These two videos emphasize the importance of the relationship between partners in dance. The firm hands and feet of these dancers are firm and steady, which ensures stability for their partners.
In "Wonder Boy", it is crucial for the dancers to support one another's weight because of how the two bodies seem to flow. From one move to the other, each dancer must quickly use their momentum to kick off. This allows for their partner to go along and continue the sequence with an even and balanced transition. While many of the moves are just like the ones we do in class, the only difference lies in working with a partner and quickly getting into a "ready" stance to continue the movement.
"Rocky vs. Barishnikov" was a little different in that the focus was more on complimentary footwork. Even so, the relationship between the dancers'/boxers' upper-body is important to note, especially within the last half of the performance. I thought this was an interesting concept in linking the gracefulness of a boxer to the elegance of a dancer. The movement of boxing, although a little different from contemporary movement, is still something to be recognized. The different patterns and technique are what makes up the foundation of sequencing, whether it be through dancing or boxing.
Both videos show that through partnering, there is connection between the dancers. Whether they are near or far, or even back to back, there is always that connection between them. This relates to our walking and running exercises in class where we must engage our eyes and be aware of our surroundings and each other.
The movement between the partners are very fluid with each other and seem to resemble just one dancer. This is very similar to our improv exercises with our across the floors and our dance piece. The dancers in both pieces flip and carry each other gracefully and are extremely reliable. They seem to trust each other with their bodies.
These pieces just remind me of a mirror and how reflective the dancers are to each other. They also remind me of just leaves going down stream. As the stream ripples down, the leaves just follow and flow with the water.
In the Joe Goode Performance Group piece, the partners were very connected, and tended to be in close proximity to each other. Even when they were a little farther, the relationship remained.The touch was strong but smooth in the performance.The partners were very similar in the beginning, but later, the partners were a man and a puppet that the other dancers used to control the man. This piece made me think of how much other people can influence and control what you do every day.
In the Scott Wells and Dancers Rocky vs Baryshnikov performance, the partners fought athletically when at a further distance from each other whereas when they were close, they did lifts and danced peacefully. The touch was soft, but strong, when the dancers were peaceful, but was rapid, quick, and rough when they were fighting. The partners had a similar build and stature, but then, later they switched, and the partners had different body types. I thought of how friends can also be enemies, and fighting may be a natural part of many relationships.
In close proximity, partners were often used as support so that the other could be lifted or lean in some way. In one of the softer parts of the Rocky video, one partner rolled or fell over the partner lying on the ground, which reminded me of when we do the rolling-massage thing in class. In what seemed like a fight-training scene, the two guys had synchronized steps and breathing, which was pretty cool. Although they didn't make contact during these parts, they were very much "together". This was similar to the latter segment of the Joe Goode video, where there was a puppet and a man that had synchronized movements. It seems like partners in close proximity usually complement each other, while partners in farther proximity tend be synchronized--otherwise they might just be considered two separate dancers instead of partners.
Both short clips demonstrate the need for awareness of each other, as we were also learning in class. There is a difference between doing a dance movement while disregarding their partner and there is a way to do to a dance moving in full awareness of the other. When the partners are aware of each other it creates a more dramatic connection between the dancers. In "Scott wells and dancers" the clip begins far so that the viewer can notice the whole setting then zooms into the dancers to see their technique. Just a light or soft touch promotes reactions in the other partner. The clip contrasts fighting and soft sensual dance moves to display contrasting themes of war and peace. There was a boxer with a soft dancer to represent defeating war with love. A question that I had was if the choreographer was using guy-guy partnering to promote homosexuality or an attempt to remain gender neutral. I thought that in the "Joe Goode" clip it was clever to show a mimicking puppet to show that a partner does not necessarily have to be human, it can be an object or a prop as well.
