Final Performance
Once reflecting on our black history month performance i found that the number of rehearsals that we had was no effective. This is because together as a group we made many different mistakes, these included timing and movements. Even after all of the different techniques that we used to perfect our timing it was still not good. On the other hand some movements that we did were in time, these included the first motif where we are all on our knees and the motif that included the attitude turn. This meant that some of our rehearsals were effective but not all. For my next performance i will make sure that i record all of my rehearsals so that i can watch them at the end to see what i need to work on. This will help me by being able to see what specific things i need to work on. This will make my performance better because each movement would be as good as it could be and my timing would be better than this performance.
Our staging was effective because we used both upstage and downstage, however we didn't used much of the side of the stage. This would have made it better because we could have been more spaced out in the second half. In the first half it is effective because we are supposed to be trapped as we are portraying slaves, because we are all close together it further emphasises our theme. However in the second half we are free therefore we should have been more paced out. For my next dance performance i need to ensure that my staging reflect the theme of my performance. This is important so that every single thing that is included reminds the audience what the theme is.
Our lighting was effective as we used different types including white wash, red wash and a blackout. The blackout went well with the dance because it symbolised that something was about to change and it clearly showed that there is a difference between being slaves and being free. If i was to do another dance that had two parts again i would consider using a blackout because i think that it looked effective.
Our sound would have been effective if it didn't cut out mid performance. We liked the contrast of the two pieces, they had completely different dynamics, one had staccato articulation whereas the other had legato articulation. This allowed us to create different movements and dynamics to portray our theme to the audience. However because the music cut out it didn't allow us to completely portray the theme. In spite of the problemas with our sound we we able to pause whitst the music had cut as we were sitting on the floor, this meant that we could carry on with the rest of the dance when the music came back on and we would still be able to finish in time with the music. To improve on this for next time i need to make sure that there are going to be no sound issues by having a more indepth technical rehearsal and practice using the sound as it would be in the performance.
Some of the movements that we had included in our choreography were effective to the theme of the dance for example in the first half, the initial motif that we choreographed reflected on the struggles of slavery. As well as this in the second half the attitude turns represented that we were free as the movements became bigger. On the other hand some of our movements we just used to fill gaps in the dance. On reflection of this for my next dance choreography performance i would like to only use movements that fully represent the theme of the dance, this is so the audience is able to gain a full understanding of the subject and theme of the dance.
Wednesday, 22 October 2014
Friday, 17 October 2014
Friday 17th October - "Tomorrow" Dance
Friday 17th October 2014
"Tomorrow" Dance
In todays leson i learnt the first part of the chorography for the dance that is in Fizzys solo "Tomorrow". My strengths in this were that i picked up some of the movements quickly, especially the first turn, developpe and the circular spring. This helped me as i was able to work through some parts of the choreograhy quickly, meaning that we were able to have more time to choreograph more at the end. Another one of my strengths was that my flexibility in my legs was good. This meant that i was able to extend some of my movements. Flexibily in dance is important because it allows to to extend your movements to their maximum potential.
On the other hand my weaknesses in this rehearsal was when we had to learn some basic tap dance moves. I found this extremly hard because i had never done tap dance before so it wasnt easy to pick up. I worked on this with the use of the mirrors to see what i was doing and to see which parts i needed to work on. Another on of my weaknesses was the placement of my arms, especially when doing the step-ball-changes.
Because of this my targets for the next rehearsal is to practise the tap part, so that i can do it as part of the choreography and the rest of the dance. Another one of my targets is to practise my arm placement of my arms in the rest of the movements. I am going to do this with the use of the mirrors, so i can see what it looks like and i can work on things that are not quite right so i can make them better for the next rehearsal.
"Tomorrow" Dance
In todays leson i learnt the first part of the chorography for the dance that is in Fizzys solo "Tomorrow". My strengths in this were that i picked up some of the movements quickly, especially the first turn, developpe and the circular spring. This helped me as i was able to work through some parts of the choreograhy quickly, meaning that we were able to have more time to choreograph more at the end. Another one of my strengths was that my flexibility in my legs was good. This meant that i was able to extend some of my movements. Flexibily in dance is important because it allows to to extend your movements to their maximum potential.
On the other hand my weaknesses in this rehearsal was when we had to learn some basic tap dance moves. I found this extremly hard because i had never done tap dance before so it wasnt easy to pick up. I worked on this with the use of the mirrors to see what i was doing and to see which parts i needed to work on. Another on of my weaknesses was the placement of my arms, especially when doing the step-ball-changes.
Because of this my targets for the next rehearsal is to practise the tap part, so that i can do it as part of the choreography and the rest of the dance. Another one of my targets is to practise my arm placement of my arms in the rest of the movements. I am going to do this with the use of the mirrors, so i can see what it looks like and i can work on things that are not quite right so i can make them better for the next rehearsal.
Friday 17th October 2014 - So You Want To Be A Boxer
Friday 17th October 2014
So You Want To Be A Boxer
In this lesson we learnt the choreography for the song "so you want to be a boxer". Firstly we got into pairs and stood in a circle as if we were standing around a boxing ring, we had a short motif before we moved around so that we had different partners. We repeated this 3 times before moving on to the next section. At first this took time to set as we tried out different timings, once we had set a timing, we were all able to do the choreography well. This was one of my strengths in this rehearsal as I had good special awareness, this meant that I was equally spaced out between the two pairs either side of me. This is important so that the person that has to travel to another partner has a reasonable amount of time to get to one person from another.
After this section we got into groups of four and we had a travelling motif that took us toward the groups that were opposite to us. We the went back out and completed movements that were facing out. This was one of my weaknesses as i was unsure on timing, this is because i couldnt see anyone else, i was able to go through the couts in my head so that i knew when to move on to the next part that was in canon. In a couple of the run throughs my timing was off especially when doing this part as when we jumped round in canon i was the first person to jump round, this meant that i had to pay extra attention to the counts and the music. Another one of my weaknesses was that in final run through, when we added the singing with it, i didnt know the words. This is because i was not in the lesson where they learnt the song as i was learning another peice of horeography, that i udes in another scene.
As a result of this my targets for next lesson is to work on my timing in this dance. I am going to do this by listening to the music and practising with the other cast members. Another on of my targets is to learn the words of the song, this is so the next rehearsal i can sing it with everyone else and be sure on the words, rythm and pitch.
So You Want To Be A Boxer
In this lesson we learnt the choreography for the song "so you want to be a boxer". Firstly we got into pairs and stood in a circle as if we were standing around a boxing ring, we had a short motif before we moved around so that we had different partners. We repeated this 3 times before moving on to the next section. At first this took time to set as we tried out different timings, once we had set a timing, we were all able to do the choreography well. This was one of my strengths in this rehearsal as I had good special awareness, this meant that I was equally spaced out between the two pairs either side of me. This is important so that the person that has to travel to another partner has a reasonable amount of time to get to one person from another.
