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Contemporary Technique 2- Final Assessment

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We finished our piece within this three hour session, where we focussed on contact and partner work. There is a section within the original video where one performer stands on a table, while the other jumps and grabs their arm, moving into an illusion. Also, I then recreated a floor section where a dancer slides under a table and lies there, while the other performers are still movement. Mikaela continues moving while I lye under a table for a brief amount of time. Additionally, we found another section that we wanted to recreate. They hold hands and create a 'bouncing' effect, where they switch positions from the impact on leaning back, almost like an 'elastic band' effect. After this, we repeated our beginning motifs as a way of showing repetition, a device used within the original video. Overall, we found this process fairly easy, and we were able to explore a different practitioners style of work. We could find sections that we found interesting and adapt them to suit our own style, as well as portray our understanding on current contemporary dance styles.

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Within todays rehearsal, we had numerous dancers have to pull out of the piece due to personal reasons. This meant that we had to re-block the piece, and reorganise canons, pathways and formations to ensure there are no gaps within the piece. This was a hard process as we now only have five dancers, and we had to ensure we fulfil the choreography to its full potential. Therefore, throughout the entire lesson, we spent time walking through each section and reorganising the formations and timings for the canon sections. After this, despite being a stressful process, we were able to ensure the piece was to a standard that we could perform it.

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As the piece is finished, we spent this time rehearsing and correcting any issues that we discovered. It is clear that we are confident with the movement and the timing. The lift was also successful, which allowed me to feel much more confident and comfortable. We were able to keep good timing and work as a team throughout. I believe that performance still needs to be added to the piece to add more interest and depth, as well as help explain the theme of the piece. However, with the adrenaline of the final performance, I believe this will come naturally.

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After last weeks rehearsal lesson, we continued learning the choreography this week. It is clear that as the lessons progress, we all need to be adding characterisation to make this piece more intriguing. After spending some time rehearsing and sharing our improvement's with our tutor, we began learning the new sections. The section that I will be involved in, follows on from the lust trio, previously learnt. The trio learnt this week, was used to show envy and wrath. We used sharp head movements, like my solo motif, as well as puppeteering effects, as a way of showing control. Within this section, I had to perform a dive roll over Alicia. I found this difficult, but after spending some time rehearsing and practising this movement, I gained more confidence with it. The entire group then re-joined to perform a lift, where I would be lifted. We found this difficult as the dancers were struggling to find ways of lifting me to a good enough height. After trying to find ways that worked best for everyone, we eventually found that I needed more support of the bottom half of my body, in order to be elevated high enough. Being lifted is something that I am comfortable with, especially with my peers as I have trust in them, and we are good at communicating what works well and what doesn't. After the lift, we created a small travelling sequence, that consisted of repeated movements from within the piece. This needs to be rehearsed in upcoming lessons as some dancers were uncertain of the order of each position and/or movement.

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In todays lesson, our tutor was not able to attend, therefore we were set on the task of rehearsing and ensuring we are confident with the choreography. This was a great chance to be able to work as a team and help one another out within sections. I can see that the timing has improved massively, which is something that needed working on within the previous weeks. We also have strong movement memory. This allows us to move forwards with the choreography in upcoming lessons, and to be able to feel confident in the material that we have already leant. As a group, we must now start adding characterisation and using our faces to represent our sin. For example, I would like to keep a straight and serious face throughout to show envy, as well as use the eyes rather than the head, to display my character.

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This was our second unseen choreography assessment, which is organised like an audition.
We were not aware of the choreography before the lesson, and we were going to be taught the movement and be assessed within the same lesson. Just like the first assessment, this was to assess our movement memory, and how able we are to perform something we have just learnt. I enjoyed this assessment, as I perform much better under pressure.

Comments that I received from my tutor within this assessment were:

I was able to learn the choreography quickly

I had good energy throughout

I incorporated my own style

I showed dynamics

Good use of grooves

Showed a few hesitations but these I continued professionally

Like the previous assessment, I am showing constant improvement in movement memory, the use of energy and groove and incorporating my own style. I believe these are all elements that support commercial technique and style, as they show a good understanding of the requirements of this genre. Something that has improved from the previous assessment, and all other lessons throughout the year, is dynamics, and showing differentiation between movements. Within this assessment, I was able to show good dynamics. For example, the body pops which require groove and style into the leg locking section, which needs to be harsh and determined. I can see a clear and evident improvement on this skill, which will help improve the quality of my future performances. I was made aware my my teacher that I had a few hesitations throughout, but this didn't throw me off the choreography and I was able to continue forwards professionally, and maintain personality and energy. Again, this may be due to having a short period of time to learn the choreography. Overall, I have enjoyed these assessments, as I enjoy the pressure of the audition process and pushing myself and my abilities to be the best they can be.

