I think what I appreciate most about the posts from last week is the wide spectrum of beliefs we all hold about dance. The point here is to be thinking – and hopefully, to be thinking about things you’ve never thought to question before. Here are my thoughts (you’ll probably notice that they are as varied as your own): I believe that movement can be created (and therefore exist) for the sake of movement, and I find that often when I am creating movement myself, I have no agenda other than piecing together unique contortions, swings of the body, and things that generally feel good, regardless of how "weird" they might appear. However, I believe that the very act of presenting movement opens it up to the interpretation of viewers. And in that way, movement, whether created with a message in my mind or not, may in fact have one. That begs the question, do I always have to “understand” a dance in order to appreciate it? This is a huge topic for me, but we won’t get to that just yet.
New topic then. Check out this clip from La La La Human Steps, a Canadian modern dance company headed by choreographer Edouard Lock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCHrzakA5X4
Corollary Question(s): Answer as many of these as interest you.
Is this ballet or modern dance? How can you really tell one from the other? Sure, the female dancer in this piece is wearing pointe shoes – does that make it ballet? Are the man and the woman dancing in the same or different idioms? Why might some consider this a contemporary modern work? What characteristics do ballet and modern dance share? How are they different? And why, then, is it important to train in both of these dance forms?
At first looking at how the female looked and hearing the classical music in the background. I though it was ballet, but as i kept watching, this piece is modern dance. The choreographer Edouard Lock incorporates classical ballet moves into this piece.Through out the choreo the male is like a rock a supporting tool for the female. he is the strength that keeps her safe and beautiful at the same time, yes the female is doing most of the movement but i believe that it isn't possible with out the male lead. They are equals acting as one. each supporting one another to make this beautiful piece. ballet in many ways is a form of structure and beauty, elegance, modern dance is an expression that could be angry or joyful its an expression that the dancer captures and is able to play with it. Incorporating both ballet and modern style dancing can help achieve a much greater voice. learning to be able to do ballet to teach structure and poise. and incorporation that with expression and modern dancing can greatly become a unique style and change modern dancing as we know it. modern dancing is an incorporation of varies styles its anything you want it to be part ballet part jazz part anything . being able to let yourself express the movement that your trying to portray thats what modern dancing is all about.
ReplyDeleteThis piece was really pretty and I agree with Iliana. This was classical ballet and contemporary combined which was pretty cool to see. After watching it a couple of times, I noticed a storyline that was being told. It seemed like the very feminine girl being twirled and controlled by the male went through the cycle of a romantic relationship that consisted of infatuation then heartache. She was confident and sure of herself in the beginning and as the story went on, she lost herself. Then the male started dancing with the more androgenous dancer but began dancing as well signifying that this new relationship was more engaging than the previous.
ReplyDeleteCombining ballet and contemporary makes for a more powerful performance. The expressive part of contemporary brings the ballet performance to another level captivating the audience and bringing more meaning to the dance.
This was definitely a modern piece but it had the structured movements of ballet. Even the music was mixed between classical and contemporary. I really liked the backdrop that the dancers were moving around in. It was very simple and it allowed for the focus to be on the dancers in their classy black attire. She moved so freely and effortlessly but she was also restricted in most ways by the man controlling her spins and other movements. This piece was filled with contradicting dynamics which made for a very interesting mood. I liked the shadowing effect they used at the end to portray the dancers in a more mysterious way, but I didn't really like the close-ups of her face because she had extremely blank stares that were creepy and it was distracting from the beauty of the movements.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this piece combined elements from both ballet and modern dance and it's up to the viewer to determine which category the piece fits under. In my opinion, the piece fits under both ballet and modern dance. I feel like the woman's movements showed mostly elements of ballet because she was doing a lot of spins and twirls. However, her movements together with the man's movements showed elements of modern dance, especially in the ways they moved together and how their movements complemented each other. I really enjoyed this piece because although their movements were somewhat repetitive, the performance kept me wanting to see more and more. The man's role in the piece was subtle and I think he was there to put the spot light on the woman but he was important in the overall feeling of the piece.
