabric, and now use your arms as if your are throwing fabric. Activity Walking across the space. Directions Emphasis on the meta-tarsus Using arms with random movement through the space.   Activity   Moving across the space running low impact on meta-tarsus running throwing fabric with right hand running throwing fabric with left hand running with both hands un

Duncan: Waltz

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Question 1 How is the metronome helpful when doing the waltz? Question 2 Is Brahms waltz a good choice to practice Duncan's moves listed below? Why?     Question 3 How does the interpretation of the waltz in the video above differs from the previous one? ---------------------- Steps to be Explored in Class   1. Walk with focus 2. Walk with focus in different directions 3. Say mantra "I am a king"   4. Use of metatarsus   5. Perform the Waltz step   6. Find a partner and dance facing each other 7. Partners exchange places   8. The pair finds two other partners and experience the ensemble work      Question 4 After watching the three videos above, how do the three complement each other when waltzing?   --------------- Beauty Prayer (inner focus)   1. arms moving towards the above (invoking the supreme) 2. arms moving toward the beneath (invoking the earth) 3. hands touching the solar plexus (honoring yourself) 4. Arms moving before me (acknowledging the future) 5. Arms movi

Isadora Duncan: Introduction / Elgin Marbles

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-------------------------------------------   TODAY'S CONTENT Question 1  Why are the Elgin Marbles important for dance studies?  --------------- ACTIVITY Observe the following pictures of the Elgin Marbles used by Isadora Duncan to create her dance vocabulary.   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Activity Create 8 movements based on these photos.  Organize them in a phrase. Create transitions between movements. Post your phrase on Discussion Board.  ----------------------- Question 2 Whey would Duncan choose the Ancient Greek statues for her dance vocabulary? Question 3 Write a reflection about your experience with your dance work.        

Other Exponents of Expressionism: Kurt Jooss' Ceremony

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 Watch the following videos:   Mary Wigman Question 1 Write your response to Wigman's dance performance in this video.   Harald Kreutzberg Question 2 What qualities of Wigman's movement groups are shown in Harald Kreutzberg's dance. Movement, Sound, Word Question 3 Why is the use movement, sound and word important aspects of expressionist dance?   Interview with Kurt Jooss Question 4 What does Jooss mean when he says that The Green Table is a ceremony of death? The Green Table Question 5 After seeing the video clip of The Green Table , write your response to the piece.  ---------------   Optional Readings for Ambitious Modern Dance Students LINKS Laban and Jooss The Founding Father of Tanztheater   ------------------------------ ACTIVITY IN-PERSON STUDENTS  Think about the " why " of your the dance. Add to your group's piece the concept of ceremony through an 8 movement phrase. So far you have 2 phrases: the emotion 's phrase and Wigman 's movement g

Wigman's Technique & Other Influences

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 INFLUENCES   Die Brücke  and  Der Blaue Reiter Question 1 Based on this video, what is expressionism?   Arnold Schönberg Question 2  After watching Bernstein's presentation on Schönberg's music, what aspect of Schonberg's music could have influenced Wigman's ideas about dance? ------------------------------------------------ LINKS Expressivity Schools Check the link and scroll down to page 110. Question 3 After reading the article on "Schools of Bodily Expressivity: Mary Wigman, " what was the main difference between Laban and Wigman in terms of dance? LINK Mary Wigman's Technique Question 4 Based on the article published by Contemporary Art Org ., what was Wigman searching for in dance? ------------------------- Wigman’s Technique     Her technique is structured in five main groups: 1 - Striding and sliding 2 - Springs, vibrations and bouncing 3 - Momentums and oscillations 4 - Falling and dropping (floor technique) 5 - Tensions: relaxed, sust

Wigman's Expressionism

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  QUESTION 1   According to Mary Wigman; what are the two things a dance must always do? QUESTION 2   What does the narrator mean when he says that "Wigman was able to transport moves simply with her movements"?   ------------------------------- VIDEO - LINK Harold Kreutzberg   QUESTION 3 In this video Harald Kreutzberg, Wigman's student and dance partner, dances the expressionist piece Dispute with God. Why can we call this dance piece expressionist?   -----------------------------------      Dance Expressionism and Abstraction  Activity   Abstract Expression of Emotions   Create a dance/movement phrase using each one of the emotions listed below. 1. Vanity 2. Surprise 3. Greed 4. Sadness 5. Hate  6. Happiness 7. Fear 8. Love    POST YOUR DANCE/MOVEMENT PHRASE  ON DISCUSSION BOARD.

Laban's Cube, 4 Components and 8 Efforts

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      Apace and Relationship  T he kinesphere is also the container of a cube (containing all diagonal directions and dimensions) and of an icosahedron made by three bi-dimensional planes: it contains angular geometry inside a round geometry.  Question 1 Explain in your own words the meaning of the kinesphere within the Laban's cube?   ---------------   Laban’s Four Components of Human Movement with their Respective Elements : •Direction – direct/indirect •Weight – heavy/light •Speed – quick/sustained •Flow – bound / free Activity 1   Create an 8 movements phrase in which each move has:    One direction (direct)  One direction ( indirect)  One weight (light)  One weight (heavy)  One speed (quick)   One speed (sustained)    One flow (bound)  One flow (free).  ---------------------------- Laban’s Eight Effort Actions :     The Eight Effort Actions help clients both physically and emotionally to embody and understand internal impulse while developing an

Laban's Patterns of Body Connections

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  I. Body The body category describes structural and physical characteristics of the human body while moving.  This category is responsible for describing which body parts are moving, which parts are connected, which parts are influenced by others, and general statements about body organization.  Breath Connectivity Athletes breathing versus diaphragmatic breathing. Walk around the room (Use directions, levels and focus) Now connect with your breath ass you walk. Now move on the inhale and pause on the exhale. Then, move on the exhale and pause on the exhale. Combine the inhales and exhales as you move. Question 1 Write a reflection on your experience with breath and movement. ----------------------------------- II. Several subcategories of body are: Initiation of movement starting from specific bodies Connection of different bodies to each other Sequencing of movement between parts of the body   Patterns of body organization and connectivity ----------------