In "Wonder Boy" by the Joe Goode Dance Company, the choreography contained a lot of partnering and mirroring. The partnering involved a lot of reliance on the dancer who was holding his partner. A lot of the partner work was done in close proximity to one another. This mimics the relationships of partnering that we learned in class, where we have to be aware of where one is while we stay in our choreographed mindset. In the Scott Wells performance, the two dancers related to the boxer's movements. Then, one dancer, and one boxer come together, and box/dance together. I find this dance interesting because of the the two dancers who dance softly in the background as the two box in the foreground. I feel like it shows a more eloquent side to boxing, or to sports in general.
I saw the importance of "improvisation" and cause and effect relationships in both excerpts. By improvisation, I mean to say that even though I'm sure the dancers had the moves pre-planned, it appeared all so spontaneous at times. For instance, In "Wonder Boy," when one dancer would grab the other's head, the other dancer immediately would perform a move. The same goes for "Rocky vs. Barishnikov." In this second piece, there was a lot of response going on to the other dancer's movements. For example, in the fighting scene, if one dancer puts a hand towards the chest, the other dance knew how to respond to enact a fighting scene.
Both of the techniques in these clips reminded me of the improvisation / response movements we have been doing in class. For instance, when one person does the exact routine while the other goes along, at some times doing the same move but mostly moving in response to the dancer performing the original routine.
The thing that more caught muy attention was the partener work. As dancer we have to know our body, our muscle, how we move, how we react to certain things. When we dance, we have to pay attention to "what" our body wants in that momento, but when we are making a partner work is more difficult, because we have to pay attention to our own body and also to the body of my partner. In the video "Joe Goode Performance Group" I can feel how the dancer of that video can create the feeling of one body in movement because they conect with each other. Every movement that the both dancer made, the feel it. Their bodies and movements are the complement of each other and thats why it is so beautiful to see a partner dance. In the video of Scott Wells, the thing that I more like, apart from the couple dance, is that they create a beautiful perfomance from a daily thing such as "box" (sport). The dancer create their movement from the basic steps of this fighting sport, and from that they create a secuence that has the movement of contemporary dance. The dance partner create a "fight dance" were both of them, complement each other as the opponents of a box game. Dance with a partner is vey difficult because in the first place you have to known your own body and the body of your partner. Also the steps are more difficult because you are more close to a persona, so the movement are more "restringed" (you can heart your partner). When you dance with another person you have to pay attention to everything.
Watching these performances brings to mind our improv with partners in class. They featured all kinds of different, yet still complimentary, movements. I think that it would be interesting to experiment with some of the movements they use in these pieces in class!
“Wonder Boy” showcased the relationship between partners working together in close proximity. Many of the dancers’ movements depended on the grounded form and support of the other. This allowed for the clear juxtaposition of varying levels and paces within each pair, which reminded me of the improv partnering work that we did in class. “Rocky vs. Barishnikov” touched upon both the relationships of close and far proximity. Though the dancers were distanced from each other during some instances, their movement was often synchronized, connecting them together. When they were closer to each other, however, their movement often counteracted one another’s but remained contrastingly complimentary. This demonstrates the notion of opposition and cohesion.
The first video reminded me more of the improvisational things we do in class whereas the other video seemed more technical. They show that movements between two people can sometimes be even better than just the one person by themself because the two movements can be so complimentary to each other.
In the first video the dancers worked together and supported each other. The dancers depended on each other to make a lot of their movements. Their movements complimented each other. In the second video there movements were more synchronized and reflective of one another. Their movements were more individual and not as tied together as the movements in the first video.
There was a strong emphasis in trust and partnership within both videos because the male dancers had to support each others weight. At the same time, it was like a balance scale where each was the other's half.
In Joe Goode's piece, the first and second movement presents what I mean by a balance scale where the men would continously lift each other and move through their actions complimenting each other. The first movement reminded me a lot of the exploration of levels, space, and transition in class. Watching them perform showed a fluidity expressed by following the lead of a limb. Over all the piece gave me the feeling similar to attending a circus, it was amusingly entertaining.
