Dance: "Dance Showcase- summary of the previous work"

Over the couple of weeks, we have been preparing for a dance performance that will take place tomorrow in our college (Leyton Sixth Form College) at 19:30, with free entry. The performance will consist of a ballet, breakdance and capoeira dance genre. It will also include a joint performance with the dance group from a different class. We have done this joint performance because pupils from my Musical Theatre class are also doing the dance course in a different class. In the ballet performance we have the music taken from the musical ‘West Side Story’ where they also have a ballet scene. Just like them, we will also showcase a temporary ballet. The choreography has been partly created by our dance teacher but mostly by the whole class’ ideas that we joined together to create this piece. It has been decided that for the ballet performance we will be wearing black vest tops, long black trousers or black non-see-through leggings/ tights, and of course with proper ballet shoes with hair tied back. In terms of the breakdance performance and capoeira, we will be wearing the same outfits. Black tops, black trousers/ shorts, everything black apart from colourful cap hats. The breakdance will be began with the choreography created by our dance teacher, where we will be dancing to a song by Jenny Jackson- Rhythm Nation. Straight after will be my solo with Ruth, Cagla, Courtney and Isabel’s.

After the solos we will be performing the capoeira piece, including the capoeira duos, straight after that, we will return to the solos. First one to do theirs is Marta, Nancy, Daniel and Rafa. After these solos, we will finish our breakdance performance which was partly created by our teacher and us. The biggest struggle we all faced was with the capoeira duos and solos. Through our rehearsal and practises, we were able to create god group choreography ad join everything together. In terms of the individual pieces, each and every one of us had to choose a song they want to perform their solo to and create their own choreography. I chose the song “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé where I can show off my best dancing skills in freestyle. I am continuously practising my choreography and checking if I am doing everything with grace, precision and passion, and correct technique. I am practising every day after college hours so that I am perfect at what I love to do in life- perform. I think that we are well prepared for the show. Tomorrow’s day will consist of last and final rehearsals which includes the final run to see if everything is where it should be. I cannot wait to perform tomorrow!

During the performance I have to pay attention and make sure that I do the ‘turn out’ in ballet correctly, and the timing with breakdance when dancing to Jenny Jackson’s song. These were my goals, and now after all the rehearsals, I know that I have made big improvements and now I have to make sure that I don’t make a silly mistake in the actual show. Over the weeks of practising I have noticed the significant improvement in my ballet skills. I am paying attention to every detail and hints given to me by the teachers and friends in my class so that that I can improve even more as a performer. My dance technique has improved a lot in every way e.g. dynamic, precision of my moves, timing, flexibility, and everything else. Through tough and assertive training over the two years, I can confidently state that I have acquired technicalities in dancing and can call myself a professional artist in Musical Theatre.

Dance: "Ballet -summary of previous work"

Last week we had a showcase where we all had to dance our pre-prepared solos. The beginning of the choreography was identical for everyone in the group but the rest we had to create by ourselves. We danced the Swan Lake by Matthew Bourne and our solos were aspired by the solo of Adam Cooper. I think that for ballet/ dance skills it went well for myself. I really liked the choreography which I have created for the solo and the music to which we danced to helped me get the rhythm and get in the dance with my whole body and mind. I definitely have to learn a lot more, first of all the technique which is the thing that my skills are mostly slacking in but taking into account that we only just started learning ballet, I believe that I have done well.

Now I just need to work more at home and practise exercises all the time to make better progress each time. The most I need to focus on my turn out and make sure that all moves I finished them clearly and properly.

Firstly, I would like to paste original version of Matthew Bourne's story

Then I would like to mention video about Adam Cooper's solo:

Dance:"Barbican Theatre Trip- Ballet Black Open Rehearsal"

Ahead of their triple bill in March ,Ballet had holding an open rehearsal at 2pm on Monday 25 January 2016. As part of the musical theatre and dance curriculum we (students) have been invited to attend this open rehearsal which gave us an extremely beneficial insight into the company's creative working practises. We were able to watch as the dancers rehearse a snippet from their company repertoire. Then we chat with choreographer Christopher Marney and the Ballet Black creative team, as they answered questions about the show and the company.

Ballet Black , a company for international dancers of black and Asian descent , collaborates with three bold and inventive choreographers to present an irresistible trilogy of narrative and abstract dance at the Barbican in March.
British - Trinidadian Artistic Director Cassa Pancho has attracted a loyal following for her classically trained troupe, reinvigorating ballet with an indomitable energy and inspired versatility as well as promoting original work.