After this section we got into groups of four and we had a travelling motif that took us toward the groups that were opposite to us. We the went back out and completed movements that were facing out. This was one of my weaknesses as i was unsure on timing, this is because i couldnt see anyone else, i was able to go through the couts in my head so that i knew when to move on to the next part that was in canon. In a couple of the run throughs my timing was off especially when doing this part as when we jumped round in canon i was the first person to jump round, this meant that i had to pay extra attention to the counts and the music. Another one of my weaknesses was that in final run through, when we added the singing with it, i didnt know the words. This is because i was not in the lesson where they learnt the song as i was learning another peice of horeography, that i udes in another scene.
As a result of this my targets for next lesson is to work on my timing in this dance. I am going to do this by listening to the music and practising with the other cast members. Another on of my targets is to learn the words of the song, this is so the next rehearsal i can sing it with everyone else and be sure on the words, rythm and pitch.
Wednesday, 15 October 2014
Tuesday 14th October 2014 - Blocking Bugsy Malone
Tuesday 14th October 2014
Blocking Bugsy Malone
My objectives for today's lesson was to keep moving in between scenes.
Today i was focusing on my character in dandy dans gang. I learned the choreography for when we walk into fat sams grand slam. I found this a strength in my rehearsal, this is because everyone involved in this scene listened to the director and each other. This allowed us to get through this quickly because everyone knew the timing. Because of this we were able to complete blocking this scene in a short amount of time, allowing us more time to complete blocking all of the other scenes.
As well as this we choreographed how we were going to walk off of stage and to where we had to be to get ready for he next scene. As our audience is going to be all around us rather them just sitting in a proscenium stage, this was important so that we do not attract attention to ourselves when other important things are happening on stage, as we don't want to full focus. For example after we walk in to Fat Sams Grand Slam we walk off the same way that we walk on. This works quite well because we have to come off of the stage quickly, this is because our characters have just made a big impact to the atmosphere of the scene by bursting in, that we have to quickly have to rush I so that we don't get caught. Another example of this is when after Bronx Charlie has shot Roxy Robinson, everyone goes off in different directions. Because we go off as if we are fleeing from a crime scene, the next scene can happen quickly, it is easy to do this because no one is held up trying to get off stage at the same place.
Also in this rehearsal we blocked the audition scene, as I was playing my character in Dandy Dans gang I had to be in the queue as if I was waiting for my audition. Me and two others decided that we were going to pretend that we were a dance trio, for this we had to stand there stretching. As we are being a bad act, our stretches consist of a lot of falling and tripping over. This shows the audience that we would be an act that they could potentially laugh at. After the character if Lena comes bursting in we have to all look disappointed, this is because we know that we have no chance of getting to be in the show, this is a result of the original star of the show has returned. We then all walk off together with a low energy level, we have a low energy level because we are all miserable and disappointed that we didn't get the job.
My targets for next lesson are to focus on my stylised pedestrian movements In between scenes. This is important as the audience are all around us, so we have to remain in character throughout the whole performance even if we are not directly in a scene. Another one of my targets is to make sure that I am familiar with my queues, this so that I know when to come on and off stage. This will also help me with my other character, Blousy especially when learning my lines. I can use this to know when to start speaking or singing.
From watching Paige block Blousy in this lesson I noticed a few things about my character, these include:
Blocking Bugsy Malone
My objectives for today's lesson was to keep moving in between scenes.
- Transitions
- In one space
- According to character
Proxemics - The space between everything.
- Props
- Other actors
Messages are sent to the audience about the proxemics in a performance. For example if two characters are close to each other, the audience presume that there is a close relationship between them.
Using stylised pedestrian movement in rehearsal is hard when blocking, this is because you are trying to pay attention to what is going on, on stage. This is especially because my character is double cast, so i am trying to focus on what Paige is doing so i can use this when blocking my scenes.
As well as this we choreographed how we were going to walk off of stage and to where we had to be to get ready for he next scene. As our audience is going to be all around us rather them just sitting in a proscenium stage, this was important so that we do not attract attention to ourselves when other important things are happening on stage, as we don't want to full focus. For example after we walk in to Fat Sams Grand Slam we walk off the same way that we walk on. This works quite well because we have to come off of the stage quickly, this is because our characters have just made a big impact to the atmosphere of the scene by bursting in, that we have to quickly have to rush I so that we don't get caught. Another example of this is when after Bronx Charlie has shot Roxy Robinson, everyone goes off in different directions. Because we go off as if we are fleeing from a crime scene, the next scene can happen quickly, it is easy to do this because no one is held up trying to get off stage at the same place.
Also in this rehearsal we blocked the audition scene, as I was playing my character in Dandy Dans gang I had to be in the queue as if I was waiting for my audition. Me and two others decided that we were going to pretend that we were a dance trio, for this we had to stand there stretching. As we are being a bad act, our stretches consist of a lot of falling and tripping over. This shows the audience that we would be an act that they could potentially laugh at. After the character if Lena comes bursting in we have to all look disappointed, this is because we know that we have no chance of getting to be in the show, this is a result of the original star of the show has returned. We then all walk off together with a low energy level, we have a low energy level because we are all miserable and disappointed that we didn't get the job.
My targets for next lesson are to focus on my stylised pedestrian movements In between scenes. This is important as the audience are all around us, so we have to remain in character throughout the whole performance even if we are not directly in a scene. Another one of my targets is to make sure that I am familiar with my queues, this so that I know when to come on and off stage. This will also help me with my other character, Blousy especially when learning my lines. I can use this to know when to start speaking or singing.
From watching Paige block Blousy in this lesson I noticed a few things about my character, these include:
- Blousy is always nervous
- She walks around slowly
- She always fiddles with her hands and hair - this is perhaps because she is still unfamiliar with the area as she hasn't lived in New York for long, maybe 6 months.
- She doesn't have a lot of money
- The performers might be more nervous - this is common because there are people that have come to watch rather than just the other cast members and the director, so there is more pressure for things to go right
- The audience may have their chairs slightly out - this could distract us as if this happened it would mean that our blocking would have not been accurate. By this I mean that we could have estimated that we would have more space than we actually do, this would mean that we have to pay extra attention to our special awareness and proximity during the performance.
- Some parts of the show may require audience interactions and some members of the audience may not be comfortable with it
- The audience may not react the way you think they will - For example if one of the actors told a joke they may pause for space for the audience to laugh, however they may not find it funny. This could make the atmosphere awkward.
Saturday, 11 October 2014
Friday 3rd October 2014 - Learning The Charleson
Friday 3rd October 2014
Learning the Charleston
In this lesson we started learning the basic Charleston step, once we had got the basic rhythm and steps for this we added a flick and a floor touch to this. This made it look better to the audience as i adds different levels and movements. After we had learnt this we learnt some other dance moves such as "the box step". We then got into pairs and learned routines.
