# data[].attributes.body
Introduction to choreography assessment

Solo: 3.3minutes

Songs

St Beauty – Stone Mountain

Sia – Move Your Body

I am making a dance by diving into my personal journey of discovering my “manhood”. Acknowledging the feminine and masculine elements that create me. I will be pulling from experiences throughout my childhood to show my journey with accepting my sexuality and gender expression.

I am making a dance which will have elements of commercial, African and contemporary movements. The performance will be symbolizing the effects society can have on young LGBTQ members struggling to conform in gender roles. I want to focus on showing both elements of gender. The chair will be a symbol of “manhood” which will start with me sitting on it. Showing the audience, the façade I was carrying. My movements will start heavy to show the weight society placed on my shoulders. Throughout the dance, you will see my performance becoming softer and transforms into air/sharp movements. Finishing the performance which me fully acknowledging my feminine traits.

I am making a dance that will shade light on the through identity challenges many LGBTQ members go through alone. I want the audience to feel the weight that is placed on my shoulders. The burden that haunts many teenagers. I want the audience to acknowledge the process that comes with finding yourself. However, also wanting them to feel the joy once truly accepting all elements of you. The bliss that comes with going through those challenges.

I am making a dance about the expression. The first part of the dance will be focusing on the heavier side of my journey with self-acceptance. This will be mainly contemporary and urban movements that will travel between my rondo system. The element that I correlate with the first section is Earth due to the heaviness of each movement. It also inspired me incorporate more floor work. I also took inspiration from physical theatre which I merged within the performance. The second part of the dance will be high energy and hyper feminine to show the contrast of each side of my personality. I took inspiration from voguing and other LGBTQ creative forms of expression and included commercial movements. The element that I correlate with this section is fire due to the fast movements and sensual elements. Using bright facial expressions to change the relationship with the audience.

# data[].attributes.body
Organisation of Forms

During lesson, we discussed the organisation of the form to apply within our choreographic projects. These methods are used when applying time and force in relation to each moment. It added texture to the piece and ensuring that each piece is unique. The form that ill be applying throughout my Camp choreographic piece is the “Rondo Form”. Rondo form provides the choreographer with a section of the dance for repetition. Allowing the audience to quickly pick up on familiar movements and delivers a satisfying performance. Ill be applying this form during my commercial dance to demonstrate the intense expression of self-acceptance. Adding voguing techniques within the piece will show the LGBTQ communities infamous form of self expression.

# data[].attributes.body
Creating a storyline

I’ve decided that for my Camp piece ill be focusing on choreographing showing Freedom of Expression. I’ve broken the piece into 3 sections. Leading with a minute of contemporary. This section will be the self-discovery of the character. His aware of his options to either remain in the mundane routine that he grew accustomed too or reinvent myself into truly expressing my inner truth. The second part will be a commercial routine. This will be me accepting and enjoying my creative freedom. Pulling inspiration from feminine and masculine movements. Creating a balanced routine displaying my authentic self. The last section will be a showcase of his LGBTQ identity through Voguing. Which has been a cultural dance in the black LGBTQ community for decades. Voguing will be finishing the performance on a note of freedom of expression. Truly accepting all sides of his identity.

# data[].attributes.body
Creating Choreography

When creating my choreography I relied on my understanding of contemporary and urban movements. Using what was taught during lesson to farther understand the connection between movement and emotion. The five minute routine was decided into three sections including the elements. Section one was applying the quick and swift movements of air with contemporary techniques that were complemented with earth based movements. African dance was in mind when choreographing the first section. This section was primarily supposed to display the challenges I had faced finding my identity in a world based on social/gender norms. I used quick and expressive movements to display the anger based around not fully being accepted by society. Throughout the choreographic process, I wanted to focus on portraying the intensity of fighting self-acceptance in a society encouraging toxic masculinity.

# data[].attributes.body
Improvisation and Choreographing

During lesson we worked on improvisation and using our bodies to create different levels of depth in emotion. Learning these techniques definitely influenced my choreographic process. By allowing my body to create different line and level it gave me more material to apply into my five minute routine. We were asked to bring our dance material for the assessment to lesson for our lecturer to provide feedback. After showing what I've choreographed to my lecturer was given a critical reflection on how my routine. I was told to think about changing the song to which would not alone improve the performance quality. The choreography also needed to include on connections between the audience and myself. Applying facial expressions and different lays of depth throughout the performance.

# data[].attributes.body
Creating the beginning

The idea for the beginning of the performance was based on a school class environment. To help create the illusion, I wanted to be on stage with two other people wearing school uniforms. There would be three desk which we would be sat at in a triangle. I will be sitting in the back which is also the tip of the triangle. We would be creating a rondo system that would be repeated 3 times throughout the performance.
The rondo routine will be 15 seconds and will consist of a systemic style of doing school work. The two students will be using real equipment to use. However, I would be the only student with nothing. Symbolizing me being unprepared and pretending to go along. This would help show the audience from the beginning that something is not okay and will also a sense of confusion to build. After the confusion of the first rondo routine, it will lead into me performing my first section.

# data[].attributes.body
Changing my concept

I decided to change my approach to the rondo system. Instead of having the other students. It will only be me on stage siting on a chair. This chair will symbolize societies social and gender norms. Throughout the first section of the performance, Ill be returning to the chair. When I return to the chair I will be acting in a hyper masculine manner. I wanted to create that divide between me discovering my form self-expression and my "manhood. By me returning back to the chair. It also shows me stopping my process of self-acceptance. I changed my song to Stone Mountain by St. Beauty. This song speaks on the importance of noticing how far you've come and reflecting on the dark moments that made you stronger. It was also a slower tempo song that gives me as a performer more room for pauses and dramatic expressions. Choreographing the second section of the dance needed to bring a different element to the performance. I used fire as element to show the audience that I've finally come to terms with my femininity and my part with in the LGBTQ community. This section will incorporate voguing and urban movements. This will be very high energy and happy.