Bringing Chinese Dance Theater Influence to Modern Dance
Abstract
Goals/Objectives
Outcomes
Deliverables
I will be choreographing and staging a dance performance blending dance technique from Chinese Dance Theater and Modern Dance. This piece will exemplify and utilize the use of time, space, and effort used in Modern Dance while also embodying the use of stillness and shape within Chinese Dance Theater. This piece will tell the story of two broken spirits coming together to make a whole being through the use of shape and contact. In Student Dance Concerts there are many pieces that embody the use of effort and motion in a lyrical style of movement but seldom do we see pieces that exemplify shape and symbolism within movement. This piece will allow audiences to see this style of movement.
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In my original EDGE proposal, I stated that I would choreograph a paso doble blended with a Korean Sword Dance. However, I was forced to alter this mode of dance because my partner was not comfortable with performing on stage with swords nor could she master the technique quickly enough. So instead I turned to the influence of a Chinese Dance Theater company entitled Cloud Gate Dance Company and specifically their piece entitled Bamboo Dream. By turning my focus to blending chinese dance technique with modern dance technique my partner was able to perform the movement and we were able to embody a deeper connection between us on stage. I changed my title to fit this idea of Chinese dance theater influencing the world of Modern Dance present here at Southern Utah University.
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I also changed the story of the piece to better exemplify the style of movement available to me in this piece. I feel these changes did not affect my EDGE project in a negative way but in fact strengthened my dance piece that was more powerful to audiences. I also did not perform this dance piece in the Ballroom Dance Concert nor the Festival of Excellence as my partner and I were already performing two more dance pieces for other pieces in the Festival of Excellence and the Ballroom Dance Company manager did not want to host our performance.
I created a dance piece unlike most dance pieces presented here at Southern Utah University. This piece was a unique approach in creating a piece that emphasized the human body to create symbolic shapes and evoke emotion through stillness and movement.
I accomplished this by devoting a documented 54 hours creating this piece. For the first 14 hours of my work on this project I kept my attempt to choreograph anything for the piece to a minimum and instead researched as much as I could on movement technique from Chinese Dance Theater and Modern Dance. I studied the movement technique of Twyla Tharp, Martha Graham, and Paul Taylor to understand my dance lineage in Modern Dance and to understand best practices for choreography through a Modern Dance perspective. I then compared this with technique from Chinese dance technique. I specifically studied the movement technique and choreographic notes from Cloud Gate Dance Company to better understand the process itself of choreography. This not only allowed me to know how to create movement inspired by Chinese Dance Theater but gave me increased knowledge about the best practices of choreographing a piece itself which will help me in my future goals of choreographing for larger companies.
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After researching information about these two worlds of choreography and dance technique, I then delved in to creating movement for the piece when I finally had the opportunity to rehearse with my partner. I challenged myself every work keeping in mind my goal to create a unique piece that exemplified shape and stillness. As these movement styles are not native to me it was difficult for me initially to accomplish this. I then used a challenge recommended by my advisor during my attempts to choreography my piece. Every week I would randomly choose between improvising movement with my partner to create set movement and creating set movement for my partner and I before coming to rehearsal. This not only pushed me to create something unique and organic to both of our bodies but allowed me to utilize the various tools that professional choreographers use when choreographing dance pieces. Utilizing my research in to the history of choreography and best practices in choreography to create my piece allowed me to succeed in creating my dance piece.
Through creating and staging this dance piece I was able to inspire other student choreographers here at SUU to embrace different cultures and different techniques in their choreography besides the technique learned in class. I also allowed myself to grow in terms of my own choreography where I developed movement that I had never before thought possible. This allowed me to become a better choreographer and broaden my horizons as I continue to learn how to create choreography.
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I was able to see the inspiration to utilize different cultures in dance through the underclassmen in the dance department. I had several sophomore student choreographers approach me and we were able to discuss their choreography. After seeing my piece one of these choreographers choreographed a dance piece in their Dance Composition 2 class based on Bharatanatyam a dance technique solely developed and practiced in the middle and upper classes of India. Several of my professors noted that after my piece they had seen new types of choreography stemming from traditions of Butoh (Japanese Dance Theater) dancing and other forms of dance in other classes. Through my dance piece I was able to inspire future choreographers to push their own style of choreography to utilize different cultural techniques to broaden their choreography.
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I also witnessed how I grew from creating this dance piece in the way that I approach choreography in my Composition classes. At first I would have set material and forget it once I was in the studio. Though not having set material is a fairly valuable tool in choreographing in some instances, I was not prepared to use this form of choreographing at that stage in my life and merely proved to be ineffective at using the time I had with my dancers. Now, I always come set with a plan and if I do not have set material in mind for them to learn I at least have an idea and allow improvisation to be the impetus for creating movement. I grew substantially in my skills as a choreographer through creating this dance piece.
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In my original proposal I stated another outcome to be that I would get feedback from a live audience to help me improve choreography and expose audiences to blends of cultures through movement. Unfortunately, I was unable to accomplish this simply because the audiences always left too early for me to approach them about the piece. However, I was able to obtain vital feedback from my dance professors that have well over seventy or more years of experience in the professional dance community. So this helped me to still accomplish my outcome of growing as a choreographer and improving choreography.
I have provided pictures of the dance piece from the Student Dance Concert it was performed in, notes on my process of choreography during certain rehearsals and through the performances of the piece, and notes I was able to transcribe from the feedback I received from my professors. These pictures and notes can be found under "Gallery."
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These deliverables are not posted anywhere online as the Dance Department does not record them online but instead has records in their main office. So I will have to display my deliverables to you during an appointment. I have already sent an email to edge@suu.edu and am awaiting final word for an appointment date.
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