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This assessment was organised like an audition. We were not aware of the choreography before the lesson, and we were going to be taught the movement and be assessed within the same lesson. This was to assess our movement memory, and how able we are to perform something we have just learnt. I thoroughly enjoyed this assessment, as I perform much better under pressure. It gives us a chance as dancers to gain audition experience in a safe and relaxed environment, where we all feel confident and comfortable.

My comments from my teacher in this assessment were:

I have a good ability of learning the choreography

Good movement memory

Good attention to detail

Fulfilling movements fully

Incorporated my own style

Good energy throughout

Showed a good commercial style

I need to show differentiation between grooves and powerful movements

Linking back to the previous two terms, I can see further development in my targets and my ability within commercial dance. For example, my movement memory has improved, as well as being able to incorporate my own style to this. This was something that was developing during Unite; However, we can see a clear development now. I kept good energy throughout, which is something that has majorly developed since Danceworks, as I often lacked energy and performance. This may be due to becoming more familiar with the commercial dance style, and understanding what works well for me and my personality within dance. Additionally, I have been able to give good attention to detail and fulfil movements which is something I personally noticed I wasn't as advanced at during the first two terms. I would often cut movements off too short. It is good to show this development, as ensuring movements are finished shows good understanding of the choreography, as well as timing, and what fits with the tempo of the music. This will benefit me when moving forwards as it shows full understanding of each movement. However, one weakness I was given from this assessment, was ensuring that I differentiate between grooves and powerful movements. For example, the second where you strongly place the hands and the body rolls. Placing the arms needs to be quick and powerful, whereas the body roll should look smooth. This is all about understanding the music, and the timings for each movement. This also relates to dynamics which is something I have been told to improve before. Although I have seen some development over the year, this is clearly something that needs improving further. In order to do this, I must ensure I am gaining familiarity with the music and how the appearance of each movement should be. This weakness could be present because I only had one lesson to learn and perform this choreography, and I didn't have the time to gain a full understanding of the movements and their timings. Overall, I believe I performed well, and showed good movement memory and style throughout.

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I believe that I performed to a high standard within my jazz technique assessment, and was able to portray a good understanding of technique. Over the years, I have seen a clear development within my jazz ability, as I started as a beginner within my BTEC course. I was able to use ballet technique to ensure I am performing correctly within jazz, at the technique has the same requirements, apart from some elements such as a turned in knee on turns, rather than a turnout.

Within this assessment, I can see a clear understanding and improvement of movement memory, extension of the arms and legs, as well as keeping a tight fifth position of the feet when necessary. All of these are required within jazz technique. However, my target for the term was to improve my expression. I don't not see much expression throughout, expect from smiling occasionally. My main goal was to show character and personality throughout. I believe that in order to see a clear development of my target will be much more achievable within a performance setting, such as a show. Therefore, I believe my target can be improved further, moving forwards into our final assessment.

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After performing my technique assessment and receiving feedback from my tutor, I can see a slight development in my abilities, as well as my SMART target that I set at the start of the year. My goal was to improve my core stability, as this is something that has always been a struggle for myself. However, when learning the exercises, I began to notice that my core stability was of an acceptable standard and was not causing my movements to look untidy. Although I couldn't notice a lack in core stability throughout lessons, I knew that this has always been something I wanted to improve further. These technique exercises focus on contractions and the use of holding the body weight with the core, meaning each lesson was a chance for me to test my stability and build this each week. When watching my assessment back, I notice that my core stability is good but not to a high standard. For example, on the feet exercise, I begin to loose my balance while the working foot moves. I must ensure that next time I am engaging my core to prevent unwanted movement.

However, I am happy with how my target is progressing and hope that I can continue developing this over the year. I will be reviewing my progress again after Danceworks, as I still believe I can improve this further.

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In todays lesson, we were introduced to the idea of the piece, and were shown this picture. Our tutor explained that we would be dancing in a way that represents this picture, and the emotions it stimulates in all of us dancers. This sculpture is called 'Melancolie' and was creating as a way of showing how grief feels, after the sculptor lost his wife. Therefore, we would be using grief as a basis for our emotions within this piece.

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Today, we finished the piece after rehearsing through the choroegraphy arlready learnt. I can see that collectively our timing is improving during the group sections, and we are becoming confident with the movement. However, there are some elements that need to be improved. We must ensure that we know the correct placement of arms. For example, in the opening floor section, we use the t-shirt to pull us to face the left side. Some people are holding their arm and the t-shirt up towards the ceiling, which I do, and others are holding in line with their chest. As a collective we need to decide which one we want to use within the final piece. Ensuring that small details like these are refined, allow the piece to look polished and slick. A personal target that I want to set for myself to improve, is ensuring that I fully extend the legs when necessary. Furthermore, when holding the t-shirt with our foot, I do not extend the leg, it is bent. The movement requires a straight leg. In order to improve this, I can lower the leg slightly, so that I am not pulling or stretching the muscles further than what I am capable of, but I will still be able to create a straight line with the leg. Additionally, I can see that I am becoming much more confident with the duet choreography, and can now see that fluidity is naturally appearing through each movement. As lessons have progressed, I have really enjoyed learning and performing this choreography. It is a great way of expressing emotion and conveying the message of the sculpture.