In Rocky vs. Baryshnikov the contrast of harsh and soft choreography was really an art piece. It brought out a sweetness and emphasised for me how boxing in itself is also a dance of two partners akin to learning the waltz. Close but so very far not only in physicality but emotionally too. For this piece, touch and proxmity were displayed through the respect of ones powerful punches and also when supporting one another. Through their bond, you could see how even though apart physcially, there was a connection between the two as they came together.
the exercises we do during class, are an introductory way to explore our own bodies and the interaction with others. I think these two videos could be examples of a constant practice of these "contact" exercises we do; that culminate in a very awakened perception and reception of another body's touch, weight, movement, and guidance in our own body. the movement/weight/push/pull of a body starts another movement, another push or pull, in the other dancer's body, creating an improvised dance. This type of dance in videos and the excecises done during class, can be compared to the act of making love. one gives, the other receives what the giver gave, and then the receiver becomes the giver. The giver becomes the receiver and this "dance" goes on until it culminates in the creation of life. (if u decide not to wear a condom, or whatever, u get the idea)
From the two videos, I noticed that in the "Wonder Boy" video, dancers need to work together in order to make their movement happen because a lot of the dance moves depends on the support from each other so they need to be aware of where and what their partners are doing. This piece helps me think about the excercise we did in class where one person does the routine and the other trys to go along improvising. Then for "Rocky vs. Barishnikov", their movements seem to be more individual like lupe said, their movements were more synchronized and reflective of each other. This piece made me think that boxing can also be a dance.
Through these videos, I observed that partners can have a relationship in both close and far proximity. In close proximity, the contact and awareness is very important between the partners, especially in "Wonder Boy" where the partners physically support each other. In addition, in far proximity, the partners need to be peripherally aware of each others' movements. The movements correlate, even though they are not exactly in sync. These pieces remind me of the partner work that we do in class, primarily when we support each other in practicing inversions & when we do improv on pre-choreographed pieces.
Their movements that are meant to be fluid are extremely fluid. You can tell that their momentum carries them through to their next dance move. As usual there is always an extension of limbs from the core. there was a lot of partner interaction where they would the other person to catch or lift each other up. the puppet part of the dance was really interesting as well as entertaining to watch. i thought of it as comical.
In the second video you can really see how when they are being lifted they rest their entire body weight on their partner; like how we do that in our exercises in class. It’s interesting to see the contrast of the sharp jabs to the fluid movements and how they use that contrast to interact. it was also interesting to me that when they were dancing, there were no specific gender roles. while watching them dance i thought of the words "soft, gentle, supportive".
There was definitely a lot of both trust and support for the two pieces that were shown in the two videos. Both dances showed that support and mirroring each other were vital in making the piece emphasize their work.
In "Wonder Boy," there was a lot of movement that required support among the partners to extend their limbs and smooth transitions from one move to another. Their movements would start from one point and almost transition like a "wave" where a movement formed and flowed continuously without hesitation. The movements between the partners were connected as one and their movements complimented each other very gracefully.
In contrast to "Wonder Boy," the next piece, "Rocky vs. Barishnikov," emphasized more on the different ways in which they could compliment each other and ways in which they could mirror one another in a more athletic and sporty art form. Although boxing seemed to emphasize the upper body movement, there were moments in which boxing turned into a more connected partnership and allowed the two dancers to showcase their movements in a more contemporary fashion. Their interaction was based on both sharp and fluid movements. What stuck out to me was the lack of gender roles, and it seemed interesting that both were reflective of one another.
Both dances shared a common mixture of both hard and soft movements and touch during the partnering sections. Although they would be both near and far from each other, the proximity allowed them to reflect one another and still create a picture with the both of them at opposite ends. It creates a more dynamic and strong connection between the partners.
Both choreography pieces show how a dancer works around another. It's similar to the concepts in which we've learned in class where we try to improvise with another dancer who does the normal phrase/piece.
