Lauren Banowsky The Hold Dance Analysis

In the second section it represents the women fighting for their freedom. The movements are a lot more circular in this section. It uses more contractions, releasing & vibratory movements. In the first two sections, the dancer shows the struggle being not only physical but emotional also. She does this by the powerful expressions she uses on her face. She even imitates a couple of screams that play in the song ‘Been On A Train’. This gives the audience a clear understanding of the how she is feeling.

The use of contractions help to show the strength that it takes them to try and be free but are still not strong enough to get away as it is shown when the women sink to their knees whilst performing a slow contraction. In the closing phrase of this sub section there is a rapid change of levels as the tempo speeds up the dancers perform a manic spiralling to drop down to make an obvious abrupt end.

I decided to choose a dance that we have watched in class. The video is called Slipped. Slip is a music video about two young people slowly slipping away from each other. As well as how to deal with pain as well as letting go of it. The choreography is not abstract as in moving for the sake of movement. With the Four areas of movement analysis, the major on within this dance is the effort, the girl in the video seems to be bound and free at a different time through of the routine. The body within this piece was focused on the relationship of the two, you could see that the two people were comfortable with each other but were not happy. The space of this was done at a subway station and was meant for video recording because of the rotation of

By swaying in the delicate phrases and jerking with the harsh ones, the performers became the dancers in the ballet. They expressed different levels of emotion when required which reflected their playing.

The dancers represent how they are all moving together to a rhythm that binds them together, not as dancers, but as human beings. It represents how everything is bound together, but this connection is lost by many of the characters. They distance themselves from their connections to relatives and to the Earth through the actions of the government and their own decisions.

This dance piece would not be as emotional and dramatic without music. It sounds like at the beginning of the dance piece, the music has two moods. When dancers divide into two groups, as each group is dancing the music changes from high and cheerful into heavy and deep. Those two completely different moods made the movements more charismatic. The violin part in the middle of the dance, made the waves of movements and music intertwine into a powerful energy that kept the

Petipa’s production of Swan Lake is a beautiful example of the structure movements that dancers must perform; in the clip titled Odile entrance & Black Swan pas de deux, you see “The Black Swan” perfect posture and balance, dancing on en Pointe all the while managing to gracefully seduce the prince through her seductive movements and entrancing expressions. In contrast Modern dance focus is on the dancer expressing their inner most emotions and feelings through free flowing movements. The modern dancer uses their whole body more naturally and fluidly to convey what their current emotional state is, unlike classical ballet where the ballerina at all times keeps an upright posture, and performs with structured, angular lines. Martha Graham’s “Frontier” is a great example of the free movements of Modern dance; In this performance Martha Graham uses her whole body to move to the rhythmic sounds of the drums and music, you can clearly see that there is no confined structure in this performance, she is completely moving organically to how she is feeling and what she is trying to convey through her movements.

The message of the piece is supposed to make the audience feel shocked and captivated at the same time. Because the dance was performed after WWI, she created this dance to sense the state of emotion the country was left in. The shock-factor helps stimulate the audience’s imagination into understanding how people were feeling during the time. She chose a

The performance took place at the Harris Theatre. The whole point of Dancestry is to express dance through the ages and historically important tributes to dance. When watching this I was captivated at first. The atmosphere was set entirely in sync with the opening performance. The music built at the right moments, the lighting and effects were phenomenal as well as the costume. I found the dance itself very intriguing, because I had never seen someone dance so elegantly with such an oversized dress. The performer made it looks so effortless and simply beautiful. As it progressed I found myself getting bored with all the repetitiveness included in the dance. The beautiful flowing dress, the smoke, the lights, the experience that was new and exciting for me was

The dancers’ movements throughout the performance seem to challenge and uphold gender binaries at the same time. At the beginning, when only female dancers are present their movements are agentive, strong, quick, and athletic-characteristics not usually allowed for female dancers. Their movements are similar to the wild and physical movement of Louise

A piece I enjoyed at the Orchesis concert titled Here Nor There was REVIVAL, which featured choreography by Jonahira Cordero and music composed by Mike Wall. It has been a privilege to watch this piece develop since its performance debut at the Choreographer’s Showcase this past fall. I believe the dancer’s movement in the piece was strong, even though there seems to be a force that overpowers them. The movement and overall essence of the dancers never seemed weak; however there was a force or being that was initially stronger than them. The movement itself was very grounded; it required a strong sense of core and body connectivity in every movement phrase, especially because their arms were bound with cloth for most of the piece. I believe

The song began odd staccato notes played by a piano, with seconds of silence following. Eventually, clarinets joined in a slow and mournful tone that gave off a somber yet uneasy mood. It was very sporadic, switching between being intense and calm. The music was left me on edge throughout the piece. The music certainly took away from the piece because the music was distracting to the dance since it was very uneasy and seemingly random. The dancers did choreograph to the music, performing contractions and hand motions to match the constant inclining scale the piano would perform. The music for “When We Fly,” started slow and progressed to grow in speed and volume as the piece continued. There were no lyrics or voices, only strings, a piano, and some brass instruments added in. The music gave the piece a very energetic mood as the dancers followed the music by performing energetic leaps and jumps. The music added to the piece since it conveyed a mood of both love between the two dancers who were paired together, and a mood of belonging.

This dance entitled “Caught” shows through its use of lighting and music an individual’s search for a better life that is above them and out of reach. The dance is choreographed by David Parson and has been performed by numerous dancers throughout the century. When I first began watching this piece I thought it was about escaping the darkness due to the numerous amounts of times the dancer fled from the light. I felt that when there was light the dancer was at peace and safe. Then the light kept flashing on and off, and every time the dancer was shown in the light he was higher and higher in the air.

I initially did not enjoy this piece, for I felt as if there was no substance to it. I had trouble connecting with the dance because I constantly searched for a meaning or waited for it to evoke a response from the audience. Because the dance failed to deliver either, I ultimately felt disconnected and dissatisfied. It was not until I had time to process and reflect on the piece that I grew to admire it. I realize and now appreciate how the dance presented a literal rather than an abstract or symbolic interpretation of its title. I find it innovative how Spruill strayed from the norm of theatrics and story-telling found in mainstream dance performances, focusing solely on motion instead. Spruill strategically choreographed it to ensure that

“I love to dance because I was scared to speak. When I was moving, I could feel.” This quote was how one of the most influential dance artists of the twentieth century described the meaning of dance to her. Although Pina Bausch was a German choreographer, she also had many other labels such as a provocateur and feminist. Her choreography had a wide range of descriptions from beauty and humor to darkness and sarcasm. The artistry of Bausch physically and emotionally express sentiments and are highly dramatic. One of her most famous productions, Rite of Spring, is a perfect representation of the talent and voice Bausch contributed to the dance scene.