Small Group Choreography

From these videos we can see that the timing needs to be improved, and our spacing. Also on certain moves we are all going different ways, or doing the move slightly differently so we need to correct that. Also, we need to work on using our whole performance space, so our formations fill the whole stage. To make our performance better we need to sustain our characterisation, because at times it is really strong and it needs to be like this the whole way through. To develop our dance further we need to use more repetition, adjust the timings on the unison section, and develop the transition steps.

Rehearsals 16/10/14

In rehearsal today we worked on the 'Glam' routine, and our small group pieces. In the 'Glam' dance we slowly went through the choreography, and after that we kept running the routine, each time afterwards getting notes from the rehearsal directors. We went through the spacing, and certain positions that everyone was doing slightly different moves on. Afterwards it was being to look cleaner, and more dynamic.

Feedback sheet for Group choreography

Today (16/10/14), we had an assessment of our group choreography. The feedback Andrea gave us was to make the weight and speed of our moves more dynamic. We also need to work on using our whole performance space, so our formations fill the whole stage. To make our performance better we need to sustain our characterisation, because at times it is really strong and it needs to be like this the whole way through. To develop our dance further we need to use more repetition, adjust the timings on the unison section, and develop the transition steps.

What happens to Syrians caught in the war?

This war has killed over 190,000 people, the bombings are destroying cities and are violating human rights. Basic necessities like food and medical care are sparse. The U.N. estimates that over 6.5 million people are internally displaced, and this number is quickly increasing, shown in the graph below.

Glam Dance 13/10/14

On Monday we had our first group rehearsal in the morning before school. Then in the lesson we changed the choreography, and added in more sections of  acting. There are a lot of different formations in this dance from a pyramid, to groups and lines. I need to work on not facing the front as often, as well as interact with my group and change my levels. The whole class needs to bring in more clothes to be able to keep busier on stage and have more to do. We need to wear converse or vans for this number too.

Development on Production Role

My production role is makeup, and recently Erin and I have compared mood boards and decided a colour scheme for Syria. We decided it was mainly going to be earthy colours. So we decide we were going to use different shades of browns, to show the contrast to the London dancers. After half term, Erin and I hope to know a colour scheme for London, so we can start looking at products and then plan the looks.

13/10/14 Group Choreography

We finished our small group dance in this lesson, and showed it to Andrea at the end.
The notes she gave us were:

• That the moves need a purpose/meaning
• We need to clean up some of the pathways
• Some of the choreography could be developed further

We are showing everyone on Thursday, so we are going to need to book a studio before then to make these changes.

Contemporary Technique

In contemporary my strengths are the depth of my plié, and my fluidity from doing one move to the next. However I need to work on having more focus when dancing, so I know the direction I am looking at and it has a purpose behind it. I also need to make sure there is more resistance behind my moves. This will make my dancing better because there will be more meaning behind what I am doing, which means a bigger impact on the audience.

Jazz Technique

In our dance lessons recently, we have been practicing and devising our show routines. So we have to be applying feedback we received in our technique classes, as well as the corrections from the dhow dances. My strengths in jazz has been my dynamic range, dancers need good dynamic range, to make it more interesting for them, and the audience to watch. Dynamic range is having fast and slow, or soft and sharp movements. This allows the dance to be more interesting to watch, as if all the movement were fast, it doesn't add the surprise element of what is going to happen next.
So I have been making my movements really sharp and strong, as well as soft and elegant at different points in the routines.


I need to work on my going through my feet on the jumps in the 'refugee dance', and focus on my breathing more as if my muscles don't have oxygen, I won't have enough energy. I need to also make sure that when I am in a jazz fourth, my body and weight is in the correct place.

When did the crisis start?

Anti-government demonstrations began in March of 2011, part of the Arab Spring. But the peaceful protests quickly escalated after the government's violent crackdown, and rebels began fighting back against the regime.
By July, army defectors had loosely organised the Free Syrian Army and many civilian Syrians took up arms to join the opposition. Divisions between secular and Islamist fighters, and between ethnic groups, continue to complicate the politics of the conflict.

Article

This shows that the violence has been going on for quite a few years now, and the publics protests have got more and more violent as time has gone on. We can represent this in our dance to show we are angry, as we are not being listened to. We could also have news articles behind us on the screen while we are dancing, to make people more aware of what is happening. 

Small group choreography 9/10/14

In today's lesson we carried on with our small group pieces, however Callie wasn't here which made it more difficult. Firstly we choreographed a unison section, as previous choreography had just been the children/parents. After we showed Andrea, she told us we were only lacking an elevation and travelling section. So we made up a new section, we changed the formation and direction by travelling down in a diagonal line doing a mixture of jumps, turns, and slides to get us into our next positions.

Choreography 2/10/14

The first thing we did on Thursday was learn a new piece of choreography, it is the part of the show where we are getting ready to go out. The music is Christina Aguilera 'Glam'. This routine is upbeat and fun. However we have to use a lot of different dynamics to make it look strong and powerful.




Afterwards we worked on our small group pieces, we decided to start in a family portrait picture and come out of that into separate groups e.g. children and parents. We tried to change up the rhythm, and add in cannon.

Choreography 6/10/14

Today we structured the 'Glam' routine and brought in clothes to use as props. We had to make up 16 counts of our own getting ready pieces to add onto another section, I tried to use as many different levels as possible to make it more interesting. We also had learned a section about putting your makeup on. Meanwhile the boys were learning another phrase to perform when we exit the stage.


In the second lesson we ran through the refugee dance we learnt, and then worked on our small group pieces. We listened to a piece of music Jodie had chosen for us which had an authentic and homely feel. Then Andrea help us structure the piece to be more playful and homely. We added cannon, and changed up the temp. We want to have children's trains as props or something similar to represent how children love to play.

How are people escaping?

Thousands of Syrians flee their country every day. They often decide to finally escape after seeing their neighbourhoods bombed or family members killed.
The risks on the journey to the border can be as high as staying: Families walk for miles through the night to avoid being shot at by snipers or being caught by soldiers who will kidnap young men to fight for the regime.

Source

This is extremely saddening to read about the people living through the Civil war, even when trying to get out of the country it seems to be terrifying. This can be used in a piece as we can show the struggles to get out of the country and the fear. We could do this by being held back and being aware of kidnappers. We could regularly change the tempos, as one minute could be running from someone, and the next could be hiding and trying to keep safe. This would show the contrast between the first dance of being a happy family, to the fear and having to grow up quickly for the children. And for the parents, being worried about the safety and protection of their children.





Syria Articles and Pictures

There are almost 50,000 Syrian children currently living in the Za’atari camp on the Jordan/Syria border. The camp was first opened in July 2012 to help the thousands of Syrians fleeing the civil war in the country. The camp now houses almost 150,000 people - making it the fourth-largest “city” in Jordan. Save the Children recently partnered with photographer Agnes Montanari and gave some of the children living in the refugee camp cameras to document their new lives. The charity said: “At its most simple the project provides fun and an opportunity to learn new practical skills. It provides children with a focus, a chance to regain confidence and hope, by enabling them to share their stories through photography.” 

Article

This article will help create us a bigger picture of what it is like being a refugee, you can see that even though these people are living in bad conditions they have fun. We need keep that in mind when choreographing.

    

     

Syria Makeup Mood Board

This is the mood board I did for the Syrian makeup, the tonnes are more neutral compared to the London makeup. 

London Makeup Mood Board

This is the mood board I made for the London makeup. This will help Erin and I decide a colour scheme, and what sort of thing we want to do for the makeup. We also need to talk to costume to make sure it matches.