ReplyDeleteI think this is modern dance with a ballet twist. The movement of woman is very elegant and graceful like ballet, however, later in the video when the woman lead changes I believe it becomes very modern. The woman later on moves very firmly, very much like contemporary dance. However, the man seems to be dancing contemporary the whole time. Even his attire is very modern. I think it is modern with a twist because I think most of the dance is modern with interpretative and unconventional movements. However, the woman in the beginning dances with grace and the technique of ballet with pointed toes and classical movements. Both ballet and modern dance have strict technique, each movement has purpose and control even though the methods of performing the movements look different. Ballet focuses more on movements where each body part follows similar movements, however, modern dance has movements where the arms and legs could be doing something completely different. It is important to train in both to understand what it means to have control and intent with each body part and how to us that control in something unconventional and different from the norm.
ReplyDelete-Candace
I think that while the woman is dancing ballet, the piece demonstrates modern dance because the dancers are individualistic and each dancing in differing styles. That the woman is dancing ballet is not indicated by her pointe shoes. Rather, this observation comes from the fact that her movements are extremely poised and technical. It seems as if the girl is trying to dance ballet, but the man keeps manipulating her so that she cannot fully carry out the ballet style. The combination of the girl’s ballet style and the man’s free motions ultimately makes the piece an example of modern dance.
ReplyDeleteBallet and modern dance are similar in that they both use strong technique and call upon expressive motion. However, where ballet dancers try to defy gravity or maintain an air of lightness, for example by dancing on their toes, modern dancers tend to let gravity take control of them. Modern dance can tend to be more abstract and free, whereas ballet is more about technique and posture. And because of this, modern dance somewhat rebels against the formal structure of classical ballet.
I think its ballet but not a typical one. Because the upper body of the woman shows some contemporary elements in it. Compared to classical ballet, the movements are bigger,and are not restricted, but the jump, spin and all the movements of legs and feet look like ballet to me. Also one thing confused me is that the man in the show wears professional clothes instead of dancing costume.At the end of the video, I dont think its ballet. I would rather say its a piece of art. Because I can only watch those in a video, not in a theater. The actors use camera to do the close-up of the woman and collect every tiny change on her face.
ReplyDeleteFor me, ballet is more noblest and royal because it move upwards. For example, the head is up, neck should be long, toes lift. But contmeporary doesnt have that many of restrictions, dancers can move every directions, whether up or down, forwards or backwards, which bring more breath and emotions.
After having watched this clip, as well as read some of the Youtube comments, I find the piece to have a lot in common with both ballet and modern dance. As it relates to ballet, I found the figures of the dancers, especially the female dancer, to be what I've come to expect from the little I know about ballet. Similarly, the outfits that both dancers are wearing make me think of ballet as well. However, whereas I view ballet through a lens of technique and structure, the dancing in this video seemed to be more about conveying a certain dynamic between the male and female, as much a performance art piece and exercise in the process of movement as it was a display of virtuosity and structure. I feel it is of importance to train in both aspects of dance, because, as I hit in on my last blog entry, it is the marriage of technique and emotion that, to my mind, is the most powerful, for both dancer(s) and viewer(s). Several Youtube comments compared the woman to a marionette, enslaved to the man's (puppeteer's) every direction. I find this to be a fitting description, as especially the woman's movements are very mechanical, not autonomous or free. That she utilizes her eyes, the environment and the cues from the other dancer to perform in an emotionally captivating way is representative of what I speak of, a combination of emotion and technique, ballet and modern, to produce something more spectacular than if only one of those elements was present.
ReplyDelete---Charlie
Terry Wilson played this clip last quarter in her dance history class and I still love it as much as I did now. And I have the same views on it that it is a really beautiful fusion of both of them. I guess the specific label would be contemporary ballet. The strengths of both types of dance - the strict form of ballet, confining and with the emphasis on grace and support from a male dancer combined with the fluidity of modern dance and the greater chance to express oneself in both styles of movement and expression, giving into more flexibility and not necessarily a strong and straight upper core. I'm not saying that these definitions I gave those types of dance are all that they can be, but it's what they're known for.