In that day Ballet Black was rehearsing a new sextet choreographed by Christopher Marney, fresh from McQueen. They rehearsed whole ballet with the full cast so this is an exclusive preview of a newly devised piece which will be presented as part of their triple bill later this year.
Ballet Black's first programme to be performed at the Barbican will also include a new duet by Arthur Pita and Storyville, a bittersweet fable choreographed by Christopher Hampson set in 1920s New Orleans to the haunting music of Kurt Weill.

General information:

Artistic Director and Founder: Cassa Pancho MBE
Choreography by: Christopher Marney
Music by:  Dustin O' Halloran
Company Dancers: Kanika Carr, Isabela Coracy, Sayaka Ichikowa, Joshua Harriette, Damien Johnsons, Jacob Wye.

The performance lasts approximately 1 hour 30 min including a panel discussion and Q&A. They will be at the Barbican Theatre performing their Triple Bill in 18/19 March 2016.

My comments:

I really enjoyed this rehearsal  and it was great opportunity to meet all this people (choreographers and dancers). Also it was good experience to watch professional ballet and had chance to talk to people about their experience in dance and get some helpful advices from them.

Dance: "Contemporary Ballet"

                                Contemporary Ballet

Last week our exercise was to find information about contemporary ballet. I did some research today and I would like to share with you them.

Contemporary ballet is a genre of dance that incorporates elements of classical ballet and modern dance. It employs classical ballet technique and in many cases classical pointe technique as well, but allows greater range of movement of the upper body and is not constrained to the rigorously defined body lines and forms found in traditional, classical ballet. Many of its attributes come from the ideas and innovations of 20th century modern dance, including floor work and turn-in of the legs.

Some trivia about  ballet:

George Balanchine is often considered to have been the first pioneer of contemporary ballet. The style of dance he developed, which lies between classical ballet and today's contemporary ballet, is known as neoclassical ballet. He used flexed hands (and occasionally feet), turned-in legs, off-cantered positions and non-traditional costumes, such as leotards, tunics and powder puff tutus instead of pancakes tutus, to distance his work from the classical and romantic ballet traditions. Balanchine invited modern dance performers such as Paul Taylor in to dance with his company, the New York City Ballet and he worked with modern dance choreographer Martha Graham ,which expanded his exposure to modern techniques and ideas. During this period, other choreographers such as John Butler and Glen Tetley began to consciously combine ballet and modern techniques in experimentation.

One dancer who trained with Balanchine and absorbed much of this neo-classical style was Mikhail Baryshnikov. Following Baryshnikov's appointment as artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre in 1980, he worked with various modern choreographers, most notably Twyla Tharp. Tharp choreographed Push Comes To Shove for ABT and Baryshnikov in 1976;in 1986 she created In The Upper Room for her own company. Both of these pieces were considered innovative for their use of distinctly modern movements melded with the use of pointe shoes and classically trained dancers—for their use of "contemporary ballet".
Tharp also worked with The Joffrey Ballet,founded in 1957 by Robert Joffrey. She choreographed Deuce Coupe for them in 1973, using pop music and a blend of modern and ballet techniques. The Joffrey Ballet continued to perform numerous contemporary pieces, many choreographed by co-founder Gerald Arpino.

Today there are many contemporary ballet companies and choreographers, and many traditionally "classical" companies also regularly perform contemporary works.


*Information took from : www.wikipedia.com and some information based on another different sources.

My comments:
I think this kind of ballet is really interesting. Also I think is good to put some "fresh" ideas to old stories to make them more beautiful and magic then they were before. This dance is it is not exaggerated ,and on the contrary the newly added dance moves improve this dance and create better quality of the performance.

Unit 43:"Developing Classical Ballet Technique"

                                                            Evaluation of Ballet

 Last week on 7th of January my class had ballet assignment. We had to learn all ballet vocabulary ,exercises and be able to demonstrate them very well. The main vocabulary which we had to know were: adagio, assemble, balance, frappe, bras, changement, chasse, dedans, degage, demi-plie, fondu, glissade, jete, pirouette, port the bras, releve, round de jambe, tendu etc.

Also we had to learn all footwork and exercises such as : arabesque, attitude, chasse, bras-position of the arms, demi-plie,  rond de jambe, saute, tendu, adage etc.

Before the assignment I was practising a lot of footwork and all different exercises because this is something new for me in the dance word. I have never danced ballet before and I didn’t have any experience in this kind of dance. For the first time when I met with ballet (last year) I thought that ballet cannot be that hard but when we started proper lessons I noticed that It would be a lot of work to do; and I was right. From that time for each lesson I always try to be prepare and know what is going on in the lessons. One day before the lessons I repeated all ballet terminology and I got through all exercise to memorise them better and correct these which I struggle with. The exercise which I tend to struggle the most with is frappe, whereas my most liked one is pirouettes, and some warm-up exercises such as arabesque, chasse, jete, rond de jambe and tendu I noticed that throughout doing all these preparations my ballet getting stronger, the movements are more clear, sharp and confident.

