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COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

MATTHEW BOURNES THE NUTCRACKER

Accompaniment – Classical music, played by an orchestra, composed by TchaikovskyCostumes – designed by Anthony WardSet – designed by Anthony WardLighting – designed by Howard HarrisonNumber of dancers – 24Dance style – contemporary & ballet(with use of exaggerated gestures & facial expression)Choreographic style – A reworking of the traditional ballet,narrative & comic, influenced by film & theatre.Close dance-music relationship.

The Sections of the DanceACT ONESet in the orphanage. Meant to look like a black & white film so that we think it’s drab & gloomy, but also to suggest films like ‘Oliver!’ and the beginning of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (which starts in black & white, then goes to colour when Dorothy lands in Oz... Clara’s world turns to colour when she lands in Sweetieland).

1. Intro2. Preparations for a visit3. Presents and Party pieces4. Time for bed5. The Revolt6. The Frozen Lake** (this is the section we have used for our performance in a group dance)

ACT TWOThe characters from act 1 reappear in a different guise in Act 2. The twins (wearing glasses) become the guardian angels; the boy who has a crafty cigarette out of the window becomes the sleazy Knickerbockers Glory (again like The Wizard of Oz). This helps to give continuity to the dance and reinforce the dream/fantasy theme.

7. The Road to Sweetieland8. By Invitation Only

a. Liquorice Allsortsb. Knickerbockers Gloryc. Marshmallow Girlsd. Gobstoppers

9. The Wedding Party

1. Choose one of the motifs we have tried from MATTHEW BOURNES NUTCRACKER. Describe the motif using action, space and dynamic words. (eg ‘the right arm sharply swings across the body from right to left’). Use diagrams if helpful.

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2. Suggest some ways in which you could develop this motif, for example: levels, size, retrograde etc

(you can draw). Think about the various choreographic devices we have used in our lessons.

ACTION developments =

SPACE developments =

DYNAMIC developments =

Now try these out………..

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

Write any feedback you have on these developments here:

3. What element(s) of the original motif would you choose to keep? Why?

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4. Record any other thoughts / feedback you have had about using these motifs here:

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

STILL LIFE AT THE PENGUIN CAFÉ

Still Life at the Penguin Cafe is the name of a ballet choreographed by David Bintley and featuring music composed by Simon Jeffes, founder of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It is also the title of the accompanying album. Geoffrey Richardson co-wrote one of the pieces. [1]

The ballet's debut production in 1988 was performed by The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, in England. The ballet was conceived by David Bintley (at that time resident choreographer at Covent Garden), who approached Simon Jeffes about the music. The music for the ballet was drawn from several musical pieces composed by Jeffes before the ballet was conceived, composed during the period 1981 to 1987. Most of the pieces were originally written for small ensembles, consisting of, for example, violin, cello, guitar and piano. Jeffes orchestrated the pieces for the ballet, and in the Royal Ballet production, they were performed by a full orchestra. The ballet was filmed in 1988 by London Weekend Television and commercially released. The name of the ballet is derived from that of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, which was Simon Jeffes' ensemble.

The ballet begins with a voice-over (by Jeremy Irons) describing how the Great Auk was very recently made extinct by man. The initial segment is set in a cafe, and several humans and penguins dance. Each subsequent segment prior to the conclusion shows an endangered species (or, in the case of the Rain Forest People, a culture). The Conclusion shows all the characters withstanding a downpour, and gathering on an ark-like boat.

The overall theme of the ballet is pro-environment, pro-conservation. The ballet seeks to make the audience more aware of endangered species.

From the 1988 production:

Performed by the Royal Ballet Composed by Simon Jeffes and Geoffrey Richardson Choreographed by David Bintley Designed by Hayden Griffin Music performed by The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Conducted by Isaiah Jackson Narrated by Jeremy Irons

Choose one of the motifs we have tried from STILL LIFE AT THE PENGUIN CAFE. Describe the motif using action, space and dynamic words. (eg ‘the right arm sharply swings across the body from right to left’). Use diagrams if helpful.