ReplyDeleteI notice that while the man reaches out to manipulate and support the female's movements, he undulates a lot and I feel like that's a choice, not a necessity. They are almost dancing two different idioms with how they are dressed and how they move. The girl whirling about every which way, and seemingly very dependent on the male, while he stays generally in one place as something for her to orbit around.
I liked the story that Trang came up with about the relationship, and I feel that it fits very well with this piece. Contemporary ballet is my favorite type of ballet to watch (I'm a huge fan of Smuin) because it takes your expectations of what you expect ballet to be and turns it on its side, with far more interesting visual and emotional results, at least for me. I appreciate form, but I think I appreciate clever form-breakers even more.
Lastly, to kind of repeat what I said a while ago, it's important to train in different forms so you have the ability to express yourself in more venues of movement. The training is a tool that you can then use to whatever you need it for. Learning the precision of ballet can bleed into a precise movement for movement, and the (I keep using this word) fluidity of modern dance (as per the range of movements, up or down, rigid body or loose) can improve your ballet by giving it more life.
I also think this is a contemporary ballet piece. It is ballet, but not classical like we see in The Nutcracker, or any other classic ballet we would go watch. It adds modern movement to the old style of dance. Ballet and modern dance share many different things, for example, a plié is the essential move in many forms of dance, but is most typically practiced in ballet. I feel like ballet is the base of all dance, because so much stuff is taken from it, so it is essential to know ballet, then branch off into other dance styles from there. Ballet and modern dance are different because ballet is more precise with the movements, and modern/contemporary dance is more open to any type of movement. Contemporary can be loose and choppy, but ballet must have strict movements with toes pointed perfectly, arms precisely in 2nd position which does not leave much room for creative styles.
ReplyDeleteI think this video portrays a combination of both ballet and modern dance. I see elements of both types of dance meshed in the two female dancers as well as in the piece altogether. Further, I believe that the usage of ballet does not dictate the piece as strictly ballet. Any form of dance can be combined with any type of clothing and footwear. The first piece of the video was clearly a mixture of both modern and ballet dance; however, the second part of the video, I would argue to be more modern dance than ballet. The man and the woman are dancing in different idioms. I found myself in the beginning being drawn into only the woman’s movements. I quickly shifted my balance and almost saw the man just as structure and foundation for the woman. However, as the dance progressed, I began to see them as a unit that complemented each other.
ReplyDeleteSome might consider this a contemporary modern work because it does not hold the traditional aspects and movements that is considered in ballet. I think of ballet as graceful, having round shapes, and smooth. Modern dance to me is more experimental, more expressive and carefree.
I loved watching these videos as modern dance and ballet are my two favorite types of dance. It was such a beautiful performance that kept me hooked the whole time.
by Nicole Wong
DeleteThis piece of choreography is most likely considered contemporary ballet. Though the first female dancer is on pointe for many parts of the piece, her arms stray from the precise arm and leg positions characteristic of ballet. Ballet is structured and there are definite positions to hit. Going on pointe is not the main characteristic of ballet.
ReplyDeleteBallet and modern dance share the same characteristic of expansion. Ballet expands upwards as the ballet dancer’s body is always lifting up, giving that airy, defying gravity feeling. Modern dance expands even more. Modern dance expands in a sphere, in which the dancer explores the entire sphere of motions humanly possible. Because of the similar characteristic of expansion, it is important to train in both of these dance forms as ballet provides the foundational characteristic of expansion and modern dance further builds upon the forms in ballet.
My best friends growing up all trained in ballet and went on to dance for over fourteen years, so although I've never done ballet myself I have been exposed to it and other forms of dance since before I can remember. Still, I'm not even close to being able to differentiate the minute details and techniques that would define something as ballet versus modern contemporary, so often I think about modern dance as more interpretive than other styles. Ballet feel more rigid and precise in comparison, ruled as it is by all of its complex forms.