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In todays lesson, we rehearsed the choreography that we already learnt in previous lessons. Strengths I can see are that we are becoming more familiar with the movement set, as well as gaining more confidence with the use of the t-shirts, however this still needs some improvement. As we will be rehearsing existing choreography every week, this should naturally develop over the weeks leading up to Danceworks. As a group, I have noticed that we need to improve on timing of the movements, so that we are in sync with one another. We all need to practise rolling over the toes and onto the knees, as this doesn't look smooth. At the minute, I notice that I am reluctant to roll over the toes. A personal target that I want to set for myself within this piece is ensuring I am confident with the choreography. There are some moments where I look at my peers for confidence, and a reminder of the following movement. In order to improve this, I will rehearse independently to gain confidence with the choreography and order of the movements.

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In this weeks lesson, we had less dancers, so therefore we rehearsed what choreography has already been learnt. I had forgotten some areas of the beginning floor section, which hasn't happened before. This could have been due to not being surround by other dancers, and feeling uncertain of the choreography. When evaluating our targets as a team, I noticed that we need to ensure the t-shirts are not causing disruption for the movements, for example, not getting stuck on the feet during the back roll. Additionally, some dancers push through the box split position whereas others, such as myself, bend one leg due to not being able to push through the split. As a group, we needed to decide how we are going to perform this movement so that we all perform it the same. After watching this back with our tutor, we decided to use the bend leg method.

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Within this lesson, we began learning the opening section that our tutor had choreographed. Her goal was for us to show that we are trying to face our emotions, and to show how these are affecting us. Again, we used the t-shirts throughout, and are more of a prop then a costume. It adds detail and gives us the chance to explore movement further. I found the choreography challenging to learn and remember when rehearsing throughout the lesson, however, I enjoyed learning this, and channelling my emotions to convey the correct character. After watching this video, I can see that we work well collectively to keep good timing, despite there being no constant counts throughout the music. There are musical cues within the music that allow us to understand the correct timing. However, one thing that we all need to improve is how long each movement is, and how much depth each movement requires, in order to maintain musicality and timing.

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Myself and Mikaela were given the task of creating a duet that incorporated the shirt as much as possible. We wanted the movement to have a puppet effect, so what Mikaela did influenced my movements. This shows that our emotions often have control over us, and although we try to escape our minds, our emotions still have a hold on us. We work well as a team, and are great at communicating with regards to what choreography works well for us as a duet and as individuals.

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"How has Covid-19 put a strain on new and emerging artists entering the performing arts industry? Has this put a halt on their progression into their career or has it impacted or changed their career direction?"

My piece was focussed around educating the audience on how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected, not only the

performing arts industry, but the performers who were emerging into it. I decided to research Eliza Shaddad, an emerging singer and songwriter who was ready for her big break as the Covid-19 pandemic struck. I wanted to focus around her state of wellbeing and emotions, through movement and effects, which she shared during and interview with Sky News. My end goal was for the audience to feel empathetic towards the woman portrayed. This is because throughout lockdown, the arts were disregarded as a false and unworthy career, but I want to educate others on the importance of the arts, and the impact it had on people’s lives when they couldn’t progress into their career. I

wanted to show how emerging artists had to consider a different direction in their career, what this meant

and what this could look like. This gives me the chance to create something around someone’s personal story and use her emotions to influence my movement. As an individual, I feel strongly towards emphasizing the importance of how

performers have been affected mentally by the lockdown and how this has set them back now things are

back to normality.

Overall the weeks, I held rehearsals with my two dancers, where I taught them choreography, and also allowed them to share their input with me as a way of helping me gain inspiration for my next choreographic session, before teaching them. Both of my dancers were happy with the theme of my piece, as they felt strongly towards the topic, as they are performers themselves. As stated within my proposal, I wanted to use special effects. However, I felt that this may loose the rawness of Shaddad's emotions, and may begin to focus more on the visual effect of the piece, rather than the message I am trying to convey. I wanted to use something that included something personal and relevant to Shaddad. After trying to reach out to Shaddad, to arrange an interview where I asked her questions relevant to my piece, I was unsuccessful in receiving a reply. I then had to think of ways of how I could show my audience how performers feel effected since the pandemic. Additionally, I then decided to ask the questions that I had chosen for Shaddad, on other students on my performing arts course. I felt this was a great way of showing a personal outlook to those who aren't emerging into the industry, but have plans to. Furthermore, I then decided to create a small video, sharing key moments from the pandemic, example being, the naming of the virus, lockdown restrictions and the neglection of the arts, especially by chancellor, Rishi Sunak. After this small video, I included the use of Shaddad's interview within the piece. I did this a way of directly showing the audience her story, and the effect the lockdown has had on her and her progression within her career. When choreographing, I wanted to focus on repetition of movements to share the repetition of the lockdowns, and how the arts is constantly being disregarded. It is a constant and continuous disrespect towards performers. My movements show a range of anger and upset, as well as using minimal movements to show lack of energy.