In the "Wonder Boy" piece, there would be mirroring effects where two dancers would dance the same movement. The dancers also show coordination and connection between each other. Whenever a movement is made, it is extremely connected and flows very well. The dancers are very smooth with their transitions.
In the "Rocky vs. Barishnikov", it incorporated boxing into a form of dancing, which I thought was very interesting to see. This piece exemplified the concept of proximity and how there was a range of proximity between the dancers.
In these videos, intimacy is easily achieved by close proximity, which allows the dancers to integrate contact into their movements. But distance between the dancers can also create powerful dynamics which forces the audiences to widen their visual scope in order to take in both proximal events. In these contemporary dances, the amalgamation of intimacy and proximity engages the audience to--at first--become engaged in something that is happening in one movement, but later is compelled to question and reinterpret the relationship between the dancers (e.g. do they love each other? or is there tension between them?)
The touch-mediated partnering requires focus on the other person's movements and flexibility in one's own decisions for responses. In class, we have seen the difference when people actually engage (visually and physically) with their partners compared to two isolated blocks of dance. The story that the duet (or trio, or quartet, or more) can tell is largely dictated by how a dancer responds to others' movements; this, again, requires engagement.
I wished to see some partnering between female dancers, since that better represents the demographics of our class. In the videos, there were a lot of lifting. If such strength work is typically provided by the male dancers, then what happens when 1) there's a ratio of nine female dancers to one male dancer, or 2) the guy cannot lift the girl? I personally empathize with the latter condition.
The two pieces definitely rely on partnering to look as fluid as they due. Each dancer would use all parts of their body including their heads to have a connection with the other. I noticed that a partner would often create the momentum needed by the other dancer to perform a specific move. To be as precise as they are when they move, great attentiveness is required. This is similar to how to move around class while running fast.
I liked how in "Wonder Boy" the dancers utilized their whole body in one fluid-like move. This was displayed particularly when the dancer and the puppet moved at the same time. The three people in the back had to create the same type of movement by handling the puppet's hips, arms, head, and legs.
I really noticed the strength of each dancer not only physically with the muscles but emotionally they are very engaged in the aggression in the piece.
Both videos had a different theme but related in the use of emotions that were shown by the dancers. One thing I noticed is that every time a dancer would be away from their partner they seemed sad and depress. On the other hand every time they were close to their partner their faces were filled with passion and you can see the chemistry between them. One thing I really enjoyed about this videos were the lifts they were done so effortlessly and helped out demonstrating the theme of both pieces.
Both videos showed different relations between close and far proximity. In Wonder Boy, the dancers used the mirror effect to show relation between the dancer and the puppet. In Rocky vs. Barishnikov, there was a relation between the dancers in the back and the boxers. And there was also a relation between the boxer and the dancer towards the end. I felt like the dancers were giving the emotion of the boxers as the boxers fought in the first half of the video. Touch was used in Wonder Boy, as the dancers used the puppet to mirror the dancers motions. Rocky vs Barishnikov used touch and pattern as apart of the boxing with their footwork and then closeness showing their emotions from boxing. I enjoyed Wonder Boy, it made me better understand and see the abilities that we are capable of in class when we mirror each other.
In the "Wonder Boy", what impulse my sight most is the rotation through the dancers and their partners, which is a kind of improvising. The improving of rotation not only directly exhibited the aesthetic artistry, but also showed the proximity from dancers from close relation to far. Also, in the funny period which dancers imitated with the puppet. I saw the closer two dancing objects are, the more momentum the can share with each other through the switch from far to close to the dancing puppet.
In the "Rocky vs. Barishnikov", through the switch of powerful boxing movement and soft ballet, I can feel the momentum is transferring through body touch of the dancers.
These two videos emphasize the importance of the relationship between partners in dance. The firm hands and feet of these dancers are firm and steady, which ensures stability for their partners.