ReplyDeleteWatching this clip, I did see the very obvious footwork and styles that are attributed to ballet and contemporary dance. I think this performance is successful and eye catching because it is a combination of both, taking its title of modern dance because it doesn't come off as so traditional in either sense of style. The elements that are recognizable, such as being on pointe and the various foot positions, give the audience a surprise as the resulting combinations are not ones that are expected.
In my opinion, it is so important for people to study as many forms of dance as possible because studying only one form explicitly can paint you in a corner. Sometimes one style will purposely limit you because it is bad form to do a certain thing that for another style would be completely fine. When you have more than one style under your belt, you can utilize so many different ways to move your body and become a more experienced, well rounded dancer overall.
I see both modern dance and ballet movements that portray a contemporary-modern performance. Her movements portrays ballet, but in a modern-contemporary twist of expression in it. Watching her movements intrigue me because of the intricacy of levels she expresses by bridging the gap between two styles. Wearing pointe shoes does not necessarily claim the style as ballet; however,I would express that her style focuses more on technical movements of contemporary ballet. People may perceive this as a contemporary modern work because of the creative expression and free movements that this performance portrays. There is a sense of experimental free expression that compels the dancers in portraying a contemporary modern work. I believe it is important to familiarize yourself with all dance forms in order to elevate your individualistic style. It is important to learn basic ballet movements in order to elevate freely using the structural movements of ballet and expand experimentally with modern dance. Both ballet and modern dance share the expression to an embodied expansion of movements. I believe it is truly important to learn the fundamentals of ballet and modern dance in order to progress and expand in both styles. This performance was beautifully expressed, the man and woman complemented each other well with their levels of intricay and movements.
ReplyDeleteThe female dancer certainly possessed the skills of a trained ballerina, but I would not call this style "ballet." This piece was like ballet on crack, the moves were speed up by more than double time, and emphasis was put on precision and swiftness as opposed to the length and duration of her extensions; it was a modern approach to a classic form. The music helped to convey the frantic and aggressive, yet controlled tone of this dance. The moments of extended temporality were unexpected, the pauses came in moments of transition as opposed to ostentation. The woman seemed to be frozen in a snapshot, until she was magically liberated and resumed her frenetic pace. The relationship between the two dancers was interesting because the man essentially acted a base, or a puppetmaster for the woman, depending on which way one chooses to view their relation. His movements were minmal, controlled and strong, and shadows tended to be more dramatic than his fleshy self. I loved the use of lighting, high angles, and long lulls to establish their distance. The edgy and innovative cinematography and video editing helped to emphasize the contemporary nature of this piece.
ReplyDeleteI believe at first this style of dance could be categorized as "ballet" because of the dancer's clothes, pointe shoes, attire etc. However, one cannot simply base the style of dance on appearance. I see this more of as a modern twist to a classical form of dance. The same movement that could be considered part of "ballet" was sped up to lighting speed, but yet the precision was sharp and strong like modern styles. I also noticed some movements that could be considered contemporary. The man and woman seem to be dancing in different idioms because they were both unique and caught my attention at different portions of the number, but then at the end they seemed to be dancing in the same idiom. They were interconnected in my eyes and the man seemed to be the bull master of the woman; he made the control seem so effortless and minimal. Overall, classical forms of dance, such as ballet, are the foundation of the wonderful styles we have today like contemporary.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the piece is more representative of modern dance. There are hits of ballet in the clothing and the jump and catch of the female performer, but the dance is too fast and contains too many sharp for it to be considered ballet. The female in the piece seems to be playing a more powerful role. The male did not draw my eye until the end of the piece when he started mimicking the female's movement. I believe this could be considered a contemporary modern work because each gesture is subtle and either fast paced or in slow motion. Ballet and modern dance both have unique movements. Ballet is usually slower while modern is more fast paced with several different pieces of movement. Since ballet and modern dance have different styles,learning both types can give the dancer a wide range or large variety of movements and techniques.
