Indelible 2017 Group Choreographic Concept (Analytical Statement)
- Jul 18, 2017
- 4 min read
My choreographic piece is based on the topic of Chemistry and my concept is on the different characteristics of elements across the periodic table. Across the periodic table (refer to diagram 1 below), elements are categorised in their respective groups (vertical axis) based on their characteristics and chemical properties, hence elements from different groups are different from each other. In my choreography, I will show these differences in terms of their atomic radius and ions for three elements from the same period (horizontal axis) but in groups 1, 7 and 8 through the use of space, time and energy.
(diagram 1: .OpenStax CNX, , 0ADAD, cnx.org/contents/egb6OTD0@2/The-periodic-table-Groups-and-.)
With the idea that all three elements are still similar because when seen in the larger picture, they are all ‘atoms’ and in the smaller picture, they are different due to their different chemical properties, this has given me several ideas and images that motivated the dance in terms of space, time and energy.
Starting off with the idea of their differences, looking into their atomic radius, it refers to the size of the atom where the higher the group number of an element, the smaller the size of the atom with group 1 elements being the largest and group 8 elements being the smallest (see diagram 2 for visual representation). Hence, throughout the dance, I have made use of the space of the stage as well as the space between the dancers to highlight the difference in their atomic radius. Next, looking into their ions, it refers to elements gaining or losing electron(s) to obtain a complete outer-most shell (see diagram 3). Hence, group 1 elements have to lose 1 electron and group 7 elements have to gain 1 electron, making them reactive. Group 8 elements, on the other hand, is already stable, making it the least reactive element. Thus, through the use of different dynamics and time, it will show the different reactivity of the elements. Therefore, we can conclude that group 1 elements are the most reactive and is largest in size, followed by group 7 and group 8. Nevertheless, the idea of how all the atoms are ultimately still elements is what binds the dancers together where synergy is apparent throughout the dance.
Translating these ideas to the choreography, the dancer who is dancing as the group 1 element has executed movements of the largest range which consists of powerful kicks, flicks and quick footwork with sharp dynamics to show its reactivity and its large size. I have specifically arranged the piece such that the dancer is dancing in different dynamics from the other two to further emphasise the difference in their reactivities. Regarding time, the steps are fast and accurate, with many steps focusing on musicality and the accents in the music to highlight the liveliness and agility of the element. This sharply contrasts the dancer in group 8 who dances more slowly and is more grounded to show its steadiness in reactivity.
Spatially, I have positioned both dancers representing group 1 and 7 to be further away from the rest in their individual solo parts to show their greater reactivity since the greater space will allow them to travel more and execute larger steps. For the former dancer, she will be traveling a greater distance to show its larger size where she takes up a lot of space on stage as compared to the latter dancer. However, for the group 8 dancer, I positioned her to dance closely to the rest in a small enclosed area, minimising the space between the dancers and the space she is traveling in to show how it is the smallest in size as compared to the other two. The steps executed here are smoother, more controlled and less explosive as compared to the group 1 dancer and the addition of the boundaries created in her pathway highlights its property of lack of reactivity.
Lastly, putting in the idea of how they are all similar where they are all considered ‘elements’, I have inputted many group works into the piece. This allows me to insert my ideas of formation and timings into the dance such as intercrossing pathways of the dancers, cannons, synchronised timings to further point out that even if the timings are different, all of the dancers are ultimately doing the same movement, showing that all dancers are still similar. Additionally, the group works occur specifically at the start and at the end of the piece to give the audience a literal reminder that the dancers who represent the three different elements are still elements.
During the process of choreographing, I initially had a minor problem with arranging how the dancers should stand in relation to each other and how they should execute the steps such that when the individuals perform their solos for their respective element, the other two dancers are neither taking away the attention from the soloist nor are they cast out from the dance. In the end, I was able to overcome this problem by having the two side dancers to perform similar steps as the soloist but executing it with different levels and dynamics to differentiate them from the soloist. Additionally, using my knowledge on how to use directions of the dancers to portray an idea, I was able to better portray the significance of each dancer to this idea of ‘similar but different’. For example, the soloist and the other two dancers face each other to show that there is still a relationship between them despite being in different spaces and not physically dancing together. Hence, my problem was resolved and the outcome was successful in portraying my choreographic concept.
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