ReplyDeleteIn "Wonder Boy", it is crucial for the dancers to support one another's weight because of how the two bodies seem to flow. From one move to the other, each dancer must quickly use their momentum to kick off. This allows for their partner to go along and continue the sequence with an even and balanced transition. While many of the moves are just like the ones we do in class, the only difference lies in working with a partner and quickly getting into a "ready" stance to continue the movement.
"Rocky vs. Barishnikov" was a little different in that the focus was more on complimentary footwork. Even so, the relationship between the dancers'/boxers' upper-body is important to note, especially within the last half of the performance. I thought this was an interesting concept in linking the gracefulness of a boxer to the elegance of a dancer. The movement of boxing, although a little different from contemporary movement, is still something to be recognized. The different patterns and technique are what makes up the foundation of sequencing, whether it be through dancing or boxing.
Both videos show that through partnering, there is connection between the dancers. Whether they are near or far, or even back to back, there is always that connection between them. This relates to our walking and running exercises in class where we must engage our eyes and be aware of our surroundings and each other.
ReplyDeleteThe movement between the partners are very fluid with each other and seem to resemble just one dancer. This is very similar to our improv exercises with our across the floors and our dance piece. The dancers in both pieces flip and carry each other gracefully and are extremely reliable. They seem to trust each other with their bodies.
These pieces just remind me of a mirror and how reflective the dancers are to each other. They also remind me of just leaves going down stream. As the stream ripples down, the leaves just follow and flow with the water.
In the Joe Goode Performance Group piece, the partners were very connected, and tended to be in close proximity to each other. Even when they were a little farther, the relationship remained.The touch was strong but smooth in the performance.The partners were very similar in the beginning, but later, the partners were a man and a puppet that the other dancers used to control the man. This piece made me think of how much other people can influence and control what you do every day.
ReplyDeleteIn the Scott Wells and Dancers Rocky vs Baryshnikov performance, the partners fought athletically when at a further distance from each other whereas when they were close, they did lifts and danced peacefully. The touch was soft, but strong, when the dancers were peaceful, but was rapid, quick, and rough when they were fighting. The partners had a similar build and stature, but then, later they switched, and the partners had different body types. I thought of how friends can also be enemies, and fighting may be a natural part of many relationships.
In close proximity, partners were often used as support so that the other could be lifted or lean in some way. In one of the softer parts of the Rocky video, one partner rolled or fell over the partner lying on the ground, which reminded me of when we do the rolling-massage thing in class. In what seemed like a fight-training scene, the two guys had synchronized steps and breathing, which was pretty cool. Although they didn't make contact during these parts, they were very much "together". This was similar to the latter segment of the Joe Goode video, where there was a puppet and a man that had synchronized movements. It seems like partners in close proximity usually complement each other, while partners in farther proximity tend be synchronized--otherwise they might just be considered two separate dancers instead of partners.
ReplyDeleteBoth short clips demonstrate the need for awareness of each other, as we were also learning in class. There is a difference between doing a dance movement while disregarding their partner and there is a way to do to a dance moving in full awareness of the other. When the partners are aware of each other it creates a more dramatic connection between the dancers. In "Scott wells and dancers" the clip begins far so that the viewer can notice the whole setting then zooms into the dancers to see their technique. Just a light or soft touch promotes reactions in the other partner.
ReplyDeleteThe clip contrasts fighting and soft
sensual dance moves to display contrasting themes of war and peace. There was a boxer with a soft dancer to represent defeating
war with love. A question that I had was if the choreographer was using guy-guy partnering to
promote homosexuality or an attempt to
remain gender neutral. I thought that in the "Joe Goode" clip it was clever to show a mimicking puppet to show that a partner does not necessarily have to be human, it can be an object or a prop as well.
In "Wonder Boy" by the Joe Goode Dance Company, the choreography contained a lot of partnering and mirroring. The partnering involved a lot of reliance on the dancer who was holding his partner. A lot of the partner work was done in close proximity to one another. This mimics the relationships of partnering that we learned in class, where we have to be aware of where one is while we stay in our choreographed mindset.