ReplyDelete~Nicole
Watching this video, I was interested in the definite differences in technique between the first and second main dancers. I found that the first dancer seemed to perform movements I would characterize as "ballet" and some as a combination of ballet and modern dance. With the very little knowledge I have of the histories and techniques that make up these categories, it is hard to really discuss them. To me, ballet that incorporates modern technique is more about breaking with the confines of classical ballet. This means that this dance would be composed of specific moves that would challenge the rigid forms of posture and presentation, meant to be "beautiful" or aesthetically pleasing, in classical ballet. An arched back or contracted (as opposed to elongated arms) could be examples of this divide between ballet and a fusion of modern and ballet.
ReplyDeleteThe second dancer also performed very distinctly non-classical ballet movements, though hers were different from those of the first dancer. Her dancing was more about speed and repetition. To me, she took the first dancers challenge of more classical movements a step further. Her dancing seemed to be "bigger" in a way. She used more space and moved her body in different angles at fast speeds. Her movements looked more like other contemporary dance I have seen. It also seemed to have more in common with the movement we do in this class. I would like to have a better understanding of the evolution of "modern" and "contemporary" dance.
-Katrina Hoffman
I've previously viewed this piece, so it's interesting to analyze it now. Upon my initial reaction to this piece I thought to categorize it as contemporary ballet, but I notice theater, modern, and even somewhat jazz like movements thrown into the choreography. In the beginning a lot of the movements, in terms of form and positioning/placement, are mostly what seems to be traditional ballet except for the modern arm and hand movements and forms. I feel the space of choice is also modern or non-traditional, and beyond, in the way the dancers use the space.The rigidity, lifts and extreme modes of intensity also are elements unlike that of classical ballet; which makes the piece feel rather modern. The use of heaviness and gravity is more prevalent than light/floating feel one would find in classical ballet. I don't necessarily think the pointe shoes make it a ballet, I see them as a dance medium to be investigated in new ways. Later on the choreography is more noticeably modern with rapid abstract movements. The interaction between the dancer with pointe shoes and the one without seems traditional, but it's almost as if the man is being used to propel the woman throughout the dance, like an instrument, which made it feel mechanical to me. I believe ballet is a great foundation in the pursuit of modern, not only physically, but it also allows one to think of ways ballet movements can be transgressed, contradicted, and explored.
ReplyDeleteJanise Morrison. It is both ballet and modern dance, and contemporary dance struggles to clearly define its trajectories. The woman is wearing pointe shoes, but they do not adhere to classical ballet technique. The man and woman's gestures are different and disparate. One action mirrors the other, and when it does not, then it circles back, again.
ReplyDeleteThey are dancing in the same idiom, just through varied gestures. Ballet is necessary because it teaches the discipline, that can then be applied to the expressive quality of modern dance. One without the other would be boring or a mess.
"That begs the question, do I always have to “understand” a dance in order to appreciate it?"
ReplyDeleteNo. I am not familiar with what "makes" ballet ballet, nor what "makes" contemporary contemporary. Yet, when I watch this, I'm blown away by their skills at the movements they can create. I appreciate the intensity, the quickness, the passion, and the expertise. I objectively claim that this dance I'm viewing is quite skillfully done, regardless of my knowledge of exactly what type of dance they're performing.
In general, I find ballet dancers (of any skill level) extraordinary. To be able to put yourself at the altar of perfection and the mercy of everyone's critical eye is awe inspiring. Any subsequent movement (however faulty) is an accomplishment in my book.
The same applies to modern dancers.
And any other dancer ever.
This piece of the video is so cool and attractive to me which makes me watched several times. In my perspective, this kind of dance is not a typical classic ballet, because it combines with the modern dance. As i thought, ballet is a type of genre of the all the dance that focus on the pointe work. It needs female briefly stand on her toes to appear weightless. And as I watch the performance, the girl truly stand on her toes all the time through the performance. Compared with classic ballet, modern dance is more relaxed that just needs performers use their emotions to create their own movement and steps. Ballet is too rigid that needs too many practice, however the modern dance is kind of free not focus too much on the technique. The girl in the video uses her face expression to show the beauty of the dance combined with the ballet and modern dance.
ReplyDelete