Learning the Charleston
In this lesson we started learning the basic Charleston step, once we had got the basic rhythm and steps for this we added a flick and a floor touch to this. This made it look better to the audience as i adds different levels and movements. After we had learnt this we learnt some other dance moves such as "the box step". We then got into pairs and learned routines.
In this rehearsal my strengths were that i was able to do the movement, this helped me and my partner because we were able to move on quickly to the next part of the choreography. For example when we were learning how to slide through our partners legs, we were the first ones to be able to do this successfully. This meant that we were able to help other pairs in our class. However when we were filming, this section went sightly wrong and we got mixed up and it was unsuccessful.
I also found that i had some timing issues in this run through, i was not so much of a problem in the first parts of the choreography but in the latter section. However me and my partner worked through this with the music to try to improve our timing, we found that we were going too fast at one particular section, we then found that if we waited for a couple of counts before starting the next movement we were in time with the music.
My targets for the next lesson is to listen to the timing and the rhythm of the music whilst working through choreography. This is so all of the dance will be in time with the music and with the other dancers in my group.
This is an example of the Charleston on strictly come dancing, it incorporates fast and sharp movements that were typical of the 1920s era. These are also typical costumes and the charleston is usually performed with the girls wearing flapper dresses that are often bright colors and the man wearing a smart suit and tie.
Friday, 10 October 2014
Friday 10th October 2014 - Down and Out
Friday 10th October 2014
Down and Out
In todays lesson we sung the song "Down and Out" from "Bugsy Malone" We had to use different singing techniques such as diction, articulation and range to help us sing this song and make it sound better.
Diction helped us to sing this song especially in the "down down down down down down and out" parts of the song. Diction can be helped by using vocal exercises such as tongue twisters like "red lorry yellow lorry".
Articulation is how you sing something for example staccato, short and sharp notes and legato, long and smooth notes. The exercises that can help us to improve our articulation are singing a mixture of staccato and legato "ha ha ha" at different pitches. We used this today when singing, especially when singing the word "you". This is because in this particular song "you" at the end of the line is longer than the "you" at the beginning of the line.
Range is how high and low you can sing. The exercises that can improve this are practising your scales.This is when you sing an ascending and descending melody usually using your vowels. This is used when singing "down down down" and "up up up" word painting is also used here.
Note bashing - learning a sequence if notes within a song
Lyric bashing - learning the lyrics of a song or a vocal phrase
Word painting - The melody does what the words say for example when singing "down" the melody descends
Down and Out
In todays lesson we sung the song "Down and Out" from "Bugsy Malone" We had to use different singing techniques such as diction, articulation and range to help us sing this song and make it sound better.
Diction helped us to sing this song especially in the "down down down down down down and out" parts of the song. Diction can be helped by using vocal exercises such as tongue twisters like "red lorry yellow lorry".
Articulation is how you sing something for example staccato, short and sharp notes and legato, long and smooth notes. The exercises that can help us to improve our articulation are singing a mixture of staccato and legato "ha ha ha" at different pitches. We used this today when singing, especially when singing the word "you". This is because in this particular song "you" at the end of the line is longer than the "you" at the beginning of the line.
Range is how high and low you can sing. The exercises that can improve this are practising your scales.This is when you sing an ascending and descending melody usually using your vowels. This is used when singing "down down down" and "up up up" word painting is also used here.
Note bashing - learning a sequence if notes within a song
Lyric bashing - learning the lyrics of a song or a vocal phrase
Word painting - The melody does what the words say for example when singing "down" the melody descends
Thursday, 9 October 2014
Thursday 9th October 2014 - Black History Month Performance
Thursday 9th October 2014
Black History Month
First rehearsal
In our first rehearsal we started the choreography for our black history month rehearsals. Our dance is a contemporary dance with African elements. The theme is slavery, at first we are trapped and then we become free. To show this we have a contrast in movement, music and dynamics.
My strengths in the first rehearsal were that i had good communication with the other people in my group. This was important because we needed to be able to listen to each others ideas as we were choreographing the dance ourselves rather than being given set choreography. We did this by each coming up with ideas once we heard the music and sharing them amongst each other, we tried different things out by improvising to the music that we had selected. This helped us when choreographing because we each had a different interpretation of the theme, this meant that we were able to develop and mix then together so that we had a range of different movements that we were able to use.
Another one of my strengths was time management, this meant that we were able to get a lot of our choreography done in this first rehearsal. We wanted to do this so that we had more time at the end to polish and perfect each section of the dance rather than worry about last minute choreography. We got the majority of the first half of the dance done here, this gave us time to think about how much of a contrast we wanted for the second half.
One of my weaknesses was that my projection was not good. This meant that the movements that were supposed to be bigger, were not this made them look too small and the theme of the dance was not able to be portrayed. Projection is important so that everyone in the audience, no matter how far away they were we able to get an idea of what the choreography was about.
Another one of my weaknesses was that the different dynamics that could have been used to show contrast between different sections we too subtle. I found this especially when we were supposed to have moments of stillness, these are supposed to be simple and effective next to the faster sharper movements of other parts. If these were better the theme would have been more easily recognised because the dynamic of each movement would vary. Dynamics are important so that the audience are kept engaged because the speed and fluidity are not the same all the way through the performance.
My targets for the next rehearsal are to concentrate on the different dynamics within the dance. I want to discuss with the others in my group because on watching it back i think that the slower movements could be even slower and dragged out, as well as this i also think think that the sharp fast movements on the floor at the beginning of the dance could be faster and sharper than they are at the moment. However i need to make sure that my extension is still to the best that it could be even though the movements are faster.
Second Rehearsal
In the second rehearsal we concentrated on choreographing the second half of the dance. This section is about when the slaves have been freed, the movements are a lot lighter and they flow more easily from one to the next.
One of my strengths was that my timing with the music and also with the other people in my group. We were all able to achieve this because we tried out different timings and communicated so that we were able to agree on when we were going to do each movement and how this would fit to the music.Timing is important so that each movement is able to flow from one to the other and fit together to create different motifs within a dance. It is important that each dancer is in time with each other so that the audience can see when different choreographic devises are being used. These devices could include unison, canon and retrograde, the audience wouldn't be able to identify these if all of the dancers were out of time with each other. This is because they would either be early or late for each movement.
Another one of my strengths was my flexibility, this allowed me to do the different jumps that we included in our choreography. These jumps included a leap and a stag among others. Flexibility i dance is important so that movements are more easily completed. Flexibility is gained by continuous stretching of the leg and back muscles, a common way of stretching is by practising doing the splits. We did this so that our leaps were as defined as they could be rather than understated, this helped us gain height in them.
One of my weaknesses was that my balance was not as good as it could have been. This was especially when we were doing the arabesque. Throughout rehearsals i found it hard to keep my balance, however i kept working on this and practising the movement to ensure that my balance got better. To improve i used the mirrors in the dance studio, i used them to see how high my leg was and at what point i was loosing my balance. Once i had found the point where i lost my balance i kept it at that height to make sure that i didn't wobble in the performance.
