Lesson 8

The Art of Dance               Level 2: Control

Lesson 2-4: Textures/Speed control – Animation Techniques (Friday, March 6, 2020)

Animation is a combination of characterization (miming, acting) and foundation (the 7 concepts taught below). Animation is making things come to life! Popping is something you add to the 7 techniques of animation to add an effect (for example: dime stop-pop-dime stop).

KEY POINT: Animation isn’t any movement, it is what you do to movement! Liking editing a photo after taking it…. No particular movement is animation! 

ASSIGNMENT due on Monday, March 9 @ 11:59pm on the portal (see bottom of the page for all the information)

Operational Definitions:

Texture: the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or a substance / the feel, appearance, or consistency of a motion

Animating: bring to life

Statue: A three-dimensional representation usually of a person, animal, or mythical being that is produced by sculpturing, modeling, or casting / A still image

Speed Control: Consciously/Manually controlling or manipulating the exact speed of ones motion

Dime Stops: To bring a movement to a sudden stop “on a dime”

Ticking: To move with consecutive stops, like the hand of a clock

Strobing: To move with consecutive stops at a more rapid rate than Ticking, like a strobe light

Vibrating: To move with consecutive stops at a very rapid rate, faster than Strobing, like something that is vibrating

Glitching: To use speed control/stops to interrupt a pattern or rhythm, like a glitch in a game or show

Textures are generated through intent. Textures will help bring your dance and moreover any motion to life. The more refined one’s dance is the more they will be able to generate textures clearly the way they intend. There are no set rules of how one must interpret textures within dance until you start diving into specific styles. For sake of our training purposes we will use animation techniques to generate these textures, as I have found this the most all encompassing and effective system to work with. It is a clear progression that goes as follows –

Statue, Speed control, Dime Stops, Ticking, Strobing, Vibrating, Glitching

Or SSDTSVG, Or, Send it Son / Daughter… Super Vibes Galore!!! (What your parents will say after this lesson watching you dance/a trick to help remember)

Each one of these techniques has nuances as to how to perform it effectively although there are numerous ways to generate each effect, but remember, it is important to do things EFFICIENTLY, so you can save you energy for saucing up whatever you’re doing.

When doing Statue keep the minimum amount of tension possible while maintaining authenticity

When doing Speed Control release tension whenever possible to reset

When doing Dime Stops maintain a small amount of tension through the movement and tighten it to stop

When Ticking keep very minimal tension other than for stopping

When Strobing keep a medium amount of tension

When Vibrating use bursts of tension

Combining these techniques one can produce a nearly infinite number of effects.

Please watch the following videos and try to identify some of these techniques we have learned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSS8zixKI6s

Kinen… Easily one of my favourite dancers in the world right now from New York repping Litefeet, and Team Rock-It (which you can hear chanted at one point), but famously is the litefeet dancer implementing animation techniques the most effectively. IF YOU ARE GOING TO WATCH ANY OF THE VIDEOS WATCH THIS ONE. I PROMISE THERE IS SO MUCH TO TAKE AWAY FROM IT AND MOREOVER… ITS LIT!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmAxxHK_vTc

MT Pop from Vietnam, one of the highest level poppers/animators in the world right now (This video is long but has many great examples, feel free to just watch the first few if you would like )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PuJiUhL84w

Soulbotics crew is one of the leading popping/animating crews in the world right now. This battle is insane. SPECIAL NOTE: Megaman in this battle is from Vancouver and is one of my teachers as well as the one who taught me the system we learned in this lesson as well as reviewed the lesson to ensure all the information is correct. We are very blessed to have his wisdom/guidance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hb23UodPqw

Boppin Andre one of the creators of animation and the Boppin style from LA. Skip to 1:45 for when he starts dancing. This is the most traditional of the 3 videos in how animation is performed.

ASSIGNMENT due on the portal on Monday, March 9 by 11:59pm (worth 10% of term 3)

  1. Create a word document (not pages) and write the following title on your document & when you save it:
    1. Your first name, last name – Jr. Crew Block 1 or 2 – Animation Techniques with Bruce
  2. You will need to watch this video (3rd one from the list above): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PuJiUhL84w
  3. Pick one of the dancer.
    1. Watch him dance for all the sections of the video that he dances in.
  4. Keeping in mind that these 7 concepts were introduced: statue, speed control, dime stop, ticking, strobing, vibrating & glitching.
    1. Watch the video again and find one example for 5 of these concepts that your 1 dancer demonstrated.
    2. For each example:
      1. Write the time in the video that you see the concept used (e.g. 0:54-1:03)
      2. Write the concept that is being used at that time.
      3. Write a description of what the dancer does that represents this concept, explains what you see and it connects with the definition of the concept. Use your own words.
  5. Turn in your assignment the portal under: Animation Techniques with Bruce – Lesson 8: Textures/Speed Control
  6. Due no later than Monday, March 9 @ 11:59pm.