Dance Composition Basics : Capturing the Choreographer's Craft

by Anderson Sofras, Pamela

• ISBN13: 9780736055321
• ISBN10: 0736055320
• Edition: DVD
• Format: Package
• Copyright: 2006-01-20
• Publisher: Human Kinetics

Summary

Text instruction can go only so far in teaching how to create dances. Dance Composition Basicspicks up where other textbooks leave off, with a bound-in DVD that features professional choreographers and dancers in action.Designed for beginning college-level dance composition courses and dance educators at the middle and high school levels, this textbook and DVD package highlights selected portions of original dance compositions by two noted choreographers. The works of Alonzo King (Chants and Dreamer) and Dwight Rhoden (Verge) are recorded and analyzed to sequence the choreographic process. Students are able to witness a progression that takes them from conceiving and refining an idea to improvising and solving movement problems to shaping and performing dances.The methods featured in Dance Composition Basicscan be applied to a variety of dance styles including ballet, modern, and jazz. Each of the 27 lessons serves as a starting point that encourages novice dancers to embark on their own attempts at choreography with more confidence.Structured to present concepts from simple to complex, the chapters cover the body, space, time, energy, and choreographic devices. Each chapter is divided into lessons based on the dance element or concept highlighted. The lessons challenge students to create solo, duet, trio, and group works. Each lesson includes the following components:-One choreographic concept-Video documentation of the choreographic concept-Vocabulary words-Introductory statement-Warm-up-Structured improvisations-Creative choreographic problems-Questions for discussion-Assessment rubricsThe DVD supplements the written instruction in a progression that no textbook alone could achieve. It shows dancers as they solve movement problems, and it shows choreographers as they mold their works from conception to stage performance. DVD footage also captures the decision-making and problem-solving tactics used by each choreographer. With these concrete examples, students can form a basis of comparison when completing their own assignments.Dance Composition Basicsis a practical introduction to the methods and tools used in composing dances that engages students in the processthe preferred method of learning and teaching dance composition today. Through real-world examples, this text and DVD package demonstrates the direct relationship of the activities learned in the dance composition class to the current practices used by professional choreographers.

Author Biography

Pamela Anderson Sofras is a professor of dance and dance education at the University of North Carolina.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Featured Artists and Works: Alonzo King	xi
Featured Artists and Works: Dwight Rhoden	xiii
How to Use the DVD	xv
Dance Composition Basics DVD Menu	xvii
Acknowledgments	xix
The Body: Exploring the Ways We Move	1	(28)
Lesson 1 Impulse: Origins of Movement	3	(5)
Lesson 2 Phrase: Linking Movements	8	(5)
Lesson 3 Gesture: Personal Vocabulary of Movement	13	(6)
Lesson 4 Shape: Body Design	19	(5)
Lesson 5 Problem Solving: Creating a Solo	24	(5)
Space: Exploring the Expanse We Move In	29	(46)
Lesson 1 Air and Floor Pathways: Mapping the Route	31	(7)
Lesson 2 Diagonals: From Corner to Corner	38	(7)
Lesson 3 Symmetry: Balancing Shapes	45	(7)
Lesson 4 Positive and Negative Space: Sharing a Shape	52	(5)
Lesson 5 Balance: Supporting Each Other	57	(6)
Lesson 6 Imitation: Reflecting Each Other	63	(6)
Lesson 7 Problem Solving: Creating a Duet	69	(6)
Time: Exploring Tempo	75	(26)
Lesson 1 Slow Motion: Dancing in Reverie	77	(5)
Lesson 2 Speed: Learning to Dance Quickly	82	(5)
Lesson 3 Pacing: Combining Different Pulses	87	(6)
Lesson 4 Accelerating: How Fast Can It Go?	93	(4)
Lesson 5 Problem Solving: Creating a Trio	97	(4)
Energy: Force Generating Movement	101	(24)
Lesson 1 Inertia: Readiness to Move	103	(4)
Lesson 2 Opposites: Contrasting Energies	107	(5)
Lesson 3 Dynamics: Qualities of Movement	112	(4)
Lesson 4 Intensity: Increasing and Decreasing Force	116	(5)
Lesson 5 Problem Solving: Creating a Small-Group Composition	121	(4)
Choreographic Devices: Creating Finished Compositions.	125	(26)
Lesson 1 Call and Response: Antiphonal Movement	127	(3)
Lesson 2 Canon: Dancing in Unison a Few Counts Apart	130	(4)
Lesson 3 Directional Mirroring: Parallel Reflecting and Reverse Reflecting	134	(4)
Lesson 4 Variation: Interweaving and Varying Patterns	138	(7)
Lesson 5 Problem Solving: Creating a Movement Suite	145	(6)
Glossary	151	(6)
Bibliography	157	(2)
Index	159	(4)
About the Author	163