Another one of my weaknesses was my extension, especially in my arms. This was a drawback because i didn't extend all the way through to my fingers. Extension is important because each movement has to be completed and look finished before you can move on to the next one. I noticed this was more of an issue with my arms and not my legs, this is because i have more flexibility and co-ordination in my legs compared to my arms. This occurred especially when we were completing the attitude turn motif.
My target for the next rehearsal is to further improve my balance for the arabesque, this will also be useful in other movements within the dance including attitude turns. i will do this by practising these particular movements outside of rehearsals. Another one of my targets is to practice extending my arms, this will not just help in this dance but in other future dance that i may be involved in.
Technical Rehearsal
In the technical rehearsal we had to make different decisions based on sound, lighting staging and costume.
Sound requirements
For our sound we are merging two different pieces of music together. The first is a heartbeat, we decided to use because where it is repeated all the way through it allowed us to experiment with different timings. As well as this we thought that the heartbeat would be able to signify how repetitive a slaves life is and how freedom is not within reach. It sound very eerie and this suggests that there is also an underlying theme of being haunted and trapped. We used these ideas to help us with choreography.
In the middle of the two pieces of music we decided to have five second break of silence. This is because the moment of silence symbolises that a change is about to happen and this builds suspense for the audience.
The second piece of our music is called "now we are free" from the "Gladiator" soundtrack. We decided to use this because it sounds like a typical African song and as the slaves all originated from Africa we thought that it was important to use this so symbolise their freedom. As well as this it contrasts with the heartbeat, this shows the audience how different the two sections are.
Lighting Plan
We decided to have a red wash at the start, this is to symbolise blood and pain. This links to the heartbeat that we have decided to use in our first piece of music. For the moment of silence we decided to use a white wash to show a big change is going to come. After this we decided to use the white wash again but have it a bit dimmer.
Costume Design
We are wearing big shapeless light coloured t-shirts, with black footless tights and black hot pants. This is to show that we are not given any nice clothes by the slave owners. We are having bare bare feet, this is mainly for safety reasons so we don't slip over during the performance. Our hair is down except for the top half which is in French plaits. This is so that our hair is kept out of our face but it still moves around with our movements when we dance.
Whilst in the technical rehearsal we encountered a problem with our spacing. We found that after the switch split jump we had to spend a couple of counts to get into different spaces so that after the leap,when we go onto the floor we were not so squashed together but we are more spaced out. We agreed that in our next rehearsal we were going to further work on this so that it would be ready for the final performance.
Fourth Rehearsal
We decided to spend this rehearsal perfecting each movement and motif within the dance. This helped us to spot any problems that we had and allowed us to fix them. For example when we were coming up from the floor after the leap to floor we found that the original roll that we had did not fit with the music so we changed it to a jump up. We took pictures of some of the movements too see if our timing and extension was as good as it good as it could be.
This took pictures of this jump because we wanted our timing to be perfect, we used this way because we couldnt see in the mirror because we were facing the back. After seeing this picture we were happy with our timing, because we were jumpin at the same time.
Final Technical Rehearsal
In our final technical rehearsal we found that we the majority of the dance went well. This is because we had previously sorted out all of our lighting and sound requirements, this meant that we were able to focus on the actual content f the dance rather than worrying about timing of the lighting and the sound and whether it was going to go smoothly.
The only problem we encountered was when we had to decide whether we were going to wait for the period of silence to end and the start of the new music to start to get up or whether we were just going to get up after the heartbeat music. We decided that we were going to wait for the new music. This is because the new music represents a new start for the slaves so we thought that waiting would further exaggerate their freedom.
Choreography Ideas
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Black History Month
First rehearsal
In our first rehearsal we started the choreography for our black history month rehearsals. Our dance is a contemporary dance with African elements. The theme is slavery, at first we are trapped and then we become free. To show this we have a contrast in movement, music and dynamics.
My strengths in the first rehearsal were that i had good communication with the other people in my group. This was important because we needed to be able to listen to each others ideas as we were choreographing the dance ourselves rather than being given set choreography. We did this by each coming up with ideas once we heard the music and sharing them amongst each other, we tried different things out by improvising to the music that we had selected. This helped us when choreographing because we each had a different interpretation of the theme, this meant that we were able to develop and mix then together so that we had a range of different movements that we were able to use.
Another one of my strengths was time management, this meant that we were able to get a lot of our choreography done in this first rehearsal. We wanted to do this so that we had more time at the end to polish and perfect each section of the dance rather than worry about last minute choreography. We got the majority of the first half of the dance done here, this gave us time to think about how much of a contrast we wanted for the second half.
One of my weaknesses was that my projection was not good. This meant that the movements that were supposed to be bigger, were not this made them look too small and the theme of the dance was not able to be portrayed. Projection is important so that everyone in the audience, no matter how far away they were we able to get an idea of what the choreography was about.
Another one of my weaknesses was that the different dynamics that could have been used to show contrast between different sections we too subtle. I found this especially when we were supposed to have moments of stillness, these are supposed to be simple and effective next to the faster sharper movements of other parts. If these were better the theme would have been more easily recognised because the dynamic of each movement would vary. Dynamics are important so that the audience are kept engaged because the speed and fluidity are not the same all the way through the performance.
My targets for the next rehearsal are to concentrate on the different dynamics within the dance. I want to discuss with the others in my group because on watching it back i think that the slower movements could be even slower and dragged out, as well as this i also think think that the sharp fast movements on the floor at the beginning of the dance could be faster and sharper than they are at the moment. However i need to make sure that my extension is still to the best that it could be even though the movements are faster.
Second Rehearsal
In the second rehearsal we concentrated on choreographing the second half of the dance. This section is about when the slaves have been freed, the movements are a lot lighter and they flow more easily from one to the next.
One of my strengths was that my timing with the music and also with the other people in my group. We were all able to achieve this because we tried out different timings and communicated so that we were able to agree on when we were going to do each movement and how this would fit to the music.Timing is important so that each movement is able to flow from one to the other and fit together to create different motifs within a dance. It is important that each dancer is in time with each other so that the audience can see when different choreographic devises are being used. These devices could include unison, canon and retrograde, the audience wouldn't be able to identify these if all of the dancers were out of time with each other. This is because they would either be early or late for each movement.
Another one of my strengths was my flexibility, this allowed me to do the different jumps that we included in our choreography. These jumps included a leap and a stag among others. Flexibility i dance is important so that movements are more easily completed. Flexibility is gained by continuous stretching of the leg and back muscles, a common way of stretching is by practising doing the splits. We did this so that our leaps were as defined as they could be rather than understated, this helped us gain height in them.
One of my weaknesses was that my balance was not as good as it could have been. This was especially when we were doing the arabesque. Throughout rehearsals i found it hard to keep my balance, however i kept working on this and practising the movement to ensure that my balance got better. To improve i used the mirrors in the dance studio, i used them to see how high my leg was and at what point i was loosing my balance. Once i had found the point where i lost my balance i kept it at that height to make sure that i didn't wobble in the performance.
