Lesson 3

The Art of Dance with Bruce: Combining Rhythm and Foundation Pt.1

TEST:

  • Friday, September 20, 2019 in class
  • Grade 8 retreat leaders only: Tuesday, September 24, 2019 @ 7:30am in the dance studio

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Operational Definitions:

Texture – the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or a substance.

Dynamics – the varying levels of volume of sound in different parts of a musical performance / varying levels of intensity one expresses in different parts within a dance performance

Energy – In our context this may refer to what is being released from tension, what is leading to tension, or what it present during tension.

Tension – physical, mental, or emotional strain.

Musicality – musical talent, or sensitivity / The capacity to use ones body like an instrument to accompany music

When once begins to combine time and space, or rhythm and foundation rather, the real fun begins. Through the combination of these two elements you will experience tension governed by energy, leading to different textures. Some will happen more naturally or feel better for different people, exploring these for yourself is very fun, rewarding, and can reveal interesting things about oneself (such as where one holds tension or how to make better use of energy). Much in the way that a musician will manipulate the force and time sustained for different notes in order to establish feelings or tones, we as dancers must do the same to see what “notes” we can play. Note that you don’t always have to do this in synchronicity with the music entirely, it can be beneficial to think of accompanying the music as opposed to mimicking it.

One can use the basis of an up or down groove to play and see what feelings or tones they are able to express. It is useful to see how far one can take these in order to find working limitations and range. Remember that with bounces representing the y-axis, and rocks/swings representing the x-axis, one can create rhythmic 3-dimensional movements. One of the fundamental ways to cultivate an interesting performance is with dynamics. One great means of illustrating dynamics is by switching between up and down grooves as well as loud and soft movements. One cannot simply switch at any time between which direction they are grooving, momentum must either be doubled up, or paused in order to switch. The doubling up is done on the “and” count with the change occurring on the following whole count whereas the pause can be done for any length of time on any beat. These two may also be combined together for animation like effect.

Once one can comfortably use these different techniques it is crucial to remember as dancers a fundamental goal is musicality.

Music:

  • Find a Way by A Tribe Called Quest
  • Girl Watching by T-Connection
  • Top Down by EARTHGANG
  • Self Love by Dreamville, J. Cole
  • Check the Rhime by A Tribe Called Quest
  • Bank by EARTHGANG
  • Sleep Deprived by Dreamville, J.Cole
  • Sometimes by J Dilla
  • Ransom by Lil Tecca