Teacher Feedback:
Mirror Image:
Evaluate (agree, disagree, add evidence, how you would improve next time)

Industry feedback
Evaluate

Personal Opinion
-Did i reach proposal
-Things that went well (use questionnaire)
-Things that could be improved
-Did I enjoy and why

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Tired of Trying- Eliza Shaddad

I wanted to use the music of the person my case study is about, as a way of showing support, and relating this whole piece to her. I wanted it to be a personal way of showing her emotions and her experiences during lockdown, and how it affected her. I felt the song was relevant, as she talks about being 'tired of trying'. This relates well to her interview with Sky News, as she states that she thought this year was 'her year'. She has evidently tried for a long time to break into the industry, and the pandemic has stopped her going so far. I also used the heartbeat as a way of showing the stress of performers when being told they cant perform, they have no income and are told to retrain and get new jobs. The sudden white noise in the music was a way of stopping that panic.

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We all decided on black as this was a colour that represents sadness, lack of happiness and grief. Although performers are not 'grieving', they are missing their jobs, their career and their biggest hobby and passion. Wearing black allowed the audience to focus on our movement and narrative rather than a 'statement' outfit.

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Strengths:

Emotive

Movement memory

Musicality

Energy

Teamwork

Smooth lift work

Weaknesses:

Spacing

Fulfil/finish movements

Timing

Some gaps in transitions

Be certain of the following movements

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During this lesson, we wanted to explore different lifts. I made it clear to my dancers that I wanted something that shows a lift and fall, but includes all three of us. After much debating, we decided on this lift. I instantly knew that this is the lift I wanted to use, because it can symbolise many things. For example:

Millie: Trying to uplift and help others
This is often the case within performing arts. Although it is a competitive industry, performers stuck together during the pandemic, an example being by joining live streams together. Shaddad did this during lockdown, by hosting Instagram live streams where she shared her music, alongside her support acts who were meant to help her during her tour.

Skye: Wanting to try and build themselves back up again
She starts by being upside down, which could symbolise confusion of where she is going within her career. She finally finds stability, someone else has helped her out, but eventually falls back down again. This can symbolise the uncertainty of the arts and the pandemic.

Harriet: Working with others
Metaphorically, I am trying to help other performers, but we end up falling again. There is no progression or support for performers during the pandemic. They are being neglected and disregarded.

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During this weeks session, my dancers were not available, therefore I used the time to choreograph another section of the piece. This would be used towards the end of the piece, and will focus on floorwork. As stated in my proposal I don't want the piece to reach a climax, I want the movements to build but never reach a point at which the movement stays. I wanted to do this as a way of contrasting from typical choreographic structures, as well as showing how during the pandemic, performers were cut off from their careers are crucial times, such as Shaddad. Just days into her tour, she had to cancel after contracting Covid symptoms. The use of floor movements will show the upset and tiredness of performers due to uncertainty of their careers. However, when dancers begin to walk around at the end of the piece, I want this to symbolise their resilience. Shaddad showed this by using social media to her advantage during lockdown, and she never gave up despite feeling like 'her' year was ruined. This section will be taught to dancers in the following lesson.

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After creating choreography in the previous week, I taught this to my two dancers. They picked the content up very quickly, and we were able to recap everything we have created so far. I came to the decision that within this motif, I want to incorporate masks. This will be my way of showing that although coronavirus has well and truly hit, the arts industry refuse to crumble and carry on trying.

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After rehearsing through the entire piece, we spaced the motif that we have been working on in the previous two lessons. I wanted this to be in a diagonal line, as this is a formation that will be used within the spoken word section of my piece. I want to use repetition, as previously stated, because I would like to link to the repetition of feeling disregarded, and feeling like lockdowns are becoming repetitive. Furthermore, we added onto this section, where myself and Millie wrap our arms around Skye, while she reaches out. I used this as a way of showing how performers feel trapped, ignored or are struggling throughout the pandemic, and no one seems to notice and/or care. Overall, this lesson was used as a way of ensuring the dancers were aware of spacing, timing, and the choreography. This was the section that needed to be spaced and formatted.

