FINALISED IDEA 16/9/19
Since my last blog I have further developed my ideas for my piece. I felt drawn to the image with the "cog head" as the idea that everything we do in our day to day lives being controlled by one organ is fascinating to me. The human brain is so complex that one small change can have such a widespread effect on how we live our lives. Something that can really affect someone's livelihood is a mental illness that affects 1 in 4 people and 50% of these people go untreated. These statistics shocked me and made me realise how ignorant people can be about mental health.
I hope that my choreography will elicit a strong feeling of empathy from the audience which can leave a long lasting impression on them and bring awareness to mental disorders. I know that I sometimes have difficulty with choreographing with a specific stimulus in mind. This is why research is vital; to formulate a creative piece I need more knowledge on a particular disease- I have chosen schizophrenia as I feel that there are many choreographic ways to convey this stimulus. This disorder can greatly affect someone's health and the difference in brain structure can be shown through these scans:
I have chosen 'bellyache' by Billie Eilish as my final music piece. I thought that this song had so many interesting parts that would work well with certain devices, for example there are beats of silence or calm that I envision moments of stillness. This highlights the more energetic movements during the climax or more upbeat parts of the song: this contrast will hopefully mirror the mood swings that are part of the symptoms for schizophrenia. During my search for music I also came across some other songs like "if I'm being honest" - Dodie Clark and "Japanese Denim" - Frank Ocean which I entertained for this piece because I felt that the lyrics really suited my stimulus. However, I decided that "bellyache" had more musical variety within the song and therefore was easier to choreograph to.
People who suffer from schizophrenia experience cognitive deficits like problems with short and long term memory. I can portray this through elements of rondo form as this repetition would further convey my stimulus. As I previously mentioned, I will make use of the climax in the music as this device will help me illustrate the symptoms of this disorder. Although I am going to incorporate devices to enhance choreography, I would like to choreograph them so they are still slightly ambiguous. I believe that the audience can become more engaged in the performance when they are able to interpret and generate their own ideas.
I think that this is a very strong idea and you will be able to create a very interesting final piece with the topic you have chosen. You have very clearly stated what you would like the piece to portray to the audience and I think it sounds very intriguing, however I wondered what emotions you would be feeling as you danced to help with this choreographic intension? As well as this, when I read your blog I got a good understanding of how choosing schizophrenia would help with your choreography but I just wondered what drew your attention particularly to schizophrenia instead of other mental health diseases? I think you have got a really strong idea and I can't wait to see how it turns out! Well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks! My music is not necessarily sad so when I was improvising to get some ideas I didn't really have any strong emotions. After research I felt like I understood my stimulus more and therefore started to feel more emotions toward my choreography. I felt quite moved when I realised how many people are affected by this mental illness and how badly they can be affected by it.
DeleteI felt particularly drawn towards schizophrenia as it is the most common severe mental illness but I feel as though not enough people are educated enough about it.
I like how you want to make people aware of mental health through your choreography as it is an important message that you need to get across. In addition to this, I like how you have placed pictures in to give the audience a better idea into the illness. Do you have any thoughts into what movements you will do to portray this illness?
ReplyDeleteOverall, your blog is very well detailed and I can see how much they have developed during these few weeks.
thank you ! I have considered lots of high and low movements like moving in and out of the floor to represent the short amount of time a mood can go from high to low. I have also thought about lots of small, curled in movements to show a sense of vulnerability.
DeleteI like how you have already begun your research to help develop your ideas and inspire you with the message that you want to portray in your piece. Do the lyrics of your chosen music relate to your idea or is it mainly the dynamics and energy that the music creates that has drawn you to it? You have a clear vision of the emotions that you want to portray in your piece, well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, during the song the phrase "where's my mind" is repeated several times and this really caught my attention when I heard the song for the first time. But the dynamics and energy of the music also are large contributors of why I chose that song. It starts off as quite calm and easy going and then it builds up during the chorus- I have tried to mirror this in my movements as I feel that a structured dance can be so much more interesting than a non structured one.
DeleteI really like the way you have interpreted your chosen stimulus. Furthermore I think its interesting that you are going to link your dance to a particular mental illness. What movements do you think you'll include to portray the stimulus?
ReplyDeleteI will include lots of floorwork and big jumps to incorporate the choreographic device of contrast.
DeleteThe content of this post is well thought out, and clearly explains what you hope to achieve and how you would like the audience to feel. You have clearly explained how your chosen music and choreographic devices will help portray your final idea. For further development, you should consider how you will structure your solo as well as consider what further research you will undertake to add greater depth and understanding to your theme. How will your research affect your movement development?
ReplyDeleteThank you! I am planning to have a climax that will mirror the climax in the song. This section of the dance will include lots of high energy movements and elevation.
DeleteI need to conduct further research on stories and experiences from people who suffer from schizophrenia. If I am able to do this, it could develop my movements and make them more meaningful/emotive.