Motif performed and adapted to the style of musical theatre

In our dance class group rehearsals through our stimulus of trainspotting we adapted the movements which are going to be choreographed and styled in urban contemporary dance. The adaptations of the dance are in the style of musical theatre. Which the movements are more light,upbeat and energetic. This is one of the choreographic method and style that we as a group are going to develop our motifs through. To show how our movements can be ranged and have variations of different dance styles that we could incorporate.

Changing our motif into a street dance style

In our dance group choreography we decided to use one of our motifs we created for the group dance. However, we decided to adapt and change the style of which that the motif was originally performed at. Through changing the music to a more fast pace tempo track. Which was run the world by Beyonce. By changing the music it allows our dance to be adapted by the movement to make it more sharp and jerky with heavier emphasis towards the movements i.e. change the levels and the pathways.

The formation of the motif adapted and performed in the dance style of street dance. For example. in streetdance the movement would have a contrasting dynamic compared to contemporary dance. This could include decreasing the size of the movement but using sharpness and jerky intention towards the movement. Creating a dynamic contrast between streetdance and other types of dance styles. In addition, this allows us dance students to adapt and interpret dance movement in a different concept. The stimulus of the dance is "trainspotting" which we can use movements that correspond towards more of an urban type of dance fused with contemporary. The idea of hallucinations and wanting to break free and escape the reality

Solo choreography stimulus

These two images are possibility a part of a stimulus that I would use to help me create my solo choreography. They both capture ways of how you are trapped in a small area or place and you want to come out to escape of your shadow. Or possibility the darkness that is overshadowing you and unable to allow you to come out of your true shadow. The stimulus gives me an idea of a starting point of how to begin my piece and what type of actions that I should use. In this dance piece there will be moments of release and letting go within the climax and highlights of the dance.

Reverse order of the motif

Motif explored with different choreographic devices

Exploring different choreographic devices within my motif. For example, within my motif is retrograding it.Such as reversing the movement of

Motif of representing the addiction of food

In our dance class rehearsals we were creating an motif based on the film trainspotting while exploring the addiction and crave for food and bulimia. For example, bulimia is explored through binging and eating a lot while vomiting endless amount of food. We explored aspects of bulimia through our hand gestures. As, some of the hand gestures is explored through wanting to harm yourself or to do some sort of damage. Also, we used hand gestures to demonstrate on how we are suffering as individuals and the suffering is causing us both emotional and physical. This indicates the connection with the human body that we have.

Choreography Research Log for solo choreography

Developing one of our motifs

Motif

In the first steps of our group choreography we went into small groups to do a motif based on one of the four addictions. This included food/bulimia, OCD, drugs and technology. For example me and one of my dance peers were choreographing a motif in the contemporary urban field of dance style. Which was focused on the issue of the addiction of food/ bulimia. The addiction of food/ bulimia is being characterised as someone suffering and being in pain and not being able to come out of their shadow. There is some sort of embodiment of suffocation and entrapment of an individual. The individual feels like they have to be a certain way. In order, to be excepted in society for the way that the media conveys to us on how we should appear and look like towards everyone in society as a whole.

For example, in this motif hand gestures of reaching and holding your mouth without breathing were used to convey vomiting. Which enhances on how people with bulimia have a fear and frustration of gaining weight. Vomiting is one of the excessive ways of purging. Through the use of the hand gestures we want to convey towards the dance choreography is how everyone is suffering. For instance, cycles of binging and vomiting can cause stress and damage through your body. This type of stress that we want to convey within the dance. Also, biting the skin of your knuckles creates more problems within the individual state of mind and behavior that they choose to capture through there body. Which can often cause results like inflammation and starvation of which you are messing and damaging the stomach muscles of your body. This can cause you to do a long cycle of binging and excessive amounts of vomiting. As, it creates an destructive pattern on the body

Also, through the use of our hands wrapping around our stomach that we use as a gesture of how individuals are constantly talking about their weight and their appearance because they are scared to put on weight and get any bigger. It causes individuals to want to make themselves suffer and constantly put negatives attitudes on themselves.  We decided on including a lot of hand gestures in the motif to illustrate how they want to cause physical pain.  

Group discussion on themes and concepts of group choreography

In our dance session we gave back feedback on what we thought the film, "trainspotting" illustrated and compelled through the themes and characteristics that are being conveyed. For example, Renton is being represented as being pulled back and going forward but coming back in the past. Which is pulling back his character and pulling back the chain. He is addicted to the drug heroine, addictions is something that everyone has of some sort. It could be anything such as food, gambling or even technology. Renton is trying to get out of the addiction but it is still very hard and challenging.

Another element that the whole dance class were discussing on is how we could use the song track of the monologue in the beginning part of the film and go over the track when words from the monologue scene is being spoken. Also, from the monologue scene we might use as most of us are together i.e. through going to the club.

As, a group we might also use not only the monologue to illustrate and show similar conventions that the film propose based on addiction of heroine. However, to also use the hotel scene of what is going in a hotel atmosphere of the characters. Such as, the behavior of young people in an hotel especially drunk and overdosed on drugs. The addiction is one of the main and key themes that we are going to explore within our dance group choreography. Which includes the addicted to food, technology, OCD and drugs.

Furthermore, we discussed the cold turkey process of stopping the addiction. Which can be illustrated in many ways such as doing an activity to get away from their problems. For example, smoking weed(the idea of relaxation), alcohol, heroine, etsy and cocaine. It creates an illusion of escaping reality(escapism).

Day 3) of the teaching and learning process mode

Day 2 of group choreography discussion

As a dance class, we were discussing on what type of dance styles that we should incorporate in our choreography corresponding with the stimulus. Some of the dance styles that we were thinking of including in our dance choreography is urban with the fusion of contemporary or jazz. Some of the ways through the dance styles of what we are going to incorporate is different levels, different relationships(the grouping and how many dancers there are going to be in each section. The based stimulus that we have for this dance piece is from the movie "Trainspotting" that we are going to base our dance upon. There are so many ways of how that we can be very abstract within the piece such as including spoken word i.e. poetry which can say things about the film. For example, someone can be stating statistics about heroine and Scotland while a few dancers are transmitting what is being said through their movements. The main themes of the film include drug addiction to heroine, hallucinations, rehabilitation and the death of many young individuals. One of the themes of how hallucinations occur so much throughout the film. Hallucinations as a theme can be used to explore a narrative and to tell a story through the addiction of heroine. There is an unchanging life lived upon heroine. Young urban represented within the film live on heroine. As it is represented as a key aspect of freedom and running away from the world. The idea of having heroine is that you want to escape from reality and the real world(which is blinding you from reality). Furthermore, it creates a chronological lapse of stagnancy and an illusion.