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In my own time, I created a small motif that would be performed to the spoken word/ video that I created. I did this as a way of using movements that symbolised the words being spoke. For example, when they speak about a run, we ran, and when talking about being alone, I used a contraction movement, while the arms hugged the body. This suggests loneliness. Within this section, I also used stillness, and simply walked backwards before exiting the stage, when we begin to hear about how Rishi Sunak wanted all performers to retrain and get another job. I wanted to use simple movements and stillness here so that the focus was on the words being spoken, rather than the movement. I thought this would help the audience gain a clearer understanding of the piece, and our emotions/reactions to these types of comments.

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This video will allow the audience to see statistics within the arts, related to Covid, and how a performer, already within the industry, has been affected and how this has influenced her today. I hope this video opens the minds of my audience, so they can see that the arts shouldn't be ignored as an unfit career.

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This video shows the results found from the interview questions I created, originally meant for Shaddad. They show a contrast in opinion, but also show some similar answers. Furthermore, this gives the audience a chance to see a more personal outlook on how emerging performers have been affected.

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We started the lesson by rehearsing all of the existing choreography and refining any details that any of the dancers were struggling with. However, this was a quick process as we were all feeling confident with the choreography. We then moved on to creating the new sections. I was involved in a trio, which symbolises the sin, lust, alongside Millie and Alicia. This trio was created to show how lust can be dangerous. For example, we switched from slow, indulging movements to quick, sharp movements. We discussed between ourselves what movements we could use in order to show the line between lust and anger. After doing so, we began choreographing. I can see that as a collective, we are all becoming more familiar with the music, and timing is improving week by week.

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Myself and Mikaela were able to successfully perform this duet, due to feeling confident with the choreography and the style of the practitioner chosen. Collectively, we worked together well to create a piece that represents the use of Fosse technique and how we can use our own character to further this. Furthermore, we rehearsed often to ensure we felt confident with the piece. Due to finishing the piece in a short amount of time, this meant we had a lot of spare time until the show to rehearse the piece and work on any sections we felt uncertain of.

When watching the piece, I can see we had good expression and personality, something that Fosse's dancers always include within their movement. We had good fulfilment of movement, such as elongation, contrast between soft, fluid movements and harsher movements, good movement memory and good timing. My target for this piece was movement memory and fulfilling the movements to their full potential. When watching the final piece back, I can see that my movement memory has massively improved, and isn't causing any problems within the routine. This allows me to show my understanding of learning movement, as well as Fosse's style. I believe that myself and Mikaela were able to create this duet in a short amount of time, is because we are familiar with Bob Fosse and his works. Additionally, we have both studied his style before, so we were therefore familiar with his movement, and his choreographic skills. I believe this gave us further confidence to share his style and show this through our performance and movement.

However, within the piece, there are some elements that are slightly different between Mikaela and I. For example, she sways the hips during the clicks, while I do not. Although we had never noticed this before within rehearsals, this may be due to pressure of an audience or simply adrenaline of ensuring each movement is fulfilled correctly. It does not create an untidy effect, but next time, we must ensure we discuss tiny details to ensure the piece is tidy and professional. I believe that myself and Mikaela could improve our duets next time, by adding more choreography and pushing our choreographing skills further. For example, we could include more interaction or partner work, that allows us to explore Fosse's style through contact.

Overall, I believe we performed professionally and to a high standard, showing a clear understanding of Fosse style and personality throughout. We had good extension and elongation, as well as improved movement memory, expression and dynamics.

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Today will be our final rehearsal session, as we have finished the piece. In our spare time, we will rehearse over the finished piece to ensure we are confident with the movement, up until the performance. We rehearsed all of the existing choreography, and I can see a massive improvement in movement memory. I am becoming much more familiar with the movement and I can see that I am now adding my own style throughout. When choreographing the new section, we including more Fosse movements, such as head and shoulder isolations, as well as the flicking motion of the arms, again with the 'o' figure of the hands. By adding different types of Fosse movements each week, we are demonstrating our understanding of his style and his repertoire. It gives us the chance to gain a clearer idea of this popular jazz practitioner. Moving forwards, we must add performance and expression for the final performance to really fulfil that Fosse style.

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After noticing that we needed to improve our movement memory last week, we spent the beginning half of the rehearsal rehearsing over the existing choreography and ensuring we were confident with the movement. After doing so, you can see a clear improvement of our movement memory, as well as having good timing as a collective. However, now the movement is becoming more familiar to us, we must ensure we add personality and expression, something Fosse likes to incorporate. We then created a new section of the choreography. Again, we used Fosse elements such as the exaggeration of the arms, the use of the pitch, set hand positions, such as being inverted or creating an 'o' shape. We also used drag walks. After creating this next section, we used the remainder of our time rehearsing and refining any details that we believed needed to be rehearsed.

