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Arts Alive provides many online educational resources for those interested in the arts. They even have a selection of resources that describe different approaches for choreographing and what elements might be used in the creation of a dance. The articles that the organization provided agrees with the previous resources  that I have discussed. They also state that choreographic processes and approaches are dependent on a choreographers artistic style, vision, and outside resources.

Further, many choreographers choose to work in different situations such as various different environments and work settings. Some may choose to work independently and hire dancers and artists on a occasional basis depending on the project and style that the choreographer is working on. Some may work for a company that is based on creating choreographic visions. Others may work as a artist in residence or an artistic director for companies and studios that study repertoire. Some choreographers may also be invited into companies all around the world as artistic guests to allow for artistic development within a studio or company or to provide new experiences for residents.

As discussed in the article by the Knight Foundation, Arts Alive also describes the choreographic approach for contemporary dance as a more exploratory and experimentation based development of movement. It also agrees with the Britannica’s idea on the Three Phase process where artists who work with traditional or more classical genres of technique such as ballet or tap opt to work within a set technique or movement style  to initiate their piece. They may then choose to stay within the technical limits or expand or build upon them to create something new under their influence. Here, a choreographer may combine traditional technique along with their own personal movements in order to portray their final vision.

Arts Alive also provides a toolbox of elements that choreographers may look to in order to develop their dance.

       1. Shape

• Shape refers to the pathways and positions the body takes within a movement or a phrase.  Shape concepts to explore include:
  • Levels – movements can be performed at different levels such as high or low in space.
  • Symmetry and Asymmetry – used to create different effects with the body. Symmetry occurs when the left and right sides of the body mirror each other and appear identical. Asymmetry occurs when the right and left sides of the body engage in different movements and appear unbalanced.
  • Scale – “Positions and movements can be performed on a small to large scale. In small-scale actions, the limbs and torso are drawn inward: they contract, flex, fold and bend. In large-scale actions, they extend and stretch out to their fullest length. Think of contrasting shapes that are angular-curved-straight, shrinking-expanding or contracted-extended (Arts Alive, The choreographer’s Toolbox)”.

      2. Space

• Space refers to the pathways, patterns, and the amount of space that a dancer takes up during a movement or phrase. Space concepts include:
  • Geometric forms – this could include the spacing or shape that the dancers make within a piece wether it be a straight horizontal or vertical line extending from wing to wing or upstage to downstage. This could also include the use of pathways whether they be curved, spiraled, or zig – zagged, etc… This may also include the use of vertical space through the use of jumps or lifts.
  • Symmetry and Asymmetry – used to create various performance affects as dancers move through the space symmetrically or asymmetrically to create a dramatic effect.
  • Scale –  how much of the stage os used. The performance area can be small or large. and the choreographer can choose how much of the area they would like the dancers to encompass.

      3.  Timing

• The speed dynamics of a dance and how the choreographer puts movement to music.
• • Tempo –  slow or fast. May be steady or consistency changing. Tempo in dance is referred to the same as in music (allegro, adage, accelerando, ritardando).
  • Metre –  “Metre refers to the organization of beats into bars with strong accents on the downbeat followed by lighter accents. In musical terminology this is called the time signature. Dancers sense metre as a recurring rhythmic underpinning. In dance we talk of movement phrases, which dancers may or may not count in musical beats corresponding to bars. Basic time signatures include: 2/4 (” 1, 2 “) ; 3/4 (” 1, 2, 3 “) ; 4/4 (” 1, 2, 3, 4 “) ; and 6/8 (” 1 and a, 2 and a “). While ballet commonly uses regular time signatures, modern dance often uses irregular ones like 5/4 (” 1, 2, 3, 1, 2 “) ; 7/4 (” 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3 “) ; and also changing metres. (Arts Alive, The choreographer’s Toolbox)”
  • Rhythm – The patterns and beats that dancers follow. Some choreographers will use these beats as accents to give the movements more dynamics.

      4.  Dynamics

• dynamics refers to the quality of movements and how the choreographer uses all the elements to create dramatic effects and support the artistry of the dancer.
  • Weight – how the dancer holds their body and how they approach movement. Can be heavy/strong or light/soft.
  • Time –  The effect of time on a movement. Can be sustained or instant/ sharp.
  • Space – how the dancer moves toward a new movement (indirect or direct).
  • Flow –  can be free movement or limited. A limited movement is often concise and specific while a free movement is more unpredictable.

Information and research retrieved from:

http://www.artsalive.ca/en/dan/make/process/ways.asp

http://www.artsalive.ca/en/dan/make/toolbox/elements.asp

Written and provided by: Arts Alive. ca and theNational Arts Centre

Retrieved on: February 18th, 2020

Enjoy this video on the elements of Dance!

I find this outline of elements really helpful. Sometimes it is hard to decide what dynamics can be applied to create a desired affect while creating a dance. It is useful to have suggestions listed it out to remind you of the possibilities that you can engage in.

In this article, the author focuses on the choreographic process mainly of that for contemporary dance. The choreographic process for contemporary dance is very unique as it involves the main component of body and movement exploratory and thinking outside of the box to create new movements to portray various concepts. There are so many opportunities for new discoveries and creative elements through the use of movement exploration and improvisation.

