BIBLIOGRAPHY

References

Arcangelo Corelli 12 Trio Sonatas Op.1. (2017). [video].

Berlin - Original song for 12 cellos (and a kick drum) - The Piano Guys. (2017). [video].

"City Lights" *****SOLD**** Pop/Upbeat/Fast/Happy Instrumental. (2017). [video].

Corelli : La Follia. (2017). [video].

fed by machines. (2017). [video].

Handel - 13 Variations on the Sarabande from suite in D minor (HWV 437). (2017). [video].

Happy, Upbeat Background Instrumental | Royalty Free Music for Videos, Adverts, Commercials. (2017). [video].

Mather Dance Company - Firework (Pulse on Tour). (2017). [video].

Sayer, R. (2017). Dance Lighting Introduction - Stage Lighting Online Tutorials, Information and How To. [online] Onstagelighting.co.uk. Available at: http://www.onstagelighting.co.uk/lighting-design/dance-lighting-introduction/ [Accessed 26 May 2017].

Tagg, P. (2012). Music's meanings. 1st ed. Larchmont, N.Y.: Mass Media's Scholar's Press.

Tao Dance Theater 2015 《现在 . 舞》 / Now . Dance. (2017). [DVD].

TAO Dance Theatre - 6 & 8 - Trailer (Sadler's Wells). (2017). [DVD].

The Tao of dance: Tao Ye interview. (2017). .

To Build a Home - 1st Place Contemporary Large Group. (2017). [video].

"To The Top" HipHop Instrumental. (2017). [video].

Upbeat and Aggressive Rap instrumental - “Twofold” - Prod. By Layird Music. (2017). [video].

Upbeat/Summer/Pop Instrumental. (2017). [video].

When Darkness Becomes Light | Contemporary Dance by KaliAndrews Dance Company. (2017). [video].

MOVING THE PERFORMANCE FROM THE UNIVERSITY DANCE STUDIO TO THE CUSTOMS HOUSE

Moving the performance out the Dance studio to the Customs house will  bring changes to the rehearsed performance in a few different ways, e.g.;  the layout of the stage and the lighting rig is a completely different setting from what the dancers are used to, firstly the stage at the Customs house is a different shape and size and has a  platform stage, which is a raised rectangular shape at one end of the room, the raised platform offers a separation between the performers and the audience, in comparison to the Dance studio which is at ground level  and square in shape, the difference performing on a raised stage compared to a the ground level studio floor may be that the dance movements are restricted in the way that the dancers will have to position their movements back from the ledge where the stage ends  so therefore the dancers  are losing a portion of the performance space. Another difference when moving from the studio to the Customs house is the lighting set, in the studio the lighting rig is completely different to the lighting rig at the customs house, in the studio we have spotlights also called Follow-spots  a lighting instrument controlled by an operator which provides an emphasis on the performers as they move about the stage, these lights can also be programed to change colour in the studio we do have  three rows of Follow-spots, however the lighting rig at the Customs house has four rows so that will change the lighting effect that will be used for the final performance , also at the Customs house there will be additional lighting sources such as Profile- spots at the back of the hall , the profile spot light allows an even beam of 'hard edged' light with precision focus they could be beneficial to our dance performance but we won’t know until we try these out  , another lighting source which we don’t have in the dance studio but will have at the Customs house will be  led Floor-cans which are used for up lighting  a vertical structure from the bottom to the top which can create a great lighting effect to use within performances,  because of the changes in the lighting sets the whole lighting effects within the performance at the Customs House , will be different  from the studio lighting the dancers have used to rehearse their dance , however this may work to the advantage that even though it’s a different lighting rig , the designed lighting may still support the piece or it may be  that , the lighting in the customs house doesn’t support the piece and the lighting design might have to be altered to fit the piece, so to try the new lighting options out there will be dress rehearsals before the final performance where any lighting that needs to be adjusted in accordance with the prepared lighting sheet we will have time to do so.  

COLABORATING WITH THE CHOREOGRAPHER 500 WORD PIECE

Working in collaboration with the Choreographer Barbara Polak was the most challenging part of the task as a whole, both having different native languages mine being English and Barbara`s being Polish  created  a language barrier, it was quite clear that the communication barrier was both ways right from the start as I didn’t haven’t a clear understanding of Barbara`s creative ideas or her explanations, which resulted in a lot of confusion and then various kinds of conflicts, leading to having to spend additional time resolving the confusion`s, which had a negative effect on building a good working relationship between us which proved stressful and tiring. To try and resolve the communication  issue I focused on trying different communication methods for example; drawing diagrams to illustrate my meanings also talking clearly and slowly and patiently tried not to rush through my communication in the hope that Barbara would have a clearer understanding of my meanings and interpretations this took time and patience but positively helped me develop my communication skills when communicating with a foreign speaker.