Another one of my weaknesses was my extension, especially in my arms. This was a drawback because i didn't extend all the way through to my fingers. Extension is important because each movement has to be completed and look finished before you can move on to the next one. I noticed this was more of an issue with my arms and not my legs, this is because i have more flexibility and co-ordination in my legs compared to my arms. This occurred especially when we were completing the attitude turn motif.
My target for the next rehearsal is to further improve my balance for the arabesque, this will also be useful in other movements within the dance including attitude turns. i will do this by practising these particular movements outside of rehearsals. Another one of my targets is to practice extending my arms, this will not just help in this dance but in other future dance that i may be involved in.
Technical Rehearsal
In the technical rehearsal we had to make different decisions based on sound, lighting staging and costume.
Sound requirements
For our sound we are merging two different pieces of music together. The first is a heartbeat, we decided to use because where it is repeated all the way through it allowed us to experiment with different timings. As well as this we thought that the heartbeat would be able to signify how repetitive a slaves life is and how freedom is not within reach. It sound very eerie and this suggests that there is also an underlying theme of being haunted and trapped. We used these ideas to help us with choreography.
In the middle of the two pieces of music we decided to have five second break of silence. This is because the moment of silence symbolises that a change is about to happen and this builds suspense for the audience.
The second piece of our music is called "now we are free" from the "Gladiator" soundtrack. We decided to use this because it sounds like a typical African song and as the slaves all originated from Africa we thought that it was important to use this so symbolise their freedom. As well as this it contrasts with the heartbeat, this shows the audience how different the two sections are.
Lighting Plan
We decided to have a red wash at the start, this is to symbolise blood and pain. This links to the heartbeat that we have decided to use in our first piece of music. For the moment of silence we decided to use a white wash to show a big change is going to come. After this we decided to use the white wash again but have it a bit dimmer.
Costume Design
We are wearing big shapeless light coloured t-shirts, with black footless tights and black hot pants. This is to show that we are not given any nice clothes by the slave owners. We are having bare bare feet, this is mainly for safety reasons so we don't slip over during the performance. Our hair is down except for the top half which is in French plaits. This is so that our hair is kept out of our face but it still moves around with our movements when we dance.
Whilst in the technical rehearsal we encountered a problem with our spacing. We found that after the switch split jump we had to spend a couple of counts to get into different spaces so that after the leap,when we go onto the floor we were not so squashed together but we are more spaced out. We agreed that in our next rehearsal we were going to further work on this so that it would be ready for the final performance.
Fourth Rehearsal
We decided to spend this rehearsal perfecting each movement and motif within the dance. This helped us to spot any problems that we had and allowed us to fix them. For example when we were coming up from the floor after the leap to floor we found that the original roll that we had did not fit with the music so we changed it to a jump up. We took pictures of some of the movements too see if our timing and extension was as good as it good as it could be.
This took pictures of this jump because we wanted our timing to be perfect, we used this way because we couldnt see in the mirror because we were facing the back. After seeing this picture we were happy with our timing, because we were jumpin at the same time.
We decided to use this rehearsal as a dress rehearsal, this was to see if the costumes that we had chosen went well with the movements. After a few run throughs we found that the costumes were okay to dance in and they did not stop or restrict any of our choreography.
Final Technical Rehearsal
In our final technical rehearsal we found that we the majority of the dance went well. This is because we had previously sorted out all of our lighting and sound requirements, this meant that we were able to focus on the actual content f the dance rather than worrying about timing of the lighting and the sound and whether it was going to go smoothly.
The only problem we encountered was when we had to decide whether we were going to wait for the period of silence to end and the start of the new music to start to get up or whether we were just going to get up after the heartbeat music. We decided that we were going to wait for the new music. This is because the new music represents a new start for the slaves so we thought that waiting would further exaggerate their freedom.
Choreography Ideas
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Tuesday, 7 October 2014
Tuesday 7th October 2014 - Chair duets - Frantic Assembly
Tuesday 7th October 2014
Chair Duets - Frantic Assembly
Rules
When can this be used in Bugsy Malone
Chair Duets - Frantic Assembly
Rules
- Always facing forwards unless moving your head is a movement that is used
- Keep the rythm
- Pick up the pace
- 3 movements each - either move yourself or someone else
Frantic assembly are known for developing different techniques such as chair duets. We into pairs and started choreographing our own chair duets. At first we took turns completing three different movements each, these could either be moving yourself or moving your partner. My strengths in this part were that i had good communication with my partner, this allowed us to work through this talk and work out choreography that would work in this. However me and my partner found it difficult to choreograph this part as we had to wait for one person to finish their three movements before the next person can complete theirs.
Secondly we worked with the choreographic device unison. This means that all of the movements are completed at the same time together. We found that our timing in this section was good, this is because we had found a rhythm that we found was easy to follow. We worked all of our movements to this and kept to this timing the whole way through, occasionally picking up the pace to make it more interesting to the audience.
After this section we teamed up with another pair and joined our two routines together. We added more choreography that would include all of us moving in unison. We also used levels in this, me and Charley dropped down and rolled on to the floor so that we are sitting crossed legged on the floor whilst Bethany and Phoebe were sitting on the chairs. This worked because we were all sharing our ideas amongst each other until we had come up with choreography that would work with both of our routines.
Next the whole class worked on joining their routines all together by using transitions to get on and off. This went well because we had worked out that half of the class needed to be on one side off-stage whilst the other half of the class where on the other side. This helped us by allowing us to come up with different transitions that incorporated both the chairs that are already on stage and the other people.
- In the begining as people are taking are taking their seats
- End of act 1 to keep the audience engaged in the play
- At the start of act 2 to get the audience back into the mood of the play after the interval
Friday, 3 October 2014
Friday 26th September 2014 - First rehearsal enter achillies
Friday 26th September 2014
Enter Achillies
We based our first assessment on the physical theatre piece "enter achillies" by "DV8". It is a dance that is performed by an all male cast. It takes place in a bar where the men are taking part in activities that is the typical after work socialising. The men are all dancing with beer glasses and they use these to initiate movements. This the original "enter achillies" that we developed a range of different movements to create a motif.
This video was our first rehearsal, where we learnt the motif.
My strengths were that i was able to do the movement throughout the motif. This helped me by allowing to spend the rest of the rehearsal time perfect each movement rather than spend it trying to learn how to do them. Another one of my strengths was my timing with the other people in my group and also with the music.This is important because this part of the motif we were meant to be in unison. Unison is where all of the movements are completed by everyone in the group at exactly the same time. Throughout the rehearsals we worked hard at this because we wanted it to look as in time as it possibly good.
My weaknesses were that my extension in my arms and legs were not good. This held me back because all of my movements looked as though they were not completed and unfinished. Extension means that all of the parts of the body are lengthen as far as possible, this is passed through to the hands and feet. Another one of my weaknesses was that my eye line was poor. This meant that for the majority of the motif i was looking down. This meant that i did not look as if i was confident with the movements. Eye line is important so that the dance looks focused at all times.
