Accompaniment
The term ‘accompaniment’ is used for HSC Dance as the auditory sounds that accompany a dance work may or may not be music.
Accompaniment can refer to:
- music
- voice
- soundscapes (both natural and manmade).
It may be relevant to your work to have a section of silence. It is recommended that you don’t have large sections of your work in silence as when your dancers are performing in the HSC examination; adrenaline may cause your dancers to race through the movement. If you are using silence, this must be recorded into the track that you are using.
Music is generally the first place that we start a dance. Music can evoke an emotional response from us or be used as stimulus for concept ideas and movement. Accompaniment is an additional consideration in the Major Study Composition as it is used in conjunction with the movement to create a dance work rather than just a dance.
In selecting musical accompaniment for the Major Study, you need to ensure that it contains a variety of dynamic and temporal variations to allow you to show control and manipulation of dynamics in Major Study Composition. Using musical accompaniment with contrasting dynamics will create interest within the work and assist in creating meaning.
If you have selected musical accompaniment with lyrics, you need to ensure that the lyrics are communicating the thematic intent of the work. It is imperative that you do not literally interpret the lyrics with your movements. For example, if the lyrics say something about the heart, you wouldn’t put your hand upon your chest. Dance as an artform requires you to be original and creative in Composition. You should also ensure that the lyrics are age appropriate and do not contain any offensive content.
Just like the use of a prop or costume, the use of accompaniment must be integral to the communication of the thematic intent of the work. Therefore the style and overall mood should assist in the communication of the intent. You may select a few types of accompaniment to create a different atmosphere for each section of the ‘Work’. When analysing the use of the accompaniment in relation to the work, you will need to look at the use of time and dynamics:
- Tempo
- Duration
- Momentum
- Stillness
- Natural rhythms
- Metre
- Weight/force
- Movement quality
Activity
- What is the name of the accompaniment that you have used in your work?
- Describe the overall mood of the accompaniment. How is this relevant to your thematic intent?
- What type of dynamic qualities may this accompaniment suggest? Give 3 specific examples and state how they may further communicate the thematic intent of your work Please use descriptive and technical language in your response.
Please note - the information below may not be applicable due to COVID-19. For 2020, all ensemble work has been cancelled. For further information visit the NESA NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) website.
Number of Dancers
As there are multiple dancers within the performance space (either 2 or 3) for Major Study Composition, you as a choreographer must be aware of the relationships that are formed between your dancers. Therefore the number of dancers that you have selected is directly linked to your concept/intent.
How you set up this relationship in relation to the number of dancers that you have used takes your movement from a dance to a work. This is why it is an additional consideration. You need to be aware of how the elements of dance, motif development and organising the work all interrelate both individually and amongst the group to communicate your concept/intent.