My role as stager involved finding the music for each section of the piece, choosing the costumes and organizing the lighting, working on each section individually, me and Barbara met to discuss are creative ideas, deciding between us what would look and sound best to go with her Choreography was exciting however we both had completely different visions and creative minds which highlighted some of the key challenges that we faced working together  , a lot of the time these differences caused tension and conflict between us, the first obstacle we faced was deciding upon the music for each section , given the type and theme of music explained by Barbara of what she wanted for each section of the routine in collaboration with the choreography, i  researched  various artists and melodies for each section I presented Barbara with a list of music suggestions, which I believed to be compatible with  each section, however my choices weren’t to Barbara`s taste in music and she explained to me the dancers couldn’t dance to any of my selection, so I had to rethink my choices as they weren’t appropriate for the sections, at this point it was clear that we were both going to have to compromise the music choice decisions as I wanted Barbara and the dancers to be happy and comfortable dancing to the music as well as being happy with my final choice of music, to do this Barbara sent me some music idea`s  which I listened to carefully then decided upon the music, this method worked well for both of us, Choosing the costumes  for  the dancers we went shopping together which had a positive outcome, together we discussed how we wanted the dancers to look and how the costumes needed to be adjustable to the dancers flexibility, going shopping together helped break down the communication barrier and we were able to build a more professional and personal relationship. Overall because are artistic ideas were miles apart I found it a real struggle to  work alongside Barbara throughout the whole process, 

LIGHTING RESEARCH

Researching for lighting idea`s for the performance of colours i used the following three dance performances to take inspiration from., i  also used  the following website

Dance Lighting Introduction - Stage Lighting Online Tutorials, Information and How To (Sayer,2017).

 to watch online tutorials and gather information about stage lighting

Dance Lighting Introduction - Stage Lighting Online Tutorials, Information and How To 

https://youtu.be/dWF1vHI0QZg    Mather Dance Company - Firework (Pulse on Tour)

https://youtu.be/gFle_pyBv4Q  To Build a Home - 1st Place Contemporary Large Group

https://youtu.be/IXSsvxsFr-c   When Darkness Becomes Light | Contemporary Dance by KaliAndrews Dance Company 

LIGHTING ANALYSIS

Designing the lighting for the performance of colours was something I’ve never had experience in doing, to choose the lighting to go with each section i researched various dance performances on line which gave me an insight into what could look effect within the performance, i also researched the lighting by taking advice from the lighting technician Richard my work colleague at the Sage Gateshead,where i was given a demonstration of various lighting displays, which helped support my decision making, my aim is to use minimal subtle light changes with the  lighting used to heighten the bodies of the dancers movements,so the audience's focus throughout the performance is not swayed from the dance.  

LIGHTING FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF COLOURS

1st section -light section 

Beginning dancers perform a canon - strobe light from start to end of canon

Orange light on duet dancers to separate them from the ensemble

White side lighting all the way through this section 

 ( if possible in the top right hand corner coloured lights to represent a rainbow ) at the end of this section

Projection of the video fedbymachines to play throughout this section

2nd section - coloured section

Warm yellow lighting using the profile set

3rd section -darkness section 

Using the profile spots a dimmed lighting effect All the way through 

End the lights gradually fade out each dancers one by one  

MUSIC ANALYSIS

The music needed will produce energy for the dancers through the use of the key signature being C major with the meaning of major being happy and positive which connects the human body to the music in the form of i.e.: dance, catchy beat, the dancers react to the music through quirky , confident  movement gestures, whilst performing they could also make positive facial expressions expressing emotion with the routine.

The style of synchronization to the rhythm and the beat of the backing music is aiming to create a happy mood to engage the audience, to encourage  the audience to dance or tap their feet in time with the beat which links to Phillip Tagg’s statement in Bio -acoustic universals” it should be clear that ‘music’ denotes a particular type of human sound production and that those sounds are associated with the human voice or with human movement” (Tagg, 2012).

