Rules on how to create a performance.
1. First choose your performers
a. ‘The performer I choose to work with is the first and most important material of a dance piece. Everything that happens is bound by that choice’ (p5)
2. Create short movement sequences
a. Make material using improvisation; ‘…individual movements or short sequences found by a process of improvisation, which are then placed each in relation to the other to create a choreography. (p5/6)
3. Understand your habits
a. Utilise this
i. ‘…try to consciously break them, or push them away’
ii. ‘…try to render them visible again, enough that the meanings and feelings are rediscovered and what has been taken for granted is cherished’
b. ‘Stealing from yourself is also a useful strategy, so long as you’re not bored with what you steal. Trust your boredom’ (p32)
4. Use repetition
a. ‘it is a moment of recognition for the audience in a sea of change’ (p8)
5. Do not use silence
a. ‘Silence during a performance can be very uncomfortable for an audience; they can end up feeling like they’re not allowed to breathe.’ (p184)
b. ‘Silence is no more neutral than nudity’ (p184)
6. A subject is not necessarily seen in the dance
a. ‘Faced with movement, the first subject the audience see is “movement”’ (p30)
b. ‘Dance can’t do everything’ (p31)
c. ‘Performance about performance is a fine subject’ (p169)
7. Don’t keep messing with the movement
a. ‘If it isn’t working, drop it’ (p75)
b. ‘Fiddling with movement rarely adds anything; it is what it is’ (p75)
8. The ending is as important as everything before it
a. ‘The right ending is the ending you almost don’t notice, but which seems absolutely recognisable and unquestionable when you reach it’ (p81)
9. Keep it going
a. Don’t start too fast/don’t start too slow
b. If it becomes hard to watch, it is too long
c. ‘Sometimes small adjustments change everything’ (p89)
10. Stillness is as strong as any other material
a. ‘Without them your audience will become exhausted’ (p91)
b. ‘pause as material can be very powerful’ (p92)
c. ‘Being bored isn’t necessarily a bad experience, especially if there’s a payoff coming’ (p92)
11. Be subjective about your work
a. ‘there comes a point... where you have to decide whether what you’re making is working or not’
12. Unpredictability becomes predictable
a. Do something predictable in your unpredictability
b. ‘If you set up the expectation that what you are doing is unpredictable, and then you go on being unpredictable, the outcome inevitably is that I get bored because I know you’r going to go on being unpredictable’ (p107)
c. ‘The audience wants to care what happens next (p108)
13. Think about how many dancers you use
a. ‘more people doesn’t necessarily mean more will happen’ (p120)
14. Play with timings
a. ‘Squeezing a movement into the wrong time frame can be quite gripping’ (p124)
b. ‘Audiences like change’ (p125)
15. Do not do everything in the dance studio
a. ‘A dance studio is a hard place to concentrate, especially if you are working with other people who are waiting for you to decide what you want them to do’ (p142)
16. Work with a score
a. ‘It can mediate between the maker and the work’ (p142)
b. ‘It can give you a more objective viewpoint’ (p142)
c. ‘A score can also embody within it the principles and philosophy behind the work’ (p143)
d. You do not have to follow the score if you have a strong impulse to do something else
17. The front isn’t necessarily the best facing to connect with the audience
a. ‘The audience are usually infront of you and facing them is one possibility. It isn’t, however, the only option, and it isn’t a guarantee of communication’ (p160)
b. ‘Another way to meet the audience is to confront them’ (p161)
c. ‘Allow both concentration and release’ (p162)
18. Consider the music/sound in relation to the movement
a. ‘loud music outweighs small movement and sound often dominates the atmosphere’ (p180)
b. ‘You can change the whole world of something by the music or sound you use’ (p180)
19. Lighting a theatre requires artificial lighting
a. ‘What do you want the audience to focus on’ (p188)
b. Theatre lighting is very good at presenting the audience with a reassuring look of “theatre”’ (p188)
c. ‘Changing the light refreshes the eye of the person watching’ (p191)
20. Use costumes that represent your performance
a. ‘When you walk onto the stage are you presenting yourself or are you presenting someone or something else?’ (p192)
b. ‘a large hat is all that we will see’ (p193)
c. ‘What we wear will affect how we move, but also how the audience can perceive the thing we present’ (p194)
21. Use a stage set that represents your performance
a. ‘An empty stage is just as much of a statement as a large theatre set’ (p194)
22. Think about the title of the piece
a. ‘The title you give your piece forms a strong part of the contract you establish with the audience’ (p196)
b. ‘The title you give your piece will also represent the piece in the mind of the departing audience, so it can be useful if they are able to remember it’ (p196)
c. ‘The right title, once lodged in your mind, will probably refuse to go away’ (p197)
(Burrows, 2010, p5-197)
a. ‘The performer I choose to work with is the first and most important material of a dance piece. Everything that happens is bound by that choice’ (p5)
