Dance unit 15 concepts and techniques

¶ … space in Melt (work in progress) was very critical to the performance and to the audience's interpretation of the piece as a whole. There was a sense of permanence associated with this space, as the dancers never moved from their stationary seats at various locales on a wall. Thus, it would appear that this space that the dancers were confined to -- although somewhat vacuous since the wall itself was big -- helped to form a motif about the dancers being stuck or trapped somewhere. There are several different aspects of sound that correlate to this theme of entrapment. At times the sound in this dance is deceptively quiet, yet it gradually builds in volume and intensity to correspond with the movements of the dancers. During crescendos, those movements seem riotous and anxious; during lulls they appear subdued like the entrapped dancers. As such, the visceral imagery and connotations of this work have a degree of fluidity that seems to be a coordinated effort towards an escape that appears futile.

There were a couple of different spaces considered in Stephan Koplowitz's TaskForce UK Chapter 6. The one that resonated the most with me was when the dancers were staged on the exterior of a large swimming pool. I believe that the copious amount of space in this particular setting helped to reinforce a notion of unity among the dancers. They were able to emphasize this theme in accordance to the space by participating in elongated lines in which they held hands and moved slowly, symbolizing unity as they spread out throughout the sprawling atmosphere of the expansive pool. At this point in the video the sound actually picked up its momentum. Doing so gave the viewer the feeling that the work was building towards something -- which suddenly climaxed near the end of the video when the melodies and the volume of the sound became simplified and muted, respectively. Such a dramatic effect made it seem as though there was a degree of camaraderie between the dancers, who mostly moved in unison.

Melt (work in progress). 8 February 2008. YouTube. Web. 29 April 2013.

Stephan Koplowitz: TaskForce UK Chapter 6 (site-specific dance). 26 June 2009. YouTube. Web. 3 May 2013.

Alyssa's analysis of Hotel Pool was insightful because she emphasized some of the different elements that are salient in a sight specific performance and distinct from a conventional stage one. In particular, her comment about the actual art including elements of the site, such as the water splashing up in the air after the dancers plunged into it, is the whole point of doing a site specific performance. I also agree with what she said about the setting from TaskForce UK Chapter 6 encouraging anticipation for the summer time. That was actually one of the best parts about this video, watching people in what must have been ideal (meaning hot) weather and taking advantage of it in a pool.

Just based on what Nicole wrote about Hotel Pool, it seems that this video has a lot in common with one of the one's I reviewed, TaskForce UK Chapter 6. This seems especially true about the dancers reflecting different moods. The dancers displayed an assortment of different moods and attitudes in Koplowitz's piece; at the end of the dance when they crept out of the water and the music receded some, they seemed various serious. In the beginning, however, they were really playful. it's interesting that I got a similar feel to Nicole about the trapped, nightmarish imagery of Melt (a work in progress).