Researching music for the Colours routine was time consuming but enjoyable, below are the music choices i decided on for each section

First section 

https://youtu.be/IT81oqvWhT4

https://youtu.be/k18L5ms73MM

https://youtu.be/VHRdFILo_Yw

https://youtu.be/iB5LguSxsp0

Second section

 https://youtu.be/N3fV-PXfa9U

 https://youtu.be/UKwSQSFN4Nw

 https://youtu.be/A1itJKDXS8I

https://youtu.be/Flg178ED4Ik

https://youtu.be/J07E5VAusCs

Third section

Sweet Euphoria [Psychedelic Ambient, Downtempo, Deep Trance & IDM Music.            

https://youtu.be/2SW-9jL5Ag4

magical psychedelic chillout mix ( psychill / psybient ) HD

https://youtu.be/Y5rp1aXe4AU

Dark Rap Instrumental ( Hip Hop Beat )

https://youtu.be/NlsYY4kIcss

Space Ambient Mix 1 - Across the Universe - Meditation Music

https://youtu.be/nTXeWIL1vhA

 FINAL CHOSEN SONGS

The chosen song for the first section    Fed by machines   

https://youtu.be/IT81oqvWhT4   

The chosen song for the second section      Berlin - Original song for 12 cellos (and a kick drum) - The Piano Guys

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcnzqKpFZ0I&sns=em   

The chosen song for the third section Infected Mushroom - Converting Vegetarians

https://youtu.be/nJDpXPVFRUo

COSTUME ANALYSIS

  Based on the theme of the dance, taking into consideration the dancers will be performing  live on stage,(Mullanedancers.com,2017) suggest that the dancers costume must grasp the attention of the audience.,dressing the dancers in matching attire reflects the themes and mood, style, and emotions through the images and movements presented within the choreography to the audience.
 Using research Similar to choreographer Tao Ye`s work, E.G. Tao Ye a matching aesthetic was the preferred choice of how I wanted the dancers to look on stage , however because the dancers in colours presented different body frames, heights  and hair colours, resulting in the overall impact that it wasn’t possible to create this effect.    I chose to go with the colour white for the costumes for the dancers, I chose white as not only is it a contrasting colour for the stage lighting background but it also adds a drama by adding visual effects to the performance,taking into consideration the costumes need to be appropriate to facilitate the dance movements so the dancers feel comfortable and confident wearing the costume,  which benefits the whole performance as the dancers deliver a better standard of performance when comfortable and happy on stage. after looking at various costumes i chose to go with white three quarter length jeggings and a long white baggy t/shirt which are both made of flexible material to allow for movement.

COSTUME IDEAS

H & M £8.00

ASDA  £8.00

COSTUME IDEAS

SPORTS DIRECT  £4.50    (2 PAIR £9.00)

PRIMARK £4.00

ANALYSIS OF TAO YE

Analysing various choreographers dance routines and looking at the artistic application within the routines of Trisha Brown, Martha Graham and Tao Ye`s work, I took my inspiration from Tao Ye who made an impact within Contemporary dance with his unique creation of movement identified by stylistic elements. Tao Ye Chinese choreographer and founder of Tao dance theatre, from the young age of 12 Tao trained in Folk and Ballet style dance at school where he developed as a dancer through discovering the flexibility of his own body with the technique of Yoga (Kourlas, 2012).The works of Tao represented within his dances define his interest in continuous motions of life they aren’t representations of individual themes or statement`s (TAO Dance Theater, 2013).

Analysing the theatrical elements of Taos work, within the following performances in the following videos,

TAO Dance Theatre - 6 & 8 - Trailer (Sadler's Wells)

https://youtu.be/7sSYgpf7nrk

Tao Dance Theater 2015 《现在 . 舞》 / Now . Dance

https://youtu.be/x-TRReyrO8Y

 Analysing  the above performances the dancers all look the same, the same height, weight, body frame and  costume even down to detail`s such as haircut,` the viewer cannot identify individual characterisations or gender by the costumes as each dancer is identical and depersonalised , it symbolises “the growth of life,together with the growth of understanding of life and nature” says Tao Ye (Marriott, 2016).

analysing this  i took Tao Ye`s  artistic style, to recreate within the performance of colours however because the dancers in colours were all of different body frames and hair colours it did look nice but not as immaculate as presented  in his work

FROM THE BEGINNING- ANALYSIS

Staging the Dance

For this module my role is Stager which involves;

     

.  Choosing the music to compliment the choreography

.  Props

. Costume design

. Lighting display

 Stager is a role I’m new to and will challenge my creativity skills and help me develop new skills throughout the module with the use of research and      

learning new practical techniques which will be supported throughout the module within lectures, tutorials and consultations with the tech team.

During the second lecture each choreographer presented their theme ideas for their dance performance, each stager had a choice of which choreographer they preferred to work

alongside, I was chosen as Stager for the dance Troupe Colours.

The first rehearsal was formal, an introductory session to each other and the theme of the dance, within this rehearsal in preparation to the develop the dance, research was undertaken in recognition

of each individual dancer to gain a knowledge of the style of dance each dancer is talented and confident with, which style they feel less comfortable and confident with , this research will be taken

Into consideration within the choreography of the dance, with the effect that if the dancers are happy with the movements within the dance routine they will reach their potential within the

performance.