The goal of a choreographer is to achieve a piece that perfectly encaptures their own artistic vision and accurately executes the concept that the choreographer is wanting to portray. To do this, the choreographers need to channel their vision through the dancer’s and their movement Often times a choreographer will choose dancers and artists to participate in their piece based on their skill, stylistic choice, and their ability to achieve what the choreographer is aiming to do. Dancers may be picked specifically for certain dances and they fit perfectly for one concept or style rather than another. It is important to find a dancer that is the right fit for the piece as they ultimately represent the choreographer (Nahmad and Anduiza, 2015).

The choreographic process is also ultimately a collaboration between choreographers and dancers as I have explained in previous posts. Creating a dance “is a human to human relationship that requires a commitment to shared goals, accountability for success, and sharing of resources, risks, and rewards (Anduiza, 2015)”.

Most often in contemporary dance, the process will begin with an inspiration. Some artists will choose to be inspired by a movement or phrase discovered through exploration or improve while others will draw inspiration from visual artwork, images, or daily societal issues. Some choreographers may also choose to conduct further research on a concept or inspiration through travel, viewing artwork, or listening to music.

The development portion of this process will also vary depending on the choreographer. Some will enter a studio rehearsal knowing exactly what they want while giving specific and direct instruction while others allow phrases and movement to develop through dancer and choreographer collaborative exploration of prompts such as images, music, or words. This approach allows dancers to become part of the creative process and allows all the movement to draw from and become relative to the concept being explored.

After the movement and phrases are built the organization piece takes place. Here the choreographer can build upon, expand, change, or adapt the choreography to better fit and portray the concept that is attempting to be achieved. This may include dynamic or spatial exploration.

Next, the dancer and the choreographer may work collaboratively to create and develop artistry within the piece. Here, the two must develop a bond of trust where the dancer is allowed to take risks and make mistakes within the choreography to explore new dynamics or make their own personal adaptions and the choreographer trusts the thinking of the dancer and they can work together to create the final piece (Nahmad and Anduiza, 2015).

Lastly comes the performance!

Research gathered from https://knightfoundation.org/articles/the-choreographic-process/.

Article by: Melissa Anduiza and Valerie Nahmad January 26, 2015

This process also follows the last process of the three phases as it undergoes the gathering of movements, the development of phrases, and creating the final structure.

This contemporary exploration process is own of my most favourite processes. I love having the opportunity to explore new movement through improvisation. This allows time for personal self-expression for the dancers which further allows for the promotion of mental, emotional, and physical health.

Please enjoy this TED talk on Dance Improv!

Also this video on building contact improv!

The first choreographic process I will be looking at is the Three-Phase Process. This process describes a basic layout for choreographing that can expand and be built upon to become many other approaches depending on the choreographer. The Process is laid out in phases (as the name suggests). These include

Gathering the Movement Material

Developing the Movement into Phrases

Creating the Final Structure.

First, the choreographer will gather the material. This means that the choreographer will choose or create the movements and technique that they will include in their phrases and their overall piece.  The movements that will go into a dance depends on the choreographer and each piece they create will require a  different choice of movements depending on the style or meaning needing to be portrayed in the dance.

To choose the movements that will go into their piece, some choreographers may choose from a basis of technique and create variations of works used in classes and performances. They may take another choreographer’s piece and rearrange or introduce new steps to make it their own.  This also allows choreographers to merge styles and create their own piece influenced by another. This approach to gathering movement is often used in ballet, jazz, or tap where set movements already exist.

Other choreographers, will implement their own style and create their own set of movements and vocabulary to create a dance but they will still draw from others. Choreographers that have used this approach have developed their own techniques. Some of these artists include modern dancers Martha Graham and Ruth St. Denis. Each had drawn from mentors and influences but created their own technique to suit their creative style.

Next, the choreographer must turn the chosen movements into phrases. The Brittannica Encyclopedia describes a phrase of dance as being a “series of movements bound together by a physical impulse or line of energy that has a discernable beginning and end” (Mackrell, 2019). Within a phrase, the movements must link and blend together to create a consistent flow of movement. Some phrases often show a pattern. Patterns can be visible and recognized through length, shape, and rhythm. Most phrases will attempt to replicate or completely diverge from the accents within a piece of music and most phrases will sinc with a phrase within the music. By using these factors and developing dynamics within the phrase, phrases can be recognized within a dance and can be repeated or expanded upon by using different qualities such as embellishing a movement or even reversing the entire phrase.

Lastly, The choreographer will put together the final structure. The overall structure of the dance is dependent on a variety of factors. It depends on the purpose of the dance, wether the dance should include a series of events and characters as if it needs to tell a story or even part of a traditional piece that must follow a strict order and requirements. Music also plays a part as the tempo or mood of the music can set a theme for a dance or what kind of movements should be used, whether it be slow or fast, or soft or sharp. The structure of a dance may also come from a continuous development of movements or phrases as the choreographer slowly develops a piece, using one movement to indicate what the next shall be. Other aspects of the dance that can be conceived this way include the number of performers, the spacing, or the story that is told. The structure and performance will also depend on the traditional style of the piece being created. For example, ballet pieces are often performed as continuous narratives while modern pieces are usually performed as a compilation of short pieces (Mackrell, 2019).

I think that this process description is a good basic layout for any choreographer when developing a new piece. It provides a logical sequence to follow to help put something together. However, I don’t think that a chronological sequence is for everyone. some people like to start in the middle or even at the end by developing the structure first. Each process and approach depends on the artist.

For Further Reading Visit:

https://www.britannica.com/art/dance/The-three-phase-choreographic-process

Research from:

Brittanica Encyclopedia;

Article by  Judith R. Mackrell (October 16th, 2019)