My target for the next rehearsal is to improve my extension in my arms and legs, this is so each movement looks completed before moving on to the next movement. Another one of my targets is eye line, if i lift my eye line it will help improve my focus.
This next video is our final version of enter Achilles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JQZrK_e8_o&feature=youtu.be
My strengths in this was my extension in my leg especially in the lift at the beginning. I worked on this to make sure that it was a straight as i could possibly make it. It is important that extension is worked on because some movements are bigger than other, extension allows a dancer to do this. Another one of my strengths was focus, this meant that or the majority of the time i was looking up and focussing on each movement as i did it. This meant that my eye-line was also good.
My weaknesses were my timing with my partner, on watching back my performance i found that for most of the dance we were not in time with each other. We could have made this better by practising more with each other and the music, also with the mirrors s then we could see at what parts we were out of time. Another one of my weaknesses was characterisation and facial expressions, i found that non of my expressions were relevant to the theme of the dance.
My targets for my next performance are to work on timing to make sure that the parts of the dance that are supposed to be in unison are all danced together and the parts that are supposed to be in cannon are completed one after the other. Another on of my targets is to work on my characterisation, this is so the theme of the dance is clearly shown to the audience.
Enter Achillies
My strengths were that i was able to do the movement throughout the motif. This helped me by allowing to spend the rest of the rehearsal time perfect each movement rather than spend it trying to learn how to do them. Another one of my strengths was my timing with the other people in my group and also with the music.This is important because this part of the motif we were meant to be in unison. Unison is where all of the movements are completed by everyone in the group at exactly the same time. Throughout the rehearsals we worked hard at this because we wanted it to look as in time as it possibly good.
My weaknesses were that my extension in my arms and legs were not good. This held me back because all of my movements looked as though they were not completed and unfinished. Extension means that all of the parts of the body are lengthen as far as possible, this is passed through to the hands and feet. Another one of my weaknesses was that my eye line was poor. This meant that for the majority of the motif i was looking down. This meant that i did not look as if i was confident with the movements. Eye line is important so that the dance looks focused at all times.
My target for the next rehearsal is to improve my extension in my arms and legs, this is so each movement looks completed before moving on to the next movement. Another one of my targets is eye line, if i lift my eye line it will help improve my focus.
This next video is our final version of enter Achilles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JQZrK_e8_o&feature=youtu.be
My strengths in this was my extension in my leg especially in the lift at the beginning. I worked on this to make sure that it was a straight as i could possibly make it. It is important that extension is worked on because some movements are bigger than other, extension allows a dancer to do this. Another one of my strengths was focus, this meant that or the majority of the time i was looking up and focussing on each movement as i did it. This meant that my eye-line was also good.
My weaknesses were my timing with my partner, on watching back my performance i found that for most of the dance we were not in time with each other. We could have made this better by practising more with each other and the music, also with the mirrors s then we could see at what parts we were out of time. Another one of my weaknesses was characterisation and facial expressions, i found that non of my expressions were relevant to the theme of the dance.
My targets for my next performance are to work on timing to make sure that the parts of the dance that are supposed to be in unison are all danced together and the parts that are supposed to be in cannon are completed one after the other. Another on of my targets is to work on my characterisation, this is so the theme of the dance is clearly shown to the audience.
Friday 19th September 2014 - physical and interpretive skills
Friday 19th September 2014
Physical and interpretive skills
Physical skills -
Physical and interpretive skills
Physical skills -
- Flexibility - Using your legs and back to help make movements look better and bigger. Helped by continuous stretching of the leg and the back.
- Posture - The way that you hold yourself, if your back is straight your posture is good however if your back is slouched your posture is not so good.
- Alignment - The placement of bones whilst completing different movements.
- Strength - How strong you are to be able to complete particular movements.
- Stamina - How long you can work for without getting out of breath
- Balance - How you are able to hold certain positions without losing your position or wobbling.
- Extension - The way that you use your limbs to extend your movements through to your fingers and feet.
- Co-ordination - The way that you can use your body to different things t the same time.
Interpretive skills -
- Focus - Making sure that you are concentrating on each movement, spacing and facial expressions.
- Projection - The way that you make your movements and facial expressions big enough so that everyone in the audience no matter how far back they are can see.
- Facial expression - The different expressions that you make with your face to show different emotions that run through a theme in a dance.
- Musicality - The way that you make the music that is used to compliment the dance, by interpreting it to your theme, concept and starting point.
This information was from Dance dictionary http://www.dancedictionary.com/ (19th September 2014)
Friday 26th September 2014 - All Of Me
Friday 26th september 2014
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We practiced singing a round, we did this a warm up to prepare for singing "all of me" by "John Legend". A round is where there are different groups that sing the same thing but the groups start at different times. For example the first group sings the first verse by themselves and then Gradually the other groups going in one by one but starting at the beginning. This works by the last group will sing the last verse by themselves as all of the other groups had finished.
When singing "All of me" we had to practice using our head voice once again. This is in the chorus when we had to switch between our chest and head voice. It is important to sing this part in head voice because it exaggerates the meaning of the song and makes it sound emotional.
We practiced singing a round, we did this a warm up to prepare for singing "all of me" by "John Legend". A round is where there are different groups that sing the same thing but the groups start at different times. For example the first group sings the first verse by themselves and then Gradually the other groups going in one by one but starting at the beginning. This works by the last group will sing the last verse by themselves as all of the other groups had finished.When singing "All of me" we had to practice using our head voice once again. This is in the chorus when we had to switch between our chest and head voice. It is important to sing this part in head voice because it exaggerates the meaning of the song and makes it sound emotional.
Friday 19th September 2014 - Dont Stop Believing
Friday 19th September 2014
Singing Techniques
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We sung "don't stop believing" to prepare for this we warmed up by practising our intonation and we also experimented by singing notes with intervals. To do this we needed to have clear pronunciation of "t"s.This means we had to use our diction.
Whilst singing "dont stop believing" we had to experiment using our head and chest voices in the higher notes. The end note we had to use a crescendo.
Crescendo - Getting louder
Diminuendo/Decrescendo - Getting quieter
Singing Techniques
We sung "don't stop believing" to prepare for this we warmed up by practising our intonation and we also experimented by singing notes with intervals. To do this we needed to have clear pronunciation of "t"s.This means we had to use our diction.
Whilst singing "dont stop believing" we had to experiment using our head and chest voices in the higher notes. The end note we had to use a crescendo.
Crescendo - Getting louder
Diminuendo/Decrescendo - Getting quieter
Tuesday 30th September 2014 - movement and music quad jumps
Tuesday 30th september 2014
Keywords
Blocking - Deciding where the characters are going to be on stage.
Characterisation - Voice and movement.