2. Create short movement sequences
a. Make material using improvisation; ‘…individual movements or short sequences found by a process of improvisation, which are then placed each in relation to the other to create a choreography. (p5/6)
3. Understand your habits
a. Utilise this
i. ‘…try to consciously break them, or push them away’
ii. ‘…try to render them visible again, enough that the meanings and feelings are rediscovered and what has been taken for granted is cherished’
b. ‘Stealing from yourself is also a useful strategy, so long as you’re not bored with what you steal. Trust your boredom’ (p32)
4. Use repetition
a. ‘it is a moment of recognition for the audience in a sea of change’ (p8)
5. Do not use silence
a. ‘Silence during a performance can be very uncomfortable for an audience; they can end up feeling like they’re not allowed to breathe.’ (p184)
b. ‘Silence is no more neutral than nudity’ (p184)
6. A subject is not necessarily seen in the dance
a. ‘Faced with movement, the first subject the audience see is “movement”’ (p30)
b. ‘Dance can’t do everything’ (p31)
c. ‘Performance about performance is a fine subject’ (p169)
7. Don’t keep messing with the movement
a. ‘If it isn’t working, drop it’ (p75)
b. ‘Fiddling with movement rarely adds anything; it is what it is’ (p75)
8. The ending is as important as everything before it
a. ‘The right ending is the ending you almost don’t notice, but which seems absolutely recognisable and unquestionable when you reach it’ (p81)
9. Keep it going
a. Don’t start too fast/don’t start too slow
b. If it becomes hard to watch, it is too long
c. ‘Sometimes small adjustments change everything’ (p89)
10. Stillness is as strong as any other material
a. ‘Without them your audience will become exhausted’ (p91)
b. ‘pause as material can be very powerful’ (p92)
c. ‘Being bored isn’t necessarily a bad experience, especially if there’s a payoff coming’ (p92)
11. Be subjective about your work
a. ‘there comes a point... where you have to decide whether what you’re making is working or not’
12. Unpredictability becomes predictable
a. Do something predictable in your unpredictability
b. ‘If you set up the expectation that what you are doing is unpredictable, and then you go on being unpredictable, the outcome inevitably is that I get bored because I know you’r going to go on being unpredictable’ (p107)
c. ‘The audience wants to care what happens next (p108)
13. Think about how many dancers you use
a. ‘more people doesn’t necessarily mean more will happen’ (p120)
14. Play with timings
a. ‘Squeezing a movement into the wrong time frame can be quite gripping’ (p124)
b. ‘Audiences like change’ (p125)
15. Do not do everything in the dance studio
a. ‘A dance studio is a hard place to concentrate, especially if you are working with other people who are waiting for you to decide what you want them to do’ (p142)
16. Work with a score
a. ‘It can mediate between the maker and the work’ (p142)
b. ‘It can give you a more objective viewpoint’ (p142)
c. ‘A score can also embody within it the principles and philosophy behind the work’ (p143)
d. You do not have to follow the score if you have a strong impulse to do something else
17. The front isn’t necessarily the best facing to connect with the audience
a. ‘The audience are usually infront of you and facing them is one possibility. It isn’t, however, the only option, and it isn’t a guarantee of communication’ (p160)
b. ‘Another way to meet the audience is to confront them’ (p161)
c. ‘Allow both concentration and release’ (p162)
18. Consider the music/sound in relation to the movement
a. ‘loud music outweighs small movement and sound often dominates the atmosphere’ (p180)
b. ‘You can change the whole world of something by the music or sound you use’ (p180)
19. Lighting a theatre requires artificial lighting
a. ‘What do you want the audience to focus on’ (p188)
b. Theatre lighting is very good at presenting the audience with a reassuring look of “theatre”’ (p188)
c. ‘Changing the light refreshes the eye of the person watching’ (p191)
20. Use costumes that represent your performance
a. ‘When you walk onto the stage are you presenting yourself or are you presenting someone or something else?’ (p192)
b. ‘a large hat is all that we will see’ (p193)
c. ‘What we wear will affect how we move, but also how the audience can perceive the thing we present’ (p194)
21. Use a stage set that represents your performance
a. ‘An empty stage is just as much of a statement as a large theatre set’ (p194)
22. Think about the title of the piece
a. ‘The title you give your piece forms a strong part of the contract you establish with the audience’ (p196)
b. ‘The title you give your piece will also represent the piece in the mind of the departing audience, so it can be useful if they are able to remember it’ (p196)
c. ‘The right title, once lodged in your mind, will probably refuse to go away’ (p197)
(Burrows, 2010, p5-197)
Humprey includes a checklist in The Art of Making Dances to help you from stopping your dance from becoming lifeless, this includes:
-Symmetry is lifeless
'symmetrical design always suggests stability, repose, a passionless state'
'Dancers, without compositional training, almost invariably fall into symmetry, as children do when they improvise.'