During the assignment I had to do some of the exercises which I mention above. As a whole I think in these process I did good job in this assignment. I knew the exercises and I tried my best on that day. I was focused and my self-discipline was good. I was punctual on the exam, my hair was tied back and I had adequate outfit. Also I was able to follow into teacher instructions and attempt all corrections. During the assignment I was trying to accurately perform taught exercises and centre work using the correct steps and techniques. I think my co-ordination and pirouettes weren't that bad too. Furthermore, I tried to control each movement, have good body expression and musicality.

The things which I have to still work on are: use of feet/footwork (make better turn outs), balance (especially when I do positions on the right leg), precision (to make all movements nicer and soft). Also I have to improve classical bodyline, clarity of line and arms positions.

To achieve all of these improvements I have to practise more at home or ask someone for help from the class, watch more videos on You Tube, maybe get some extra ballet lessons. I really like ballet and I always liked to watch ballet on TV. I hope this is going to help me to achieve these goals and make quick improvements to get better satisfaction and start to enjoy ballet even more.

Dance: " Classical Ballet Terminology"

                                                   

                                                    Classical Ballet Terminology

Our exercise for the next week is to memorise ballet terms and learn all exercises. The assignment will take place on 7th December 2015.

Here you have all ballet terms which we need to learn:

1) Adagio- At ease or slowly.
2) Air,en I'- In the air.
3) Arabesque- One of the basic poses in ballet. It is a position of the body, in profile , supported on one leg, with the other leg extended behind together.
4) Assemble- Assembled or joined together.
5) Attitude- A pose on one leg with the other lifted in back, the knee bent at an angle of ninety degrees and well turned out so that the knee is higher than the foot.
6) Avant, en- Forward
7) Arriere,en- Backward
8) Balance- Rocking step.
9) Battement- A beating action of the extended or bent leg.
10) Battement frappe- Literally, struck beating.
11) Battement, grand- Large beating.
12) Bras- Arms
13) Changement- Change of feet.
14) Chasse- To slide.
15) Coupe- To cut.
16) Croise- Crossed.
17) Dedans,en- Inward.
18) Degage-Pointing of the foot with a full arched instep.
19) Dehors,en- Outward.
20) Demi-plie- Half bend of the knees.
21) Derriere- Behind,back
22) Devant- In front.
23) Developpe- To unfold.
24) Echappe- Escaping or slipping movement.
25) Fondu,fondue- sinking down.
26) Glissade- Glide.
27) Grand,grande- Big,large.
28) Jete-To throw.
29) Petit(e)- Little,small.
30) Piroutte- Whirl or spin.
31) Port de bras- Carriage of the arms.
32) Releve- To rise.
33) Reverence- Reverence,curtsey.
34) Rond the jambe- Round of the leg.
35) Saute- To Jump.
36) Tendu, Tendue- To stretch.

Dance-Ballet: "Swang Lake"

                                                         Swan Lake

Swan Lake (Russian. Лебединое озеро, French. Le Lac des Cygnes, and. Swan Lake, Ger. Der Schwanensee, incl. Il lago dei cigni) -balet classic in four acts.

Libretto by: Vladimir Biegiczew and Vasily Gelcer
Music: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
choreography by: Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
Art Direction: Ivan Andreyev, Mikhail Boczarow and Heinrich Levgot

The world premiere of Swan Lake took place at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow March 4, 1877.

Characters:
Odetta - girl enchanted the queen (or princess) swans
Prince Siegfried
Princess, mother of Siegfried
Benno - a friend of Prince Siegfried
Rothbart - the sorcerer
Odile - Rothbart's daughter
Wolfgang - guardian of Prince Siegfried-court jester ,friends of the prince, the girls enchanted swans, guests at the royal court, six young girls, rural youth.

Act I
Court library. Prince along with peers from military school and a friend of Benn waiting for the arrival of her mother. On the occasion of majority son reigning duchess she hands him the ancestral medallion. Siegfried also announces that the next day at the ball should choose a future wife from among the invited princesses. Siegfried agrees in a hurry, because friends and the surrounding villagers prepare for him a merry fun in the manor park. Everyone is dancing, there is a carefree atmosphere. Also, a general, a teacher prince and other cadets, is the general mood of forgetting that the princess ordered him to take care of his son. Along with the deepening dusk Evil Spirit appears. It lures the Duke to the lake, where it takes the form of a night bird - eagle owl. Here will be the fate of Siegfried.