ReplyDeleteIn the Scott Wells performance, the two dancers related to the boxer's movements. Then, one dancer, and one boxer come together, and box/dance together. I find this dance interesting because of the the two dancers who dance softly in the background as the two box in the foreground. I feel like it shows a more eloquent side to boxing, or to sports in general.
ANTERPREET KAUR:
ReplyDeleteI saw the importance of "improvisation" and cause and effect relationships in both excerpts. By improvisation, I mean to say that even though I'm sure the dancers had the moves pre-planned, it appeared all so spontaneous at times. For instance, In "Wonder Boy," when one dancer would grab the other's head, the other dancer immediately would perform a move. The same goes for "Rocky vs. Barishnikov." In this second piece, there was a lot of response going on to the other dancer's movements. For example, in the fighting scene, if one dancer puts a hand towards the chest, the other dance knew how to respond to enact a fighting scene.
Both of the techniques in these clips reminded me of the improvisation / response movements we have been doing in class. For instance, when one person does the exact routine while the other goes along, at some times doing the same move but mostly moving in response to the dancer performing the original routine.
The thing that more caught muy attention was the partener work. As dancer we have to know our body, our muscle, how we move, how we react to certain things. When we dance, we have to pay attention to "what" our body wants in that momento, but when we are making a partner work is more difficult, because we have to pay attention to our own body and also to the body of my partner.
ReplyDeleteIn the video "Joe Goode Performance Group" I can feel how the dancer of that video can create the feeling of one body in movement because they conect with each other. Every movement that the both dancer made, the feel it. Their bodies and movements are the complement of each other and thats why it is so beautiful to see a partner dance.
In the video of Scott Wells, the thing that I more like, apart from the couple dance, is that they create a beautiful perfomance from a daily thing such as "box" (sport). The dancer create their movement from the basic steps of this fighting sport, and from that they create a secuence that has the movement of contemporary dance. The dance partner create a "fight dance" were both of them, complement each other as the opponents of a box game.
Dance with a partner is vey difficult because in the first place you have to known your own body and the body of your partner. Also the steps are more difficult because you are more close to a persona, so the movement are more "restringed" (you can heart your partner). When you dance with another person you have to pay attention to everything.
Watching these performances brings to mind our improv with partners in class. They featured all kinds of different, yet still complimentary, movements. I think that it would be interesting to experiment with some of the movements they use in these pieces in class!
ReplyDelete“Wonder Boy” showcased the relationship between partners working together in close proximity. Many of the dancers’ movements depended on the grounded form and support of the other. This allowed for the clear juxtaposition of varying levels and paces within each pair, which reminded me of the improv partnering work that we did in class. “Rocky vs. Barishnikov” touched upon both the relationships of close and far proximity. Though the dancers were distanced from each other during some instances, their movement was often synchronized, connecting them together. When they were closer to each other, however, their movement often counteracted one another’s but remained contrastingly complimentary. This demonstrates the notion of opposition and cohesion.
ReplyDeleteThe first video reminded me more of the improvisational things we do in class whereas the other video seemed more technical. They show that movements between two people can sometimes be even better than just the one person by themself because the two movements can be so complimentary to each other.
ReplyDeleteIn the first video the dancers worked together and supported each other. The dancers depended on each other to make a lot of their movements. Their movements complimented each other. In the second video there movements were more synchronized and reflective of one another. Their movements were more individual and not as tied together as the movements in the first video.
ReplyDeleteThere was a strong emphasis in trust and partnership within both videos because the male dancers had to support each others weight. At the same time, it was like a balance scale where each was the other's half.
ReplyDeleteIn Joe Goode's piece, the first and second movement presents what I mean by a balance scale where the men would continously lift each other and move through their actions complimenting each other. The first movement reminded me a lot of the exploration of levels, space, and transition in class. Watching them perform showed a fluidity expressed by following the lead of a limb. Over all the piece gave me the feeling similar to attending a circus, it was amusingly entertaining.
