This weeks we tried a new choreography technique called 'translation' which is similar to the children’s game ‘Chinese Whispers’.
We were separated into groups and stood in a vertical line, the person at the front of the line was given a word and had to create 8 counts of movement inspired by the word. The other 3 people in the group were facing away so they couldn’t see the motif. Once the motif had been created the first person had to teach it to the second person, who taught it to the third person etc. This meant that by the time the fourth person had been taught the movement, the original motif had slight differences such as arm lines, eyeline and timing, due to slight changes made when copying. We ended up with 4 original motifs and 4 translated motifs. The words my group had were line, four, falling and gather. Our task was to join these 8 motifs to make a group piece. We used the choreographic devices accumulation, canon, levels and changed the dynamics. We started in a square shape doing my translated motif. Caitlyn, Abi and Devanshi then repeated the translated motif while I did the original motif at the same time. We decided to do this as it looked interesting and as if I was trying to break free. We also used other formations such and lines and incorporated different levels.
The video below shows the completed sequence which we created.
You have structured this post exceedingly well and from your blog I understand the tasks you had been assigned. I liked how you have inserted your groups video as the reader can grasp the full idea of the task. You mentioned that you have used some choreographic devises such as accumulation and cannon that I also saw in the video. Was there a reason that you chose these specific devises? If so why?
ReplyDeleteThank you Lucy! We chose them because they work well in a group especially as we were limited to only using the motifs we had created. We thought it would make our phrase more interesting and it tied in well with the use of different levels.
DeleteI found reading your blog interesting and reading the ways you have explored the task. I loved the fact you have included video evidence of the material made from the task. Maybe try and go into more detail on how the movement was changed from the original to the new.
ReplyDeleteThank you Abi. The movement wasn't intentionally changed but as the motif was passed down the line and learnt by each person, there was slight differences as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th person were only able to see the motif once. This caused differences in arm placement, head placement, dynamics and direction. I liked the differences because when we began to join the motifs together, the changes in direction or arm placements looked intentional rather than someone doing something wrong.
DeleteFrom reading this blog, I was able to clearly evaluate the tasks present throughout the class and how effective you believed they were. I also enjoyed how you correlated this task to 'Chinese whispers', as it allowed the reader to easily understand how the task worked. How did you manage to create the idea of breaking free when you were performing the original motif compared to the rest of your group completing the altered version? Did you use specific gestural movements or facial expressions to enhance this idea?
ReplyDeleteThank you Storm! The idea of breaking free was shown through the use of repetition of the translated motif while I performed the original motif at the same time. It created the idea of escaping because the motif was still very similar however it had a different direction and arm placements compared to the translated motif. It was also performed in a square shape so it was as if I was leaving a 'box'. We didn't consider the use of gestures or facial expressions in this task, but it is something I can use in my future choreography to further express ideas and themes in my group piece.
DeleteVery good blog post Mhairi! I really understand what you did thought the lesson! Did you like using this choreographic device? Did you find it helpful in creating choreography and do you think you will use it to create choreography in your final piece?
ReplyDeleteThank you Erin! I really liked this method of choreography as it created some very interesting motifs due to the original motif being changed. It was quite time consuming however it was a really good method of creating movement inspired by a word which made 2 motifs by the end. This would be really useful in my group choreography to ensure our movements link back to our stimulus because we can create movements from words based around our theme. It would also be really useful in our final piece as it there is an original and developed motif, these could be repeated throughout the piece or be performed at the same time to show a contrast.
DeleteThis is a very well written blog, well done! I like how you developed this task into a group piece by adding cannon and changing the dynamics. It’s also interesting how you had some people doing the final phrase and you doing the original phrase to show the idea of breaking free. Did you find this choreographic device helpful? Were the words “line, four, falling and gather” easy to create movement to?
ReplyDeleteThank you Caitlin. I found this method very useful as it created interesting motifs inspired by a word which will be helpful in my choreography to ensure my movements link back to my stimulus. I was given the word 'line' and I found it relatively easy to create movement to by using different arm lines and angles.
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