Spatial awareness - There needs to be spacial awareness between the actors and the set/props, actors and the audience and actors and the other actors.
We looked at different pieces of film that had specific types of movements. We recognised movements from each piece.
Harold Lloyd's "Safety last"
Keywords
Blocking - Deciding where the characters are going to be on stage.
Characterisation - Voice and movement.
Spatial awareness - There needs to be spacial awareness between the actors and the set/props, actors and the audience and actors and the other actors.
We looked at different pieces of film that had specific types of movements. We recognised movements from each piece.
Harold Lloyd's "Safety last"
- Hurried movements/rushing around
- Tripping over himself
- Swinging by his hands and then by a rope
- Being saved by the lady and then eventually hugging her
This is halloween - Nightmare before christmas
- Vivid facial expressions
- All movements flow from one to there are barely any staccato actions
- Some of the animations looked as if they were being carried by the wind, the ghosts are a good example of this.
Moulin Rouge (Can Can)
- Fast movements by everyone in the scene
- Dancing around ( kicks and splits)
- Using costume to create movement - lifting up their dresses whilst moving and dancing around
The animals and children took to the streets
- Fast moving animations, the humans move considerably slower than the animations this creates contrast between whats fake and whats reality
- The backgrounds were moving aswell as the characters
Using these movements we created short motifs from the different pieces of film. We choreographed this to the "Fat Sam's grand slam" theme tune.
Our final choreography worked because we used a mix of cannon and unison movements. We did this to create contrast and so that it was unpredictable and the audience did not get bored as we were doing different things with the developed movements that we had. For example when we did the "can can" we were in unison, this is so that it had more of an impact and looked bolder as we were doing exactly the same thing all together at the same time. On the other hand we used canon when completing hand gestures, this looked effective as it looked as though the movements were rolling off of each other. This is because we were standing in a straight line nest to each other. We also used a mixture of different levels, this was also to add interest to the choreography. Although we were standing for the majority of the time we did use the floor in the "can can " section when we all did the splits. We also used different levels in the section when we were doing specific facial expressions that were shown in "this is halloween" when we were alternately up then down. We wanted some part to be comical so that the audience were continually being drawn in. Our musicality was good throughout, our timing with the music and with each other was good. This is important because it looks as though the choreography and the music fit together well.
If we had more time we would finish it so that we didnt need to improvise the ending, we should have repeated different sections to be able to fit the length of the music. We would also add more transitions that would have used more space. This is because for most of the choreography we were standing together in the same place. We did use space in two sections of the piece, these worked because we worked our transitions into the movement that we were already doing, this is important so that we didnt come out of character whilst moving to the next motif. As well as this we would have made it more energetic, this would have helped with our characterisation as the character we were portraying would have been over the top. This would have made it more believable to the audience so that they could clearly see who we were supposed to be.
Our facial expressions were good throughout the parts of the choreography when we were supposed to be doing specific facial expressions. Particularly when we were swapping levels with facial expressions and hand gestures taken from "this is halloween". However throughout other movements our facial expressions slipped slightly, if we had had more time we would have worked on this to make sure that we always looked as though we were in character.
Thursday 25th September 2014 - Speed Runs And Character Profile
Thursday 25th September 2014
Speed runs
We did speed runs in groups, this is so we could learn the basics of the story and understand the key points of the play.
Our speed run worked because we listened to each others ideas therefore we were able to synchronise with each other. For example when we were singing "My name is Tallulah" we were all in time and everyone in our group knew what parts were coming next throughout the performance and rehearsal. To the audience it would look as though we were practised and knew what we were doing at all times. This is because in the rehearsal time we made sure that we went through the whole speed runs many times.
Our speed run wasn't very detailed, if we had more time we could have included more scenes from the show. This would have improved it because it would have allowed us to gain a better understanding of everything that happens in the show.
Character profile - Blousy
Blousy is quite a shy character, but once she gets to know someone better she becomes more easy going and lighter. In some parts of the show she can be rude and angry but for the majority of the nice she is a nice character.
Childhood
I imagine that Blousy would have had a good childhood,by this i mean that i think that her family would have had a privileged upbringing. I think this because she always wears clothes that were quite fashionable in the 1920s, this means that she would have been able to afford clothes that were good quality.
I also think that she had a good relationship with her parents, this is because although she is a shy person she is generally a happy person. However sometimes she can be angry, she isnt like the gang members that result to crime as they had a poor upbringing and wanted to be rich unlike their families.
However when she movies to New York she doesnt have a lot of money and is in desperate need of a job.
Family
I think that Blousy would have come from a big family. Although she was close with her parents and the rest of her family she moved to New York so that she would be able to get away from that. Blousy always felt like her parents didnt give her a lot of attention as she was neither the youngest or the oldest, she decided to leave so that she could have a chance at being a star.
Education
Blousy went to public school in her home town, Chicago. She enjoyed school worked hard throughout her time there. I t was her she found her love for performing on stage where she was involved in many small productions were she sung and danced. Before she found out how much she loved it she had no idea what she was going to do after she left school, so moving to New York didn't stop any career plans that she previously had. Her friends encouraged her Hollywood dreams as they recognised that she had a talent for singing and dancing.
Her school was a small building named White Cross Roads School. It was one of the only mixed gender schools in the area at the time.
Employment
Blousy is a singer that wishes to be successful in Hollywood. She auditions for "fat Sam's grand slam" and gets a job working as a performer there.
Her previous jobs would include part time singing jobs in other clubs like " fat Sam's grand slam", these would have only been part time jobs as the clubs and speakeasies may have been closed down by the police for the illegal sales of alcohol during the prohibitions era. This means she would be experienced in auditioning and performing meaning that she would be comfortable on stage, this would mean that managers would be more likely to employ her.
As well as this she could have also had jobs within theatres perhaps in some acting jobs. She would have also had to audition for these too. She would have worked in a range of different theatres and they would have all been part time jobs.
I dont think that Blousy would have ever had any full time manual jobs like being a waitress or a cleaner, this is because she came from a privileged background. This meaning that her parents always had money so she didnt have to ensure that she made enough money to be
able to live comfortably.
Relationships with other characters
Bugsy
When Blousy first meets Bugsy she doesnt like him, she is a little rude to him, however he talks her into going to dinner together. She then gets to know him and ends up liking him. They spend a lot of time together until she walks in on Bugsy and Tallulah kissing and ignores him for a long while. She then sings her song "ordinary fool" which is about liking Bugsy.
Bugsy promises Blousy that he will get her two tickets to Hollywood so that they can go together. But after his money is stolen from him he cannot buy the tickets. However at the end they go off together to Hollywood.
Tallulah
When Blousy first auditions for "fat Sam's grand slam" Tallulah doesnt like her,presumably she is jealous of her. Tallulah is the star of the show and she is not happy with anyone else joining the show that could potentially be the star as well as or in place of her.
Blousy finds Tallulah and Bugsy together, this gives her more of a reason to not like her. Throughout the play there is rival between the two characters for Bugsys attention and getting lead roles in the show.