'Overuse of symmetry isnot only naive and umimmaginative, but also very dull.'
-Two-dimensional design is lifeless
'The human body is three-dimensional'
'Nothing dehumanizes movement so completely as the flat, linear design.'
-The eye is faster than the car
'movement must take the spotlight; it must not be repetitios or lazily lean on the music to carry it along.'
-Movement looks slower and weaker on the stage
'One of the peaks of anxiety in choreography is that moment when the studio-born dance is transferred to the stage.'
'remember to compensate for the expected changes in the studio- what looks there a little too fast, too sharp, too big, too aggresive in general will probably be about right'
-All dances are too long
'There is one other remedy besides cutting for the overlong dance, and that is more material, more intensity, more invention; in other words, a richer mixture might keep the whole thing alive in its original length.'
-A good ending is forty percent of the dance
'The ending is a highly important affair, which choreographers should worry about fully as much as playwrights with their third-act curtain'
'the last impression is not only the strongest one, but tends to color the audience's opinion of the whole'
'It takes an effort of goodwill to remember that, yes, the beginning was excellent, there was a high spot in the middle, the music was appropraite etc.'
-Monotony is fatal; look for contrasts
'Most people live and die in narrow grooves'
'to be succesful, the choreographer...must enlarge his personal range, must seek to use and understand attitudes and timings quite foreign to his natural inclinations
'Moderation in all things may be a good recipe for living, but in dancing, it is fatal.'
-Don't be a slave to, or a mutilator of, the music
'The dance should be related to, but not identical with, the music, because this is redundant- why say in dance exactly what the composer has already stated in music?'
-Listen to qualified advice, don't be arrogant
'It is impossible to mark where independence changes into arrogance'
-Don't intellectualise, motivate movement
'an itellectual approach, which is central and not peripheral, is out of place in an art which has, as its medium, movement of the human body.'
'dance cannot be completely intellectualized without forfeiting its audiences and endangering its very existense.'
-Don't leave the ending to the end
'This will mitigate some of the disasters caused by vagueness of conception-lack of time, the ending that seems perfect in the mind, but that is not right in practice.'
(Humphrey, 1959, p159-166)
-Symmetry is lifeless
'symmetrical design always suggests stability, repose, a passionless state'
'Dancers, without compositional training, almost invariably fall into symmetry, as children do when they improvise.'
'Overuse of symmetry isnot only naive and umimmaginative, but also very dull.'
-Two-dimensional design is lifeless
'The human body is three-dimensional'
'Nothing dehumanizes movement so completely as the flat, linear design.'
-The eye is faster than the car
'movement must take the spotlight; it must not be repetitios or lazily lean on the music to carry it along.'
-Movement looks slower and weaker on the stage
'One of the peaks of anxiety in choreography is that moment when the studio-born dance is transferred to the stage.'
'remember to compensate for the expected changes in the studio- what looks there a little too fast, too sharp, too big, too aggresive in general will probably be about right'
-All dances are too long
'There is one other remedy besides cutting for the overlong dance, and that is more material, more intensity, more invention; in other words, a richer mixture might keep the whole thing alive in its original length.'
-A good ending is forty percent of the dance
'The ending is a highly important affair, which choreographers should worry about fully as much as playwrights with their third-act curtain'
'the last impression is not only the strongest one, but tends to color the audience's opinion of the whole'
'It takes an effort of goodwill to remember that, yes, the beginning was excellent, there was a high spot in the middle, the music was appropraite etc.'
-Monotony is fatal; look for contrasts
'Most people live and die in narrow grooves'
'to be succesful, the choreographer...must enlarge his personal range, must seek to use and understand attitudes and timings quite foreign to his natural inclinations
'Moderation in all things may be a good recipe for living, but in dancing, it is fatal.'
-Don't be a slave to, or a mutilator of, the music
'The dance should be related to, but not identical with, the music, because this is redundant- why say in dance exactly what the composer has already stated in music?'
-Listen to qualified advice, don't be arrogant
'It is impossible to mark where independence changes into arrogance'
-Don't intellectualise, motivate movement
'an itellectual approach, which is central and not peripheral, is out of place in an art which has, as its medium, movement of the human body.'
'dance cannot be completely intellectualized without forfeiting its audiences and endangering its very existense.'
-Don't leave the ending to the end
'This will mitigate some of the disasters caused by vagueness of conception-lack of time, the ending that seems perfect in the mind, but that is not right in practice.'
(Humphrey, 1959, p159-166)