Act II
On the banks of Lake prince meets a girl-swan and falls in love with her at first sight. It enchanted Odette into a swan by a sorcerer. If someone vow her true love, the devastating spells lose their power and both she and the accompanying girls-swans come back always to the human form. Captivated by the beauty of Odette, the Prince swears her eternal love.

Act III
It takes ball given by the Duchess-mother. Arrive invited guests, among them Princess: Hungarian, Neapolitan, Spanish, Russian and Polish. Finally, late Siegfried appears. It is still impressed by the meeting with Princess Odette and do not make much of an impression on him. Suddenly the fanfares are heard announcing the arrival of unexpected guests. This sorcerer Rothbart with his daughter Odile, confusingly similar to Odette. Under the influence of Siegfried swears love spells Odylia's thus dooming Odette to eternal suffering. When he realizes the cruel irony of fate, full unchanging love for Odette, runs to the lake.

Act IV
At night on the shores of the lake. Evil Spirit in the form of an owl brags about his victory over the good. Girls-swans are waiting for Odette, which appears devastated prepared for the worst. Evil Spirit knows that girls derive strength from their human form. So he is trying to gather them together to once again turn into birds. At this point, Siegfried rushes, and to his horror, finds Odette half alive. Words of love and repentance restores her to life. All the forces trying both to resist the evil fate. Odette feels that only death can combine them. He throws the rocks, and the prince follows her. Angered by the death of Odette and Siegfried girls-swans drown their persecutor and rise up to the sky trace of Odette and Siegfried. The night, however, is governed by its own laws and reappeared Evil Spirit hungry for new victims.

Here I'm also pasting the Matthew Bourne's version about Swan Lake:

Thrilling, audacious and totally original, Matthew Bourne's legendary production transforms one of ballet's best -loved stories into a stylish, witty, poignant, contemporary tale with extravagant, award-winning designs by Lez Brotherston.
Perhaps best-known for replacing the traditional female corps de ballet with a menacing male ensemble, Matthew Bourne blends dance, style, humour, spectacle, character comedy and mime to create a provocative and powerful Swan Lake for our times.
Since its 9th November 1995 world premiere at Sadler’s Wells, Matthew Bourne’s breathtaking and sexy version of Swan Lake has become the longest running ballet in the London’s West End and on Broadway. It has enjoyed four successful tours in the UK and continues to thrill audiences throughout the world.
Originally written by Tchaikovsky in the late 19th century, SWAN LAKE was staged at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre in 1877, but it wasn’t until 18 years later - and after the death of its composer - that it was finally staged in St Petersburg, and became a universal classic.
This new, witty and surprising production has been designed to speak to a modern audience, to excite them, to move them.
Matthew Bourne’s SWAN LAKE has collected over thirty international theatre awards including three Tonys for the Broadway production and has been widely acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic as a landmark production on the international stage.
As the director and choreographer for SWAN LAKE Matthew Bourne is the only British director to have won the Tony Award for Best Director and Best Choreographer of a Musical in the same year (1999).
For Matthew, SWAN LAKE had a particular appeal: "I could see an opportunity to create a human story, with the potential for great dramatic power and range, indulge my satirical and humorous leanings as well as create whole suites of abstract movement to some of the best dance music ever written. Irresistible!"
The most talked about innovation in this production is the casting of a male dancer in the coveted role of Odette/Odile known as "the Swan". "The idea of a male swan makes complete sense to me" says Matthew, "the strength, the beauty, the enormous wingspan of these creatures suggests to me the musculature of a male dancer more readily than a ballerina in her white tutu."
SWAN LAKE has gone through many different interpretations since its creation by Tchaikovsky. Matthew Bourne’s production retains two of the essentials that make SWAN LAKE so universally loved - Tchaikovsky’s great score and the story of our constant yearning for an unattainable ideal.


*Information took from : www.wikipedia.com , www.swanlaketour.com
My comments:
Our exercise was to watch the theatre show and say what is story about and what we think about it dance. Also we had to find out the Matthew Bourne version of Swan Lake and describe the differences between his version and original. In my opinion this story is really interesting and I really enjoy watching the video. Also I like dance. I like the whole choreography which was telling all story without speaking . The dance and music was really magical for me . 

