Dance & Theatre

orchestra

(ancient greek) opening dancing area in front of statehouse or lowest portion and expensive array of seats

technical support tools

costumes, sets, lights, props, makeup, sound

stereotyped character

based on the assumption that all members of given group possess certain simple behavioral traits; strokes of character development (dialect, movement, costume, etc) suffices to communicate a stereotype

Illumination

cast light upon otherwise darkened stage

drama

category of literature intended for the stage

action

character-character interaction, the total array of purposeful activity where characters try to achieve their objectives

restoration comedy

characteristic comedy of the english restoration (1660-1700); glittering language, salacious plots and debauched characters

Religious or Ceremonial Dance

choreography played significant role in cultural events , origins of dance so it was created in celebrations, rituals, rites of passage Native Indians expressed mourning the spirit in dance, to prepare for battles, celebrate joyful occassions

dramatic criticism

commentary on a play or script intended to enrich the experience of seeing the play or reading the script by others

Broadway theatre

commercial model dominated american theatre; profit-making and production sold to investors; long runs of single play using star performers

vomitoria

(roman theatre) tunnels that allowed the audience to enter and exit large theatre with ease; modern theatre have tunnels that allow actors to reach downstage of thrust stage by passing thru audience

Elizabethan Theatre

-Christopher Marlow, Ben Johnson, William Shakespeare -language of the educated; satire

19th Century (theatre)

-Industrial Revolution changed technology (electric lighting, mechanisms for scenery) -growth of melodrama -actor predominated over the author, Shaw, Ibsen and Chekhov -resident companies, playhouses, touring actors -Golden Age of American theatre (1880s-1920s)

Restoration England 1660s (theatre)

-Parliament closed theatre in England; French theatre grew -theatre architecture: artificial lighting, roofed in theatre, indoors, stage raised -Proscenium stage; scene changes slid by on panels -Baroque period: french playwrights Racine and Molière -women appear on stage as boys and young men

Ancient Greek Theatre

-amphitheaters (open air, semicircular, chorus dance music) -playwrights: Sophocles (tragedy: heroes glorified but tragic flaw, influence of gods) and Euripides -Violence took place off-stage -Dionysus festivals (tragedies/comedies/satire) -plots come from legends -influence of central acts and dialogue, masks used for age and emotion -women can't act

Prehistory to beginning of middle ages (dance)

-circle form & use of imagery -gender roles (men; hunting & women; planting) -social dance for births, events -ritual dance for religious (temple dances), fertility dances, hunting magic and favor with gods for seasons and harvests

Late 20th century Dance

-growth of contemporary dance, post-modern in the 60s -movement towards simplicity and less sophisticated technique -'No' manifesto to rejecting costumes and stories -Martha Graham and psychodrama: intense movement of pain, few, love; dance forms sculptured by body positions and release of torso, angular gestures -George Balanchine: modern American ballet, Broadway and Hollywood shows, lean body types -social dance and mass culture: rock and roll, MTV, hip-hop

Roman Theatre

-less influenced by religion -introduction of the subplot -women allowed minor parts -spectacles of the Coliseum -mass appeal/impressive theaters -raised stage replaced Greek semicircular amphitheaters

Medieval theatre

-minstrels, traveling groups, jugglers; open stage areas -church/liturgal dramas: bible stories, intent to educate -dramatic form to illustrate religious holiday to illiterate populace -passion play, miracle play, morality play with theme of religious loyalty

Renaissance and Reformation Theatre

-rebirth of Greek/Roman art culture and lit -professional actors and set design -open stages, proscenium arch (separate audience) -emphasis on the performer -protestant reformation led to secular works -Commedia dell'arte (improvisation, acting groups, situational comedy)

20th Century (theatre)

-social upheaval from WW1 and WW2 -realism, naturalism, symbolism, impressionism (ordinary life on stage) -commercial theatres (musicals, operas) -serious drama (Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams) -actor's studio -experimental theater (against naturalism) -community theater and ensemble theatre)

18th Century (theatre)

-society and economics determined direction of playwrights -acting began to closely mimic life -plays with ordinary people -commercial theatre

romantic era (dance)

1820-1870: ballet was characterized primarily by supernatural subject matter, long white tutus, dancing on toes, theatrical innovations etc

stock company

18th-20th century a form of resident company in which actors were hired according to lines of work and large number of plays prepared with short rehearsal periods and short runs

postmodern dance

1960s; create movement outside influences of traditional modern dancers (Cunningham, Grapham, Humphrey, Limon, Taylor)

Modern Dance

20th century, dancers resisting the rigid structure of classical ballet dance choreography is based on the subjective interpretation of internalized feelings, emotions, moods free-style dance

8 basic steps (locomotor motion)

Chasse: walking, running, leaping jumping hopping galloping skipping, sliding

Cultural dances

Chinese ribbon dance, Polish polonaise, Indian Kathakali or Bharatanatyam dance, Welsh clogging

Kabuki

Japanese traditional theatre form that combines colorful song and dance

Levels (dynamics)

Direction -(forward, back, sideways, diagonal, etc) form & shape - (angular, rounded, twisted, bent, etc) level - (high, medium, low) range -(wide, narrow, big/little) pathway - (floor, elevated, air) focus - (gaze, floor, away)