In Rocky vs. Baryshnikov the contrast of harsh and soft choreography was really an art piece. It brought out a sweetness and emphasised for me how boxing in itself is also a dance of two partners akin to learning the waltz. Close but so very far not only in physicality but emotionally too. For this piece, touch and proxmity were displayed through the respect of ones powerful punches and also when supporting one another. Through their bond, you could see how even though apart physcially, there was a connection between the two as they came together.
the exercises we do during class, are an introductory way to explore our own bodies and the interaction with others.
ReplyDeleteI think these two videos could be examples of a constant practice of these "contact" exercises we do; that culminate in a very awakened perception and reception of another body's touch, weight, movement, and guidance in our own body. the movement/weight/push/pull of a body starts another movement, another push or pull, in the other dancer's body, creating an improvised dance. This type of dance in videos and the excecises done during class, can be compared to the act of making love. one gives, the other receives what the giver gave, and then the receiver becomes the giver. The giver becomes the receiver and this "dance" goes on until it culminates in the creation of life. (if u decide not to wear a condom, or whatever, u get the idea)
From the two videos, I noticed that in the "Wonder Boy" video, dancers need to work together in order to make their movement happen because a lot of the dance moves depends on the support from each other so they need to be aware of where and what their partners are doing. This piece helps me think about the excercise we did in class where one person does the routine and the other trys to go along improvising. Then for "Rocky vs. Barishnikov", their movements seem to be more individual like lupe said, their movements were more synchronized and reflective of each other. This piece made me think that boxing can also be a dance.
ReplyDeleteThrough these videos, I observed that partners can have a relationship in both close and far proximity. In close proximity, the contact and awareness is very important between the partners, especially in "Wonder Boy" where the partners physically support each other. In addition, in far proximity, the partners need to be peripherally aware of each others' movements. The movements correlate, even though they are not exactly in sync. These pieces remind me of the partner work that we do in class, primarily when we support each other in practicing inversions & when we do improv on pre-choreographed pieces.
ReplyDeleteTheir movements that are meant to be fluid are extremely fluid. You can tell that their momentum carries them through to their next dance move.
ReplyDeleteAs usual there is always an extension of limbs from the core. there was a lot of partner interaction where they would the other person to catch or lift each other up. the puppet part of the dance was really interesting as well as entertaining to watch. i thought of it as comical.
In the second video you can really see how when they are being lifted they rest their entire body weight on their partner; like how we do that in our exercises in class. It’s interesting to see the contrast of the sharp jabs to the fluid movements and how they use that contrast to interact. it was also interesting to me that when they were dancing, there were no specific gender roles. while watching them dance i thought of the words "soft, gentle, supportive".
There was definitely a lot of both trust and support for the two pieces that were shown in the two videos. Both dances showed that support and mirroring each other were vital in making the piece emphasize their work.
ReplyDeleteIn "Wonder Boy," there was a lot of movement that required support among the partners to extend their limbs and smooth transitions from one move to another. Their movements would start from one point and almost transition like a "wave" where a movement formed and flowed continuously without hesitation. The movements between the partners were connected as one and their movements complimented each other very gracefully.
In contrast to "Wonder Boy," the next piece, "Rocky vs. Barishnikov," emphasized more on the different ways in which they could compliment each other and ways in which they could mirror one another in a more athletic and sporty art form. Although boxing seemed to emphasize the upper body movement, there were moments in which boxing turned into a more connected partnership and allowed the two dancers to showcase their movements in a more contemporary fashion. Their interaction was based on both sharp and fluid movements. What stuck out to me was the lack of gender roles, and it seemed interesting that both were reflective of one another.
Both dances shared a common mixture of both hard and soft movements and touch during the partnering sections. Although they would be both near and far from each other, the proximity allowed them to reflect one another and still create a picture with the both of them at opposite ends. It creates a more dynamic and strong connection between the partners.