Dance:"Ballet Class"

                                                                 Ballet

 

 

 

 

Classical dance (academic) is a specific form of dance, also known as ballet. The difference lies in the fact that the term refers to a ballet performance held at the scene, while the deadline for classical dance refers to the technique, which uses the dancers.Classical dance is derived from the Renaissance court dances improved at the court of Louis XIV, who developed the first professional choreographers and teachers. Then ballets were based primarily on combinations of steps from the basse dance, pawan and minuet. Women's dresses were so hard and long that prevented too complicated leg movements ao skipped in general there was no question, therefore solos performed mostly by men. Only La Camargo on 5 May 1726. Shortened dresses by a few centimetres and the first on the scene lifted into the air, enriched the dance, but at the same time caused a scandal. After the French Revolution, the Paris Opera costume designer Maillot, invented the vests, which contributed to the further development of the technique of classical dance, already based on the five positions of the feet with your feet slightly wrung out.The principles of classical dance based on a codified aesthetic canons of classical ancient art of Carlo Blasis in Traite Elementaire, theorique et pratique de l'art de la Dance (1820), creating a system of carefully designed body movements, marked with French terminology. They brought it to perfection in the Romantic period, when dancers started to use stiffened ballet shoes called morals by which they can climb to the tips of his fingers. Theatrical form of classical ballet, formed in the nineteenth century. Lies in the ranking of fixed patterns, performed the classical technique.The largest contribution to the improvement of modern techniques of classical dance brought Enrico Cecchetti and Agrippina Vaganova.The most famous ballets, which use the technique of classical dance are: Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Giselle A. Adam, A. Khachaturian's Spartacus, Coppelia L. Deliba, LA Minkus' Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev and Chopin sylph .The most famous classical dancers include: Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov. For dancers: Carlotta Grisi, Marie Sallé, Marie Camargo, Fanny Elssler, Marie Taglioni, Anna Pavlova, Galina Ulanova, Maya Plisetskaya, Margot Fonteyn, Alicia Alonso, Carla Fracci, Natalia Makarova and Sylvie Guillem.

*Here I'm pasting two videos. The first video is showing warm-up exercises which I use to prepare my body for technical exercises and for dancing itself. On other hand the second video is concentrating on the correct footwork and shoulders movement. Due to these videos I'm able to practise at home the exercises we do in class and therefore work on improving my technique.

*This is video number 1- Warm-up exercises:

*And here is video number 2-Technique exercise:

Here is some explanation of ballet vocabulary:
1)Chasse-A ballet movement consisting of one or more quick gliding steps with the same foot always leading(to slide).

2)Tendu- Of or relating to a movement that is stretched or held(to stretch).

3)Attitude-An attitude in classical ballet is a position where the dancer is standing on one leg with the other lifted, usually to the front (devant) or back (derrière).  The leg in the air is bent at the knee so that it forms roughly a 145 degree angle.

4)Arabesque- A pose in ballet in which the dancer stands on one leg with one arm extended in front and the other leg and arm extended behind.

 

 5)Port de Bras- The technique of moving the arms properly(carriage of the arms).

6)Adage-A French word meaning gently, or at ease. Adage is a series of slow, controlled exercises or movements performed to slow music(slow movements).

 

7)Position of the arms :

 

Homework:

Our homework for this week was to describe  Port de Bras exercise . Above I put some information already about this but here I will explain more. Also we have to memorise all exercises and learn them for the next lesson as the little ballet choreography as well . Therefore we have to prepare our ballet exercise which we could use to warm up before lesson.

What I need to work :
I need to work on this all exercises and correct/improve those which I'm struggle with . Also I need to work on my arms to make them stronger and keep them in nice shape and correct place. I have to work on my feet place as well.

*Port de Bras -  is a classical ballet term meaning “movement of the arms.” It describes how dancers move their arms from one position to another.
For example, if a ballerina moves her arms from first position to fifth position, that is considered a port de bras.
When doing proper port de bras, dancers will move their arms from their back and shoulders (without lifting the shoulders awkwardly upwards) while trying to move as smoothly as possible. The shape of the arms should be rounded so there is no visible break at the elbows and wrists. In classical ballet, the arms should never be fully straight or hyper-extended at the elbows. Also, the hands should be shaped with the fingers extended running mostly in the same direction, but not stuck together like a paddle or overly extended.
In contemporary ballet, there are many exceptions to the rules of port de bras, but generally port de bras should always look coordinated with the lower half of the body and still look balletic in nature (meaning, not raising the shoulders awkwardly or having excess tension in the arms) unless instructed specifically to look different or to make a certain shape requested by the choreographer.
While the term does mean movement of the arms, port de bras also includes the position and movement of the head in relation with the arms. The movement of both the arms and head are considered a package deal for almost every ballet step.
Port de bras is harder than it looks on paper. For all dancers, mastering port de bras takes several years of practice, with some professionals still practicing to achieve beautiful movement in their arms.
(Information derived from BalletHub)