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We began by rehearsing the choreography we created in the previous week. During this time, we both were able to recall the choreography well, and therefore continued adding choreography onto the piece. We included chaine turns, flat hands, often known as 'jazz' hands and shoulder movements. These are all movements that Fosse would use within his choreographies, and are often ways of embellishing his movements to suit his style. One target that we have set moving forwards is to ensure we improve our movement memory on this new section. Personally, I can see that I am unsure of the following movements, and therefore I must ensure I am rehearsing to make the choreography lesson easier and more fluid.

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In todays rehearsal, we began choreographing the beginning section of our Bob Fosse inspired duet. We wanted to include movements that showed our understanding of this jazz practitioner. Therefore, we included movements such as the use of hips. For example we used hip rolls. Additionally, we included clicks, something that Fosse often uses within his work. He also uses fluid and strong arm movements and we therefore included this when changing from the sharp third position of the arms to the soft push of the arms to the side of the body. Something that Fosse is famous for including within his style is the use of a pitch of the torso. This is where you lean the body back. Again, we used this within the beginning section, but this will be shown throughout the piece, to show clear Fosse elements.

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Myself and Mikaela decided on a short black dress, with black jazz heels. When researching into Fosse, we can see that this dress often fits his themes and style. He often uses black clothing quite frequently, as seen in the musical, Chicago. Fosse's style is used religiously within Chicago.

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Elvis Presley - Fever (Official Audio) ft. Michael Bublé

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Fosse/Verdon assumes its viewers know quite a bit about Verdon, Fosse, and their staggering impact on modern musical theater as we know it. But what about those of us who didn't audition for high school musicals or wait in line for Broadway lottery tickets on a regular basis? How are we to proceed? Fear not: We'll get you acquainted with Fosse and Verdon's legacies. You already know more than you think.

Bob Fosse was a dancer and choreographer who, with his distinct style, reshaped the aesthetics of modern musical theater. When you see a Fosse dance move, you know it's a Fosse move. Think curved shoulders, turned-in knees, bowler hats, punctuated hand movements, finger snaps, sideways shuffling - and, yes, jazz hands.

Fosse's style was characterized by its slow, angular sensuality. The style ended up being inextricably linked to the multiple Broadway musicals he choreographed, including The Pajama Game (1955), Damn Yankees (1956), Sweet Charity (1966), Pippin (1973), Chicago (1975). When Pippin was revived in 2013, it featured Fosse's original choreography.

Though Fosse got his start in live theater, his moves are visible all over cinema, too. Fosse directed five feature films. The first was Sweet Charity (1969), a movie adaptation of the theater version that starred Fosse's wife, Gwen Verdon. Fosse/Verdon focuses especially on Fosse's next movie, Cabaret (1972), which starred Liza Minnelli in her Oscar-winning role. Though he died before he could adapt Chicago for a film, his jazz choreography features heavily in the 2002 Oscar-winning movie.

Even if you've never seen Cabaret or Chicago, you've likely come across mention of Fosse's signature move: Jazz hands. For example, in the seventh season of The Office, Jim (John Krasinski) does "jazz hands" every time Dwight (Rainn Wilson) sneezes to drive his work nemesis just a bit crazier. While Fosse didn't invent jazz hands, he brought the move to the mainstream - the show Pippin, which he directed, begins with a sea of jazz hands on a dark stage.

Given their ubiquity, Fosse's moves have also been satirized. Take this SNL skit, in which Christina Applegate (who herself starred in a Broadway revival of Sweet Charity in 2005) plays a high school dance instructor trying to teach her students to emulate Fosse. It goes way over their heads.

Frequently, the word "Fosse" will be used to encapsulate a dance move. So, in The Birdcage, Armand (Robin Williams) shouted out "Fosse" as a directive. A similar thing happens in the current Broadway show Tootsie, and it's played for major gags.

Verdon, the other essential half of Fosse/Verdon (and Fosse's life), was an acclaimed dancer and performer in her own right. Verdon won four Tony Awards for dancing and was nominated for three Emmys. She met Fosse during rehearsals for Damn Yankees; they collaborated for the theater version of Sweet Charity, too.

Until now, Verdon's legacy was often overshadowed by Fosse's, despite her tremendous contributions. "She was in the shadow of my father for a long time," Nicole Fosse, the couple's daughter, told ET. "She was not the director, she was not the choreographer, although she contributed behind the scenes an incredible amount. So, I'm very happy that she's really being brought forth into the public eye."

Fosse/Verdon showcases Verdon's role in shaping musical theater as much as it does Fosse's.

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You Can Thank Bob Fosse For Your Jazz Hands

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Even if you don't think you know the Fosse dance style, you definitely have seen it before. Jazz hands! Spirit fingers!

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A Profile of Dancer and Choreographer Bob Fosse

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Learn all about famous jazz dancer and choreographer Bob Fosse, who was instrumental during and after his lifetime.

