Choreography foundations Key vocab

Action:

  • Travel

  • Turn

  • elevation

  • gesture

  • stillness

  • use of different body parts

  • floor work

  • transfer of weight

Space:

  • pathways

  • levels

  • directions

  • size of movement

  • patterns

  • spatial design

Dynamics:

  • fast/slow

  • sudden/sustained

  • acceleration/deceleration

  • strong/light

Relationships:

  • lead and follow

  • mirroring

  • action + reaction

  • contact

  • accumulation- end up in unison because people gradually join in

  • complement + contrast- stuff that works well together or opposite of each other (e.g.-dynamically, spatially, levels)

  • counterpoint- 2 things happening simultaneously, either using different body parts of different dancers

  • formations

Structure:

  • binary- a dance with 2 differing sections

  • ternary- a dance with 3 sections

  • rondo- when a section repeats itself in between each new section

  • narrative-telling a clear story from beginning to end

  • episodic- clear segments telling different aspects of a theme

  • beginning/middle/end

  • unity

  • logical sequence

  • transitions

  • theme and variation- an initial starting idea which is developed in each section

Choreographic devises:

  • motif + development

  • repetition- directly the same or with simple variation

  • contrast- something different in this moment which can be movement style, dynamics, spatial content or other

  • highlights-smaller moments of excitement or interest that keep the audience engaged

  • climax-the high point of the dance, a moment of contrast or sudden interest that builds up typically

  • manipulation of number- changing the amount of dancers doing a certain movement or phrase/ formation

  • unison- more than 1 dancer doing the same thing at the same time

  • canon- more than 1 dancer doing the same thing one after the other

Aural settings:

  • song

  • instrumental

  • orchestral

  • spoken word

  • silence

  • natural sound

  • found sounds

  • body percussion

Performance environments:

  • proscenium arch

  • end stage

  • site-sensitive

  • in-the-round