Fat Sam
Fat Sam is Blousy's boss, she works at his speakeasy as a singer. At first he doesnt really like Blousy and only lets her audition so that he doesnt look like he is doing anything different or something that he shouldnt be doing.
Overall Fat Sam and Blousy have a good relationship, they dont spend that much time together so they arnt very close. However they do not dislike each other.
Blousy
Blousy's audition song is called "im feeling fine", she shows many different emotions in this such as happiness, when the song starts she seems very easy going and calm. However in some sections she portreys anger, especially towards Bugsy. This is after she finds him with Tallulah.
Character Questions
Is your character tall? Short? What about size? Weight? Posture? How do they feel about their physical body?
The character of Blousy is quite petite and short in her physical apperance. However her hieght is not too short that the other characters in the play tower over her, she is just a little smaller than average hieght perhaps around 5ft4. Her actual body size is also quite small, this is partly because she is quite poor and therefore she doesnt have the money to buy large amounts of expensive food. I would say that she is around 8 stone this would mean that she is only just at a healthy weight for her hieght. He posture is also quite good, she generally holds herself staright and upright most of the time. Although her posture is good she occasionally slouches just a little, this makes her look a little timid and nervous in some situations. I think that Blousy doesnt constantly think about her weight, however i think she is aware of it and doesnt let herself become any bigger.
What about voice? Pitch? Strength? Tempo and rythm of speech? Pronouncuation? Acent?
Blousy's voice is quite high pitch and it is not that strong, when she talks she doesn't have much power. She has a moderate tempo and rhythm of speech, as well as this her pronunciation of words is also quite clear. Her accent typical of an american and is well extablished. Especially when singing her pitch is high, this is clear in the song "ordinary fool".
Speed runs
We did speed runs in groups, this is so we could learn the basics of the story and understand the key points of the play.
Our speed run worked because we listened to each others ideas therefore we were able to synchronise with each other. For example when we were singing "My name is Tallulah" we were all in time and everyone in our group knew what parts were coming next throughout the performance and rehearsal. To the audience it would look as though we were practised and knew what we were doing at all times. This is because in the rehearsal time we made sure that we went through the whole speed runs many times.
Our speed run wasn't very detailed, if we had more time we could have included more scenes from the show. This would have improved it because it would have allowed us to gain a better understanding of everything that happens in the show.
Character profile - Blousy
Blousy is quite a shy character, but once she gets to know someone better she becomes more easy going and lighter. In some parts of the show she can be rude and angry but for the majority of the nice she is a nice character.
Childhood
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| http://www.weekendnotes.com/bugsy-malone-film-review/ |
I imagine that Blousy would have had a good childhood,by this i mean that i think that her family would have had a privileged upbringing. I think this because she always wears clothes that were quite fashionable in the 1920s, this means that she would have been able to afford clothes that were good quality.
However when she movies to New York she doesnt have a lot of money and is in desperate need of a job.
Family
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| http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sandlier/marge/galus.htm |
I think that Blousy would have come from a big family. Although she was close with her parents and the rest of her family she moved to New York so that she would be able to get away from that. Blousy always felt like her parents didnt give her a lot of attention as she was neither the youngest or the oldest, she decided to leave so that she could have a chance at being a star.
Education
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| http://www.shutterstock.com/s/%22horse+lot%22/search.html |
Her school was a small building named White Cross Roads School. It was one of the only mixed gender schools in the area at the time.
Employment
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| http://www.ovguide.comc0/bugsy-malone-9202a84000641f80000000001c54c0 |
Blousy is a singer that wishes to be successful in Hollywood. She auditions for "fat Sam's grand slam" and gets a job working as a performer there.
Her previous jobs would include part time singing jobs in other clubs like " fat Sam's grand slam", these would have only been part time jobs as the clubs and speakeasies may have been closed down by the police for the illegal sales of alcohol during the prohibitions era. This means she would be experienced in auditioning and performing meaning that she would be comfortable on stage, this would mean that managers would be more likely to employ her.
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| http://www.goatchelsea.com/category/news/ |
As well as this she could have also had jobs within theatres perhaps in some acting jobs. She would have also had to audition for these too. She would have worked in a range of different theatres and they would have all been part time jobs.
I dont think that Blousy would have ever had any full time manual jobs like being a waitress or a cleaner, this is because she came from a privileged background. This meaning that her parents always had money so she didnt have to ensure that she made enough money to be
able to live comfortably.
Relationships with other characters
Bugsy
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| http://lenseeyee.blogspot.co.uk/ |
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| https://www.pinterest.com/pin/7670261839922446/?z=1 |
When Blousy first meets Bugsy she doesnt like him, she is a little rude to him, however he talks her into going to dinner together. She then gets to know him and ends up liking him. They spend a lot of time together until she walks in on Bugsy and Tallulah kissing and ignores him for a long while. She then sings her song "ordinary fool" which is about liking Bugsy.
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| http://www.bamboo-club.net/cinema/tomorrow-never-comes |
Bugsy promises Blousy that he will get her two tickets to Hollywood so that they can go together. But after his money is stolen from him he cannot buy the tickets. However at the end they go off together to Hollywood.
Tallulah
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Blousy finds Tallulah and Bugsy together, this gives her more of a reason to not like her. Throughout the play there is rival between the two characters for Bugsys attention and getting lead roles in the show.
Fat Sam
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| http://91.151.218.11/showthread.php?p=23509536 |
Overall Fat Sam and Blousy have a good relationship, they dont spend that much time together so they arnt very close. However they do not dislike each other.
Blousy
Blousy's audition song is called "im feeling fine", she shows many different emotions in this such as happiness, when the song starts she seems very easy going and calm. However in some sections she portreys anger, especially towards Bugsy. This is after she finds him with Tallulah.
Character Questions
Is your character tall? Short? What about size? Weight? Posture? How do they feel about their physical body?
The character of Blousy is quite petite and short in her physical apperance. However her hieght is not too short that the other characters in the play tower over her, she is just a little smaller than average hieght perhaps around 5ft4. Her actual body size is also quite small, this is partly because she is quite poor and therefore she doesnt have the money to buy large amounts of expensive food. I would say that she is around 8 stone this would mean that she is only just at a healthy weight for her hieght. He posture is also quite good, she generally holds herself staright and upright most of the time. Although her posture is good she occasionally slouches just a little, this makes her look a little timid and nervous in some situations. I think that Blousy doesnt constantly think about her weight, however i think she is aware of it and doesnt let herself become any bigger.
What about voice? Pitch? Strength? Tempo and rythm of speech? Pronouncuation? Acent?
Blousy's voice is quite high pitch and it is not that strong, when she talks she doesn't have much power. She has a moderate tempo and rhythm of speech, as well as this her pronunciation of words is also quite clear. Her accent typical of an american and is well extablished. Especially when singing her pitch is high, this is clear in the song "ordinary fool".
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