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Learn 6 Signature Fosse Moves to Celebrate 23 Years of Chicago on Broadway

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Rockettes "All That Jazz" Fosse Dance Tribute

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0:00 / 3:05•Watch full video

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In todays lesson, we spent time walking slowly through what we have learnt so far. This was a way of clearing up any imperfections or clarifying any sections that the dancers didn't feel comfortable with. After doing this, we then learnt the new sections. This included the pose positions, as well as the different group sections. Within my section, I took lead to learn the choreography and share this with my peers. Learning the new section was an easy process, and we all worked together as a team to ensure we felt confident with the choreography.

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We began the lesson by rehearsing the choreography from the previous weeks. As some dancers were absent last week, we also taught them what they had missed, and made sure they were comfortable with the movement and formations. After this, we split into two groups where we learnt different sections, that will happen simultaneously. I took lead within my section, learning the choreography and teaching it to the dancers. I found this process fairly easy as it is of a commercial style, a style that I feel confident with. Some of the dancers struggled to recall the choreography when performing the whole piece, however movement memory is something that is developing week by week.

Strengths:

Improvement of last weeks section

Movement memory is improving

Weaknesses:

Directions/pathways

Performance is lacking

Ensure we all have the same arm when being used

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We worked together through this lesson to complete the first canon section. Additionally, we rehearsed the choreography that we had already learnt. This took up most of the rehearsal time, as we had to ensure we were all aware of the correct timings, so that this section looks tidy and professional. After spending the time rehearsing, we all became familiar with the movements, and our movement memory became stronger throughout the lesson.

Strengths:

Movement memory of the beginning section

Weaknesses:

Small details need adjusting, such as the use of head

Improve timing in new section

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Again, we rehearsed over the existing choreography and learnt the new section and formations. This was an easy process and we were able to move on quickly. However, we did spend the entire lesson rehearsing, and therefore this set us behind for future lessons.

Strengths:

The movement looks much smoother

As a collective we look much more confident

Weaknesses:

In some sections we are uncertain of movements

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We began the lesson by rehearsing over what we had learnt last week. Additionally, we had more dancers join the piece, so we spent the majority of the lesson teaching them what has already been learnt. Having more dancers within thin piece will allow us to recreate formations and sections shown within the reconstruction, as they have a large amount of dancers.

Strengths:

Strong movements throughout

Weaknesses:

Movement memory of the movements needs improving

Ensure that each beach it hit by the movements.

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Within the first lesson, we learnt the beginning section of the piece. We also organised a formation in order to achieve the triangle shape, like shown in the reconstruction video. I found that learning this choreography was fairly easy, and is a style that I like. Furthermore, we worked well as a team to ensure we were confident with this beginning section.

Strengths:

Movement memory

Weaknesses:

Facial expressions need to be improved

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0:00 / 4:49•Watch full video

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Today, we focussed on finishing the piece. We started by walking through the piece and helping one another when forgetting the choreography, or formation within any section. We then learnt the new sections, which consisted of the movements from the beginning section, but adapted. For example, some people had to change direction, whereas others stayed the same. We then progressed on, creating duet sections. Myself and Mikaela created a duet that showed Fosse movements, as well as technical jazz elements. For example we incorporated shoulder movements, sharp arm movements and a shooting relive with a bent working knee, used often by Fosse, as well as hitch kicks and pirouettes, standard technical jazz. When watching this section back, I can see then we must have sharper arm movements and be certain of their placement. However, we were able to create a short duet section, using movements that suit our style, as well as showing our understanding of jazz technique and style. Furthermore, we then learnt the end unison section, which consists of repeated movements from each duet. I can see that we need to improve our movement memory for this section, but this may be due to the fact we had just learnt this choreography, and confidence will come naturally through each rehearsal.

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Within this lesson, we were able to rehearse the entire piece, however, some dancers were not present and therefore we were unable to perform some sections to their full potential. However, I can see that we have good balance and the timing of the pas de bouree section has improved since last week. It is clear that all dancers are becoming much more confident with the movement memory. However, we must ensure that we are adding performance, as this piece requires us to show personality, being happy and slightly cheeky. This will add excitement to the piece, both to us and the audience. We were unable to practise the lift this week, as Mary was not present this lesson. Although we needed to practise the lift due to the poor dismount last week, we have plenty of time before the final assessment to practice this lift. During Mikaela and I's duet section, I have stronger arm movements but this can be pushed further. In order to do this, I will walk through the duet and set the arms before performing this full out. Finally, we have all gained confidence with the end section choreography.

