Assignment
Watch the dance film YouTube Video: "sjDANCEco - The Anatomy of Hope (Choreography by Nhan Ho)".
Write a 1 page creative response. 12 point font, single space, starting the essay from the top of the page.
1) Movement
a) What movements did you observe?
b) What body actions did the dancers perform?
c) Which parts of the body were emphasized?
d) Were the dancers crawling, leaping, slithering, jumping, spinning, etc.?
e) Was the dance sharp or sluggish? Deliberate or explosive?
f) What forms did the dancers' bodies employ? You can relate these to letters.
2) Choreography
a) What was the structure of the dance?
b) How did the dancers relate to each other?
c) Were the dancers alone (solo), in pairs (duet), in groups (trio = 3; quartet = 4, etc.)?
d) Was there repeated movement? What was it?
e) Was the dance a narrative (did it tell a story)?
f) Was the dance abstract (without form or story)?
g) Did the work have a clear beginning, middle, and end?
3) Space
a) How did the dancers move through space?
b) Describe the performance space
c) Were the dancers more related to the floor or the ceiling?
4) Performance
a) What were the technical and expressive abilities of the dancers?
b) What made a particular performer stand out?
c) Were the dancers focused and energetic?
5) Music
a) Was the music fast or slow?
b) Was the music more rhythmic or lyrical?
c) Did the music evoke a specific emotional response?
6) Staging
a) Were the costumes appropriate for the dance?
b) Did the lighting focus attention or distract?
c) Were there sets? Did they add to the performance?
d) Was the absence of costumes or sets meaningful?
7) Personal Response
a) Did the dance remind you of anything?
b) Did the dance make you happy or sad? Why?
c) What did the dance communicate to you?
d) What stood out the most?
8) Overall Reaction
a) Can you make any connections between the performance and what you've learned?
b) What impression did the dance make?
c) What did you learn about dance from this performance?
d) Did the performance create any questions for you?