Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Teachers - The choreographic journey

Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Teachers

Composition tasks

Teacher secondary dance resource developed by
The Arts Unit

Introduction tasks

Canon: Teach the concept of a canon - think of the Mexican wave. In a circle create canons based on different movements. Keep it flowing around the circle as a warm up.
Levels: Connect to another person facing different directions and levels to create a shape.
Positive and negative shapes: One person creates a shape and one by one others enter to fill the positive and negative space x 4, turn into a moving motif.
Chain reaction: One person starts the chain reaction, and as the domino effect moves down the line students alter directions and shapes - can be used in all contexts and creates a nice motif.
Motif: A dominant or recurring idea in an artistic work.

Composition for a phrase

Create a short 16 count phrase: Ask for one arm/arms movement, one leg/legs movement, floor work, roll of a body part, jump, turn, torso, isolation. You could base this on the warm-up phrase or aterial you are studying in class. Can be performed in any order.
Manipulation of a phrase: Add elements; change of direction with every movement, travel a section through space, add stillness, increase tempo/slow down the movement in a section.
Teach one other person: Place restrictions on it - imagine you are inside a box doing the phrase, every third count repeat the movement - place it on different section of the body.
Placing it in a group: Stillness, unison, canon, use of space.
Perform the finished product in small groups.
Combine all groups together into a whole.

Choreographic tasks

Walking phrase

Create a walking pattern of 36 counts: Every count of 8 change the way you travel, for example: walking forward, sideways, backwards, forwards and backwards, in a box. Make sure your choices are interesting.
Include in each phrase a turn, change of direction, movement to the floor and a freeze. Combine with approximately 4 other people in the class and teach each other the walking pattern.
Include canon, unison and fragmentation (breaking up the movement).
Add a fifth person and find ways where that person can be left behind or not included in the group (a canon could be a good choreographic tool here) - look at the intention and power that the walking group phrase may hold.

Gestures

Create 4 gestures that you believe are the most honest representation of 4 facets of your personality, for example: happy, sad, outgoing/extrovert, shy/insecure, awkward.
Place them in an 8 count sequence, where you hit each pose and hold for 2 counts.
Combine this with a group of 4 other students.
Manipulate the gestures to tell a story between the different characters.
Embellish each gesture, making each gesture larger, over exaggerated and slower, taking 4-8 counts for each one, place it into a group where each individual is doing their own gesture.
Add levels, change of direction or height to each gesture to create an interesting group scene.

Manipulation

Create a character, using 8 movements to manipulate 8 separate body parts: these are to have a cartoon effect.
Fragmentation: Take your gestures and then in a pair - use fragmentation to break down each gesture and turn it into a duo manipulating each gesture.
Put 2 groups together and create a conversation between the characters.
Make the characters travel through the space.
Place movement material into unison.

Phone numbers

Create one movement for numbers 0 to 9 - short movements, for example: 0 - head circle, 1 arm throw, 3 fall to floor
Students asked to write down their mobile number.
Use their mobile number to dictate the order of the movement and the choreography.
Add connecting steps.
Add number points in the space, for example: 0 - downward facing on the floor, 1 - forward, 2 - right corner front
Use mobile number to determine direction of each part of the phrase.
Teach another person - performed in unison, connect phrases together, create as a duo piece.

Body parts

Phrase: students pick 6 body parts - for examples: left arm, right foot, right leg, head, left shoulder, left elbow.
Create a movement for each of those body parts.
In partners, one person perform their movement the other stops it - find interesting ways to stop movement, avoid just using hands to stop or restrict movement - how else can it occur?
Go through all movements with a stop/restriction/add-on for each one.
Find a way to move from one to the other adding more elements, for example: turn, roll to the floor, jump, repeat.
Repeat with the other person's movement.
Add together.
Perform with different intentions and music, For example: soft, angry, robotic, techno - how does this affect the narrative?
Add all elements together to create a longer piece.

Symmetry vs asymmetry

Create a phrase a movement of 16 counts using only linear lines - straight lines.
Create a phrase of movement of 16 counts that only uses asymmetrical movements.
To connect each phrase and movement create a floor phrase that includes a roll, a handstand, a slide and a fall.
To play with space - move the movement material to 4 different sections of the space using 8 to16 counts of travelling movements.
Change the tempo of the movement and manipulate 3 sections through repetition, slow motion and double time.

Gestures and motif

Create a series of 6 gestures for a variety of social situations.
Embellish each gesture, making each gesture larger, over-exaggerated and slower, taking 4 to 8 counts for each one.
Place it into a group where each individual is doing their own gesture: add levels, change of direction and dynamics to each gesture to create an interesting group scene.

Use of prop

Create a phrase of movement that uses a chair as a prop.

The task requires you to find:

2 ways to sit on the chair - facing 2 different directions.
2 ways to stand on the chair - facing 2 different directions.
2 ways to be under the chair or on the floor.
2 ways to move the chair to 2 different locations.

Create two phrases of 16 counts.

The first phrase needs to focus on linear lines.
The second needs to focus on floor work.
Fragment the 2 phrases together and incorporate them in with your chair positions.

Linking all aspects of the choreography together.

Argument

Rule: Partners should not physically touch one another.

With a partner create a fight or an argument.

Using slow motion, in pairs create 6 movements that are representative of an argument - use call and response where one person's action causes the other to move.

Extension: Look at ways to make it interesting:

use slow motion on some actions
speed up actions
use of levels such as jumps, slides to the floor
don't forget to use pauses to provide greater tension.
use gestures that are representative of an argument - hand gestures, turning away.

Extension: Using the intention of the fight start on either side or the performance space and create an opening to your dance. Use change of direction, levels and changes in dynamics to travel across the space.

Extension: Find a resolution to your performance.

Marionettes/manipulation

In pairs create a phrase based on one individual being controlled by another.

Create 16 movements manipulating the following body parts in any order:

whole leg
whole arm
hand
elbow
knee
head
body
face
upper body
lower body
ribs.

Using the marionette material:

combine the movement into a phrase in unison.
add elements of direction with every movement
travel a section through space.
add stillness: 8 counts and 4 counts.
Increase tempo/slow down the movement in a section.
place restrictions on it - imagine you are inside a box doing the phrase

placing it in a group - stillness, unison, canon, use of space.

Perform the finished product in small groups.

Combine all groups together into a whole.

Themes

Create a short dance phrase based on one of the following themes:

Love: feelings of falling in love, blinding love.
Chaos: chaos of a dream-like state.

Add elements: change of direction with every movement, travel a section through space, add stillness, increase tempo/slow down the movement in a section.

Place restrictions on it: imagine you are inside a box doing the phrase, every third count repeat the movement.

Teach one other person.

Placing it in a group: stillness, unison, canon, use of space.

Perform the finished product in small groups.

Combine all groups together into a whole.

Gestural task

Create 5 movements looking specifically at actions that represent dreams or fantasy.

Think about a dream you may have had that has affected you.

Embellish each movement - for example: make bigger, smaller, faster, slower.

In between each gesture add a:

turn - remember a turn can be just a limb, for example: head, shoulder, arm or pirouette.
movement to the floor - for example: slide, roll, sit
change in direction
walking pattern - a short 8 count walking phrase.

Back

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State Dance Festival and Callback images 1-4, photographer: Anna Warr.
Dance 7-10 Syllabus, © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2003, copied under s113P, accessed 27 September 2021.
Dance Stage 6 Syllabus, © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009, copied under s113P, accessed 27 September 2021.

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