Developing our motif
In this lesson, we started creating longer pieces of choreography. We did this by choosing one of our motifs, the marching motif, and deciding to use it in the very first section of our piece. A motif is a small phrase that can be repeated and developed throughout the choreography. We then developed the motif and created just under a minute of choreography which is shown in the video below. We also incorporated our gestures from the previous lesson. For example, we do a soldiers salute in cannon. At this point, we don’t have music for this section, however we have ideas on how fast we would like the counts to be. A typical soldiers march is 120 beats per minute (bpm) so we decided to look for a similar metronome sound. After this, we began to look for music to use in one of our other sections called PTSD. We listened to a variety of music from Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Max Richter and songs from dramatic movies. Each member of our group will come up with a small phrase which we will each perform at the same time in this section. This is to show that everyone reacts differently to PTSD. To help insipire movements for this section, I searched the symptoms of PTSD. These included: flashbacks, nightmares, hallucinations, difficulty sleeping, guilt and anger. I decided to focus on the idea of flashbacks by using repitition of choreography from earlier on in the piece. This is to show the audience that what happened in the war is still playing in my mind.
At the end of this lesson, we performed our first section, the soldiers march, in front of the class. We were then given feedback by both our teacher and our peers. Everyone really liked how our gestures related to our stimulus. Our choreography was neat and precise however, we need to ensure that our lines are straight. It was only our first day rehearsing the choreography so with time our lines as a group will improve.
I like that you considered the tempo of your music in this way - it creates an original and intrinsic connection with your theme. Why did you decide to begin the piece with the marching motif?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your feedback Devanshi! We decided to begin with the marching motif to create a powerful impact on the audience. We then want to contrast this with a “coming together” section where the soldiers are all enjoying themselves and showing their individuality. We really want to emphasise that soldiers are actually people and not just robots.
DeleteVery detailed blog post Caitlin! I like the idea of marching to the metronome! Did you enjoy getting feedback from your classmates? Was it helpful?
ReplyDeleteThank you Erin! We found the classmates feedback very helpful as now we have an idea of what to work on! It’s always good to have opinions from others outside the group.
DeleteI really enjoyed how you have managed to include where you are in relation to your choreographic process and what you have managed to achieve this week. I think your choreography looks very put together and you and your group should be proud of the process you have made. I think the idea of using a metronome of 120 bpm to show the beat of the march is an incredibly clever idea! Are you thinking of keeping this metronome in your piece to show this or are you just using it for the creation process? Which do you think will be more effective overall?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Storm! We have decided to use an actual metronome sound in our choreography to really emphasise the soldiers march. We also felt that this was the best way to keep our group in time because it is so important that our movements are in complete unison, almost robotic!
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