This week we looked at different pieces of work by a company with a similar theme or narrative to our own section of choreography.
I came across some choreography on Instagram which I thought had some similar movements to my own choreography. The choreography is called ‘Still Waters’ choreographed by Kevin Jenkins who is a freelance choreographer, choreographing pieces for many different companies. ‘Still Waters’ was choreographed for ‘Ballet 5:8’ which is a contemporary ballet company in Chicago. (The Choreographer — Kevin Jenkins, 2021)
This choreography ‘depicts the beauty and peace found in Pslam 23’. (Still Waters — Ballet 5:8, 2021)
Jenkins describes his piece to be about finding peace. Although my choreography is about the way happy memories are created - specifically about how the brain forms connections to create these memories - I feel as though Jenkins’s choreography is still relevant because my theme of happy memories and brain waves could extend on wards thinking about how reflecting on your memories can help you achieve peace.
I really like how Jenkins has managed to capture the movement of water ripples in his choreography. Many movements in his choreography are similar to mine because although he is trying to mimic the motion of water waves and I am trying to make brain waves, both of these types of waves are transverse meaning that they move perpendicular to the direction of travel. A wave is a continuous movement which can be broken down into sections - you have the highest point of the wave and the lowest where it starts. In my choreography, when everyone is standing in the line this ripple effect is achieved when the dancer at the front moves their arm into position, then the dancer behind them and so on as the movement travels down the line.
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Ballet 5:8. 2021. Still Waters — Ballet 5:8. [online] Available at: <https://www.ballet58.org/repertoire/stil-waters> [Accessed 20 October 2021].
Kevin Jenkins. 2021. The Choreographer — Kevin Jenkins. [online] Available at: <https://www.kevinjenkins.org/choreographer> [Accessed 20 October 2021].
Jenkin's piece sounds really interesting and I can see the link between his choreography and your theme. What tools did you use in your choreography that are similar and relevant to the image you are trying to portray?
ReplyDeleteIn both pieces of choreography, we use cannon to help create a ‘ripple effect’ of a wave - through it travelling through the dancers movement individually. We also use unison which creates an image of a bigger wave, adding more dynamic.
DeleteWeek 5 blog has an interesting reference. Had you looked into the company and their values as a ballet company and how this may influence their work?
ReplyDeleteThe company Ballet 5:8 is a ballet company which bases its performances around the Christian belief drawing upon themes of life and death. Because of this, their work is heavily influenced by values taught by the religion such as kindness, peace and forgiveness. It is also described as a company which you can easily 'feel the heart... and the passion that resonates from its mission'.
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