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Manipulation of the elements of dance as they relate to concept/intent for 2 or 3 dancers
Manipulating space for two or three dancers
Performance space
In relation to two or three dancers,
you should consider:
- Strengths and weaknesses of the stage — character, symbolism, strength and intimacy
- Creating an environment on the empty stage — the dynamism of the space in relation to intent
- Entrances and exits.
It is important to consider all aspects of the space in which your dancers will perform, not just the space immediately around the moving body. You can communicate your intent through the positioning of your dancers, the pathways they travel and their focus, both on each other and the space around them. A great deal of information is available about strengths and symbolism in the use of stage space. This information can be found in theatre texts and in Doris Humphrey's The Art of Making Dances.
For example:
- Centre stage is a powerful position.
- Dancers performing upstage may be viewed as furtive or subversive or as background to a focus on a dancer downstage.
- A dancer performing downstage can connect more intimately with an audience.
- Diagonal pathways are aesthetically pleasing from an audience point of view.
Activity 1
Examine a section of your work in progress. Where have you
placed the dancers in the stage space? Does this have specific meaning in
communicating your intent? Explore other positions and pathways to see whether
the meaning changes or is enhanced.
Activity 2
Ask two dancers to perform a locomotor phrase or sequence
you have created. Vary the use of the stage space by:
- staggering entrances
- performing on a diagonal.
- performing on two different pathways that connect at a "high" point in the phrase or sequence
- performing at the front of the stage to draw audience focus and create intimacy.
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