Both choreography pieces show how a dancer works around another. It's similar to the concepts in which we've learned in class where we try to improvise with another dancer who does the normal phrase/piece.
ReplyDeleteIn the "Wonder Boy" piece, there would be mirroring effects where two dancers would dance the same movement. The dancers also show coordination and connection between each other. Whenever a movement is made, it is extremely connected and flows very well. The dancers are very smooth with their transitions.
In the "Rocky vs. Barishnikov", it incorporated boxing into a form of dancing, which I thought was very interesting to see. This piece exemplified the concept of proximity and how there was a range of proximity between the dancers.
In these videos, intimacy is easily achieved by close proximity, which allows the dancers to integrate contact into their movements. But distance between the dancers can also create powerful dynamics which forces the audiences to widen their visual scope in order to take in both proximal events. In these contemporary dances, the amalgamation of intimacy and proximity engages the audience to--at first--become engaged in something that is happening in one movement, but later is compelled to question and reinterpret the relationship between the dancers (e.g. do they love each other? or is there tension between them?)
ReplyDeleteThe touch-mediated partnering requires focus on the other person's movements and flexibility in one's own decisions for responses. In class, we have seen the difference when people actually engage (visually and physically) with their partners compared to two isolated blocks of dance. The story that the duet (or trio, or quartet, or more) can tell is largely dictated by how a dancer responds to others' movements; this, again, requires engagement.
I wished to see some partnering between female dancers, since that better represents the demographics of our class. In the videos, there were a lot of lifting. If such strength work is typically provided by the male dancers, then what happens when 1) there's a ratio of nine female dancers to one male dancer, or 2) the guy cannot lift the girl? I personally empathize with the latter condition.
The two pieces definitely rely on partnering to look as fluid as they due. Each dancer would use all parts of their body including their heads to have a connection with the other. I noticed that a partner would often create the momentum needed by the other dancer to perform a specific move. To be as precise as they are when they move, great attentiveness is required. This is similar to how to move around class while running fast.
ReplyDeleteI liked how in "Wonder Boy" the dancers utilized their whole body in one fluid-like move. This was displayed particularly when the dancer and the puppet moved at the same time. The three people in the back had to create the same type of movement by handling the puppet's hips, arms, head, and legs.
I really noticed the strength of each dancer not only physically with the muscles but emotionally they are very engaged in the aggression in the piece.
ReplyDeleteBoth videos had a different theme but related in the use of emotions that were shown by the dancers. One thing I noticed is that every time a dancer would be away from their partner they seemed sad and depress. On the other hand every time they were close to their partner their faces were filled with passion and you can see the chemistry between them. One thing I really enjoyed about this videos were the lifts they were done so effortlessly and helped out demonstrating the theme of both pieces.
ReplyDeleteBoth videos showed different relations between close and far proximity. In Wonder Boy, the dancers used the mirror effect to show relation between the dancer and the puppet. In Rocky vs. Barishnikov, there was a relation between the dancers in the back and the boxers. And there was also a relation between the boxer and the dancer towards the end. I felt like the dancers were giving the emotion of the boxers as the boxers fought in the first half of the video. Touch was used in Wonder Boy, as the dancers used the puppet to mirror the dancers motions. Rocky vs Barishnikov used touch and pattern as apart of the boxing with their footwork and then closeness showing their emotions from boxing. I enjoyed Wonder Boy, it made me better understand and see the abilities that we are capable of in class when we mirror each other.
ReplyDeleteIn the "Wonder Boy", what impulse my sight most is the rotation through the dancers and their partners, which is a kind of improvising. The improving of rotation not only directly exhibited the aesthetic artistry, but also showed the proximity from dancers from close relation to far.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in the funny period which dancers imitated with the puppet. I saw the closer two dancing objects are, the more momentum the can share with each other through the switch from far to close to the dancing puppet.
In the "Rocky vs. Barishnikov", through the switch of powerful boxing movement and soft ballet, I can feel the momentum is transferring through body touch of the dancers.