One Hour study
Freshman Research forum
For my one hour study I researched how different people learn based on the experiences they've had. I chose to study how different people learn because i’m interested in the education field of dance. I felt as though the information I could gather through this study would be useful in my future endeavors. I interviewed the professors in Ohio State's dance program and the students in the program and asked questions I believed could reveal how learning in dance takes place.
After conducting my study I came to the conclusion that the main way both professors and students learn is though repetition and imitation. Both groups say that as a child this is how they primarily learned and to this day is what helps them out the most. Most students and professors also agree that leaving room for interpretation in the studio can be very beneficial in the learning process. What I got out of this study was a better understanding on how others learn and how that may in the future affect the way I need to teach.
1. How did you learn in your earliest years dancing and how, if at all, has your learning style changed?
2. When teaching (in the experience you've had teaching) do you take into consideration how you learn best, or do you consider that others may understand things differently?
3. In the classroom do you feel as though more learning can take place when there is room for interpretation? (not showing exact steps and instead letting students explore and come to their own realizations as to how the movement can be performed)
4. Do you find value in taking class from many different movement professors in order to reflect on your own style of learning and how that can in turn make you a better teacher for the future?
5. What have you found to be the most effective way that you and your fellow classmates learn across the board?
6. How has your style of teaching changed through the years based on your experiences teaching all different types of learners and movers?
Analysis Motif Score
In this assignment we were asked to write our own motif score using what we have learned about Laban in our analysis class. My group decided to create a dance to Beyonce's Love on Top and create a score that reflects its movements down to the slightest details. From this assignment we were able to view movement in an entirely new way. Reading movement and translating it to the body is a daunting task that took lots of analyzing.
From creating this score I was able to grow my understanding of where movement initiates from. Learning dance through just moving is something that I was taught but understanding its true dynamic bacame an issue when tackling this score. The symbols used in this motif score were very foreign to me and muscle memory connecting with my ability to understand them was how I was able to truly connect both my body and mind.
I learned that dance is so much more than just something understood through movement and in fact its a language. I had always struggled with seeing how these movements could be analyzed and through this project where I created my own I got the full experience in how dance is all just placement and facings of the body until put together and seen on stage. Without my previous dance background this would have been impossible to take on but after relating these symbols back to muscle memory everything became more simple and I was fully able to read and write the language of dance,
I enjoyed being able to see my passion through a new light. Understanding where movement stems from has allowed me to watch and perform dance in a changed way that is more analysis based. I have experienced this when watching others dance and being able to point out effort qualities and in my own body knowing when I am using body half or head tail connection. Seeing dance in this way has changed the mover that I am and will continue to affect how I see others move as well.
Composition 2
Susan Hadley
Alexa Fote
“Inertia”
Inertia, a twelve minute modern piece choreographed by Susie Payne, displays choreograph devices our composition class has studied throughout the year. The work, performed by the South Dayton Dance Theatre, displays three prominent compositional elements that we learned are essential to creating a successful piece. Within the work, there are three separate sections called Bound, Chain Reaction, and Kinetic. Motif, manipulating movement, and musical choice are the three devices that are most prevalent within “Inertia”. Inertia, defined in terms of physics, is, “A property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force.” The choreographic devices used within the piece all reflect this definition and allow it to come alive through movement.
Motif makes the piece cohesive because even as the music changes the same movement reappears in nuanced ways. Lines appear again and again while an external force acts upon them sending bodies flying through space. We see this occur in the choreography when the dancers form a line and one weaves through or runs around them all sending them into canons or all into frantic running sprees. Motif stands out choreographically in the piece because of the small details seen repeated throughout its entirety. Some examples are the shoulder shrug that symbolizes the end of a phrase or the upside down straddle on the ground. Using motifs allows there to be a cohesiveness between the three sections.
Manipulating movement is used by exploring movement and developing it to the fullest extent. A phrase can be repeated with new facings, turned into a duet, done on a different level, or have varying intent throughout the piece and this tactic can be crucial in creating a cohesive work. ”Inertia” takes advantage of this choreographic device by taking three core combinations and reusing them in those four ways. Thus, it is easier to see emotional shifts and storyline while all being cohesive. I was able to study observe this myself in my last compositional studying by taking the same four small combinations and exploring what could be changed in each to convey a different intent or evoke a new emotion. We studied this idea in the first weeks of composition when given an assignment about the ten most commonly used dance steps. In that study, we were asked to manipulate these 10 common dance steps from their plain, overused form to reimagined interpretations. These studies, in common with “Inertia”, prove that repeating the simplest of movements while exploring them to their fullest can make a complex work with little actual choreography.
The music adds lots of variety and helps to emphasize the shifts in emotion while the dancers perform the same choreography over and over again. The composers Payne decided to use were Break of Reality, Rene Aubry, and Jean-Philippe Goude. In the first section, “Bound” there is a mellow and deep sense to the music that makes the audience feel conflict. The dancers are stiff and move as if they are trying to escape some form of oppression. One specific moment that stands out is at the very end when one dancer pushes down the others fist. The second section, “Chain Reaction” has a determined and athletic quality. The audience can see the dancers moving more freely finding their escape from the bound movement seen in the first section. The last section, “Kinetic” reveals light and free movement qualities creating a sense of celebration and resolution. Contrasting drastically from the first two sections, “Kinetic” has upbeat, passionate music that truly shows the progression and growth of the movement by just changing music and intent. In our second to last study this semester, we were able to take a deeper look into how music plays an important role in the look and feel of choreography. The music chosen for “Inertia” explains the emotional story and allows for the choreography to flourish with diversity.
In composition this year, I have learned that choreographic devices are what create a cohesive piece. When analyzing “Inertia”, I became aware of what these devices were able to do in terms of enhancing choreography and expressing movement to its fullest extent. Motif, manipulating movement, and musical choice allow a choreographer to develop their work and I have experienced this in my own works throughout the year. Continuing to see these devices in use and understanding their purpose has enhanced my own choreographic abilities and allowed me to grow as an artist.
“Inertia”