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1. Suggest some ways in which you could develop this motif, for example: levels, size,

retrograde etc (you can draw). Think about the various choreographic devices we have used

in our lessons.

ACTION developments =

SPACE developments =

DYNAMIC developments =

Now try these out………..

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

Write any feedback you have on these developments here:

2. Suggest any other ideas that you have thought of to develop or change the mood, theme,

narrative or dance style of the motif.

3. Evaluate your work so far. What development ideas have you liked? What development ideas

worked well?

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

4a Solo Composition

You have now chosen your 3 motifs for this assessment piece.

Motif 1

Describe the motif, discussing action, space and dynamics. (eg ‘the right arm sharply swings across the

body from right to left’):

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

Key Facts

Chosen professional work:

Choreographer:

Date of premiere:

Company:

Music:

Design:

Ideas for ACTION development:

Element(s) from original motif to keep:

Motif 2

Describe the motif, discussing action, space and dynamics. (eg ‘the right arm sharply swings across the

body from right to left’):

Ideas for SPACE development:

Element(s) from original motif to keep:

Motif 3

Describe the motif, discussing action, space and dynamics. (eg ‘the right arm sharply swings across the

body from right to left’):

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

Ideas for DYNAMIC development:

Element(s) from original motif to keep:

NOW YOU HAVE 3 SIMPLY DEVELOPED MOTIFS

How will you link your motifs together? These are called transitions. There are 5 marks available for the interest and complexity of your transitions

Ideas for transitions:

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

MOTIF 1 MOTIF 2 MOTIF 3

You now have lots of ideas to develop your motifs further using action, space and dynamics.

There are 5 marks available for the interest and complexity of your developments.

Try these out and record below the developments that you would like to use in your final piece.

we call these ‘choreographic devices’

Selecting and discarding movement materialYou don’t have to keep every bit of movement material that you choreograph. If you don’t like it, don’t keep

it! If it prevents the flow of your solo then be confident to take it out. By this stage you should have a mood/

style or narrative to your dance – you will have a sense of what works with your idea and what doesn’t.

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

Choreographic Devices

Now record three choreographic devices that you have used in your final piece so far. This should describe

how you have developed the motifs and / or how you have made other choreographic decisions. Use

photos / diagrams if helpful.

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2.

3.

Record below any other choreographic decisions you have made to communicate your dance idea.

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

Use this page to record any feedback you get on your solo as you are choreographing it

Feedback Date

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

Accompaniment

Your chosen accompaniment for your solo should be between 1 and 1 ½ minutes long. It can be the music

of the professional work you have taken your motifs from, or it could be something completely different.

The musical accompaniment needs to support the idea you have chosen for your solo. You must have a

reason for your choice.

Track name:

Composer:

Reason(s) for choice of this accompaniment

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COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

Listen to your chosen accompaniment. Write down all the words that come to mind. Think back to what

we did in lessons when we looked at creating movement using the music. The music might inform:

dynamics; actions; style of movement; speed, structure etc

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

Structure

There are 5 marks for your use of structure.

You need to make sure you create a complete solo that flows throughout. It should have a beginning,

middle and a clear ending (don’t just stop dancing!!). What is the structure of your dance? Where is the

climax in your dance? Does your structure link to your dance idea?

Rehearsal:

Effective rehearsal is vital to improve all dance performance and choreography. What strategies have you

used to improve your solo choreography?

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

Evaluation – to be completed after you have been filmed for assessment

Evaluate the success of your motif developments. Comment on the following:

Did they develop/ change the mood or meaning of the motifs?

Did they develop / change the style of the movement?

Did you add interest or originality to the movement?

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2.

3.

COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT

Overall evaluation: How successful do you think your piece was?

Consider the following

Did you achieve what you set out to do?

Which piece of the dance are you most pleased with?

Would you consider any different developments if you did the assessment again?

Did your choice of accompaniment add to the dance?

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COPLEY ACADEMY DANCE DEPARTMENT