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ChoreoCraft -
Making Dances Made Easy
Introducing ChoreoCraft, by Kenneth
Norman
ChoreoCraft provides a choreographic tool for teachers and dancers
and has four main aims:
Keep It Simple… through the many years I've spent
developing and teaching ChoreoCraft to both young and mature dance
students, I have found that one of the most important considerations
is to make the numerous and diverse composition techniques easily
understood by all age groups. I achieved this by organising the
composition tools into a series of graded 'scales' similar to the
scales found in a music syllabus. These 'scales' can be rearranged
on the rotating sections of the cleverly designed ChoreoCraft pyramid,
allowing for over 3000 combinations!
Demystify… the ChoreoCraft method has been developed
to assist the dance making process. Just as the first levels of
a music or dance syllabus can be taught to 'young children' so can
the ChoreoCraft graded dance composition syllabus be taught and
understood by these age groups.
Time Out… in schools where ChoreoCraft is taught,
the subject is often the most popular lesson in the curriculum.
This is because students enjoy being creative, using the movements
they have learned in their technical lessons, while employing their
composition 'tools' to 'craft' a dance. In a typical lesson the
teacher divides a class of students into small groups, and then
takes the students through the pre composition process followed
by creative development and finishing with the post composition
procedures.
Motivate… the desire of most teachers is to increase
the motivation levels of their students. Where ChoreoCraft has
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| Photo
courtesy of www.flickr.com DWinton Lauren and Sean |
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which was later revised as Les Sylphides.
TIMELY TIPS!
It is important to encourage students to practice dramatic expressiveness,
while performing any choreographed sequences. This is a vital element
in well crafted choreography. Classical & Contemporary companies
have on their artistic staff a 'dramaturge' whose responsibility
is to coach dancers in the dramatic content contained in ballets.
The classical ballet "Giselle" is an excellent example
of 'darker' emotions while "Coppelia" expresses 'lighter'
emotions. Encourage your students to think about this when performing
and choreographing.
COMPOSITION CHALLENGE!
Create a dance sequence using -
Music: 8 bars, moderate tempo.
Drama: Expressive and dramatic movement related to the mood
of the chosen music
Style: Classical or Contemporary
Tools: Using the '8 Directions' - create a sequence that incorporates
movement facing all 4 sides, (front, right, left, and back). Then
rearrange the same sequence to face the 4 corners.
General: The sequence should be completed within a single
lesson time and created with small groups of two, three or four
dancers.
BACK STAGE
For further information on ChoreoCraft Pty. Ltd., contact the director
and author Kenneth Norman at dances@choreocraft.com
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been taught, teachers have found
that the method encourages both young children and students
to think and research more deeply and at the same time boosts
their motivation levels. A good example is the student who
may be finding the technical aspects of dance training challenging,
but gains confidence and enthusiasm through the use of their
natural creative talents. Like to find out more about ChoreoCraft?
Contact Kenneth Norman at dances@choreocraft.com
ChoreoCraft
Tips for Dancers and Teachers
Visionary Choreographer Worth Researching:
Some dance historians believe that one man single-handedly
did more for dance choreography than anyone before him or
since.
His name? Michel Fokine.
He was born 127 years ago in Russia.
He was a talented ballet dancer and a teacher but soon became
disenchanted with the stiff and formal approaches to ballet
taken in those days. In 1914 he published the revolutionary
five principles of reform which soon became the accepted features
of modern day ballet. The features included: appealing to
the viewers' souls and emotions, not just to their eyes, using
the whole body, not just the hands and feet and that the music,
scenery and the dance should all work together as a single
unit.
Fokine choreographed the famous
Dying Swan, the solo dance for Anna Pavlova and staged more
than 70 ballets across Europe and the United States. One of
his most renowned works was Chopiniana
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