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In todays lesson, we rehearsed the choreography from the previous week, refining any details that needed cleaning. An example would be the timing on the pas de bouree section. As we had all dancers present this week, we were able to teach them the choreography that they missed in the previous week, as well as set a permanent formation for the beginning section of the piece. Throughout, we had good timing and spacing, which allowed the piece to look professional and organised. However, we did lack stamina and elongation as the piece un-winded. The lack of elongation of the arms will be a repercussion of the lack of stamina. In order to improve this, we must ensure we are fuelling our bodies correctly, with sleep and food, in order to maintain energy. As well as rehearsing the existing choreography, we learnt the new sections. These consisted of partner work, like 'frog' style jumps and trust falls. These movements were very popular in the 1920's within thee Charleston style of jazz. This was an easy process and we were able to continue learning the choreography quickly. After doing so, we then organised the transition into the lift, as well as practising the lift itself. I had the job of holding Mary's hand, so she had something to hold onto while in the split position. We were able to perform this easily, as well as work as a collective to make the lift as safe, and as clean as possible. However, moving forwards we must ensure we clean the dismount of the lift, so it looks smooth and clean. Overall, learning these new sections was an easy process, however the lift still needs practise. This may be due to Mary feeling nervous. However we will ensure she feels safe and comfortable when performing this.

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In todays lesson, we began learning the choreography for our final assessment. It is an old, more musical theatre style of jazz, and takes a lot of inspiration from Fosse as well, with the use of pitch and isolations. This dance requires stamina and personality due to the amount of demanding movements. Additionally, we must have good balance to recover after leaps and turns. When watching this video back, I can see that I have majorly improved on pas de bourees, which is a movement I have struggled with throughout my time as a dancer. Seeing this improvement allows me to understand that I have developed my previous targets over the years, and my abilities are growing. Targets that need improving for the final performance are ensuring that movements are fulfilled and finished. For example, I can see that I do not fully extend the legs or feet when performing a leap. In order to improve this, I will ensure that I am straightening the leg after performing the leap, and pushing myself to perform this with the correct technique. Additionally, we must ensure we are all going in the same direction when performing the clicks within the diagonal line. This will allow the movements to look neater and polished. Overall, this was a fairly easy process and we were able to learn this quickly and efficiently.

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In todays lesson, I created four jump and hop exercises and taught them to my peers. I reminded them of technique, such as keeping a straight spine, the use of the plie and extension of arms, legs and feet

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In todays lesson, I taught my peer four walk exercises that I had created. I took inspiration from Fosse, using a pitch and fluid arm movements. I demonstrated each exercise, so the dancers were aware what was expected of them.

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Triple

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In todays lesson, I created four turn exercises. I reminded dancers of jazz technique, such as keeping tight footwork, sharpness of the arms and arm placement, as well as spotting the head to prevent dizziness and lack of direction.

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In todays lesson, I created four kick sequences that focus around jazz technique. I reminded dancers of the use of plie, keeping hips and the spine straight, and extension of the arms, legs and feet.

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William Forsythe is a practitioner that I had never studied before, giving me the chance to explore his work and learn one of his choreographies. Myself and Mikaela were given the task of recreating this piece, but developing it into a duet. When watching the video, we could see that there were numerous sections happening simultaneously, using devices such as stillness, repetition and accumulation. We wanted to focus on these sections and use them within our duet.

We began by focussing on the dancers and taking movements we liked, that incorpated the table. After findings movements we wanted to use, we created a small phrase each. I then revesed this phrase within the piece. After doing this, we focussed on contact work. There was a phrase that involved me standing on a table, with my arms held out, Mikalea jumps to grab my arm as a trigger for the following movements. We also focussed on sections that included contact, such as the pulling motion, where we which sides with one another across the floor.

When watching the final video, I can see that we have shown a good demonstation of the orginal video, using movemnts such as slides, contact with each other and the tables, jumps, arm swings and movements. We have also used devices such as repetiton, where we repeated each other motifs, into accumulation sections, all which are used within the original video. The use of stillness, for example when I lay under the table, allows the piece to feel slower, and creates a calming and paused effect. This matches well with the music, as there is only white noise and not a melody or tune. It could be used to symbolise the busyness of everyday life, and the break that needs to be taken sometimes.

Next time, using more tables and including more dancers would allow us to show more similarity to the original video, due to the amount of dancers that are present within Forsythe's version. We would be able to demonstrate other sections, as well as incorporate trio sections and be able to dance the same section as another person, while others perform a different section. However, this was something that was out of our control due to myself and Mikaela being the only students within our year group. Next time, we could think of asking other year groups if we have longer to create this piece.

Finally, this piece has allowed me to gain an understanding of Forsythe movement and his repertoire. I have been able to explore his style of movement. Additionally, I have enjoyed performing a piece that is based around simple yet effective movements, as a way of showing calmness, alongside busyness. I believe we have been able to successfully demonstrate the devices used within the original piece, and professionally adapt this to a duet.