This week we explored how being blind folded effects the way you dance inspired by Trisha Browns 'Locus'. We started by getting into partners and blind folding one of us, the other had to guide the other around the room exploring levels, directions and speeds. When I was blindfolded I was really disorientated and confused to where I was in the room.
We then had to explore movement blind folded it was really intresting as again you didn't know where you were in the room and I felt as if I could move more freely. I also found that the longer I was blind folded the more confident I felt about moving around the space blind folded. In comparison to when I normal choreographing I am more judgemental as I look at my movements in the mirror to make sure they are precise and fit with my other movements. Moving on we then had to create a short solo still being blindfolded. I found choreographing this easy but we then had to perform them without the blindfold. I found it really hard to remember the sequence of movements as it felt completely different performing it with my eyes open.
We then had to number the movements from 1-8.Inspired by the way Trisha Brown created 'Locus' we the drew a cube and labelled each corner 1-8 as shown below.
We then had to match our number in our sequence to the cube. We had to imagine that the cube was drawn out on the floor and we had to follow its path way to create a developed version of our sort solos. I moulded my solo to the cube by changing air and floor pathways and adding in extra rolls.
Personally I didn't like this method of developing movements as I think that the movements had more clarity before the development. But I did like experimenting with blind folded movements and would try it again when choreographing a piece in the future.
Chloe x
Today we explored lighting and how it can enhance movements. We started off by improvising in the space with side light either side of the space when dancing I could see that the space was really well lit as everyone in the space could be seen easily. The lighting also created lots of shadows on the walls and floor which created lots of interesting patterns and shapes. I then watched the second group improvise but this time one of the side lights was changed to a blue this really changed the space as it created a warm area and a cold area the dancers played to this idea as they mainly stayed in the warm yellow/straw area compared to the blue light which only one or two dancers were in making them look isolated and lonely.
We then split off into groups and were each given a light and we had to create a sequence of movement using the light. My group decided to put the light at medium and put it down at an angle towards the floor. This created a really interesting shape on the floor which was really intense and then faded out the further away from the light you get. We placed the light at a diagonal from down stage left to upstage right. This inspired us to move along the light starting in the intense light. We intertwined ourselves on the floor and developed it by getting higher every time this created a start, middle and an end. In between the pictures we inserted movements that related back to the light for example covering our eyes with hands, sitting looking at it or trying to escape it by going into the unlit areas. We sat our audience around the light so they could see the progression of the movement away from the light. Our audience agreed that they could see the progression of our movement away from the light and they said that the lighting really enhanced the movements. The video below shows half of the sequence we created.
Overall today really taught me that lighting is a really useful tool that can easily enhance a piece of movement. I would also love to experiment with different lighting states when choreographing my own pieces.
Chloe x
In class today we were exploring the idea of shape. We began by travelling across the space thinking about our body's shape 1.Curved movements traveling across the room in an angle 2.Sharp movements travelling in a curve 3.Small angular movements 4.Big rounded movements. These exercises helped me to explore the different shapes my body can create.
As a group we then started to look at what is negative and positive space. Positive space is the dancer themselves as they are moving and creating energy in the space. Therefore the negative space is all of the surrounding space around the dancer where nothing is happening. To help us grasp this concept we had to get into partners person A. would pick a body shape and person B. would have to fill the negative space around there partner. We then developed this idea of filling the negative space and created a short duet. I was partnered with Beth and we began by just improvising around each other and choosing moments we liked. Once we had the movements we found that it was boring to watch so we added in some fast dynamics transitions which made the duet more interesting to watch.
I think if I was given this task again I would want to create a sequence which consisted of more complex movement as a times ours was very simple. I would also add in a few more dynamic changes as after watching it back it was still quite plain. I really liked this class as we were finally able to work with someone as it was nice to bounce ideas off them as every class has consisted of individual solo work.
Chloe x
I was absent from class this week as I was ill but the class looked at space and how changing position can greatly change the intention of the movement.
For this weeks homework task we had to look at three works by a choreographer and look at how they use space. I picked Akram Khan and looked at sections from 'Gnosis', 'In The Shadow Of Man'(a solo from Rising) and 'Rush'. The spacing's used were very different in all three pieces in 'Gnosis' the dancers started very apart form each other and looked as if they were shadowing each others movements. They then go into a lot of contact work centre stage this is very powerful as it created a small highlight as they had been so apart for the first few sequences. In 'In The Shadow Of Man' the male dancer travelled low to the ground around the vast stage, the movements were not that technical but the use of pools of circle light made the movement more interesting as light was always hitting him in different directions enhancing his movements. And finally in 'Rush' it starts with two horizontal lines of light across the stage floor a single female dancer stands central in the back line and two male dancers in the front line. The movement consisted of fast, sharp arm movements which almost made them look robotic. I really liked this use of space as the dancers movements matched the harsh lines on the floor. This showed me that playing around with different spacing can really change the look and feel of a sequence.
Chloe x
We then had to match our number in our sequence to the cube. We had to imagine that the cube was drawn out on the floor and we had to follow its path way to create a developed version of our sort solos. I moulded my solo to the cube by changing air and floor pathways and adding in extra rolls. 