Cultural historic dance evolution

Egypt: gods/funerals Greece: in theatre-cores, festival of dionysus Rome: pantomime/dance India: balance and moderation, traditional dance China: ceremonial dance with hand movements, war Japan: Kabuki, male only, stomping rituals

Force (energy)

QUALITY OF ENERGY -(sustained/smooth, suspended/light, swing/undercurve, sway/overcurve, collapsed/loose, percussive/sharp, vibrate/shudder) DEGREE OF ENERGY- (strong, weak, heave, light, dynamic, static, flowing, tense)

Chorus

Greek/Roman drama of classical period; group of characters who comment on the action; frequently speaking directly to audience collective role to intermediate between major characters and audience

Interpreting theatre

Intent Structure Effectiveness Worth

Space

LOCOMOTOR (8 basic steps) NONLOCOMOTOR COMBINED LOCOMOTOR (often traditional folk steps) -be aware of space between dancers

Middle Ages dance

The church attempts to restrict pagan dance, associated with fertility Folk dance origins: maypole dance, recreational aspects (current examples: polka, square dance, polonaise, Hungarian tavern dance, Mexican El Jarabe Tapatio)

scriptwriting

based on culture, imagination, literature, personal life can apply to theater, film, tv, electronic media. classroom activities can include reading and analyzing scripts, outlining dramatic structure and working together in groups to plan scenarious

Theatrical Dance

based on music, songs, dialogue, and dance audience often experience it in the form of musical theatre productions; ballet, jazz and tap

Grand jeté

a leap from one leg to the other, working leg is kicked way from body

lifts

a part of pas de deux in which one dancer is lifted off the ground by another

elevation

ability to get up into the air and remain there long enough to perform various movements or poses

Promenade

an adagio movement in which dancer pivots completely around on one foot while maintaining a pose with working leg

Line

arrangement of head, shoulders, arms, torso, legs while dancing

arena staging

audience essentially surrounds the playing area theatre in the round

improvisation

creative, cooperative, spontaneous and flexible response to changing and unexpected dramatic stimuli embraces problem solving without preconception of how to perform and allows anything within the environment to be used during the experience

creative movement

dance movement that is primary and nonfunctional, emphasis on body mastery for expressive and communicative purposes

Acting

development and communication of characters; sensory elements and expressive qualities

Abstraction

essence of an idea applied to art of movement

proscenium arch

essentially an opening in the wall between two rooms; one room (stagehouse) for actors to perform and other room (auditorium) is the aduience

Renaissance dance

evolved from pageants and processions -Ballet developed in France and moved to Italy -Court dancing in Europe (nobility) -music to accompany specific technical steps, theatrical art -Minuet: a formal aristocratic court dance

pastoral play

extinct genre of play, popular in Italian renaissance; set in countryside with nymphs, shepherds, wandering knights; upbeat tones

kinesthetic awareness

feeling the dance movements of others in ones own muscles

dramatic question

first and most important element in rising action; conflict is established and "how will this turn out"; begin to develop suspense

spotting

focusing the eyes on one point in the distance in order to keep balance

creative drama

form of entertainment in which students improvise scenes for their own growth; learn subjects tother than theater (such as history, psychology, lit, etc)

satyr play

form of greek drama that coexisted with tragedy and classical period; burlesque of same ideas, ridiculing the gods and legends; bawdy language

proscenium staging

form of physical configuration between actor and audience

18th & 19th Century Dance

formal dancing spread and professional dancing masters/choreographing -ballet developed thru Europe, virtuoso dancing, pointe footwork -Era of Romanticism (early 1800s), continued evolution of ballet, emphasis on emotions and fantasy -focus on ballerina and male was secondary

Theatre

formal presentation of scripted play

melodrama

genre of theatre that is normally placed between tragedy and drama; largely serious in tone, major figures in jeopardy but they are saved from destruction at the end; moral stance is always clear- good characters are good and bad are bad

Dénouement

immediately follows the climax of a play; last remaining loose ends are tied up

gallery

in Elizabethan theatre, one of a tier of alcoves surrounding the interior of the yard where boxes and benches were greatest comfort for those who could afford it

mood

in lighting the use of elements of lighting to evoke or support particular emotional states of characters

Drama

involves reenactment of life situations for entertainment and human understanding; expression does not necessarily require a live-formal audience

grand jeté en tournan

leap where dancer turns halfway in midair to land facing the direction from which the movement started

chronological time

linear experienced time, related to cause and effect

body movement

locomotor and axial (contained movement around axis of the body)

flashback

manipulation of time in plot in which scene from earlier is shown after those that occur later

connotative meaning

meaning conveyed by symbols that are vague in terms of strict definition but rich in poetic meaning

climax

new piece of info is made public that tips the balance; followed by dénouement

Adagio

opposite of allegro, slower tempo; exercises of extensions and balances

Folk Dance

originated from medieval times 1. dance movements must predate 19th century 2. dance is performed by peasants or royalty 3. choreography is derived from tradition 4. there is no teacher (play and sing w/ movement, Hokey Pokey, London Bridge, Maypole dance)

passé

passing position where foot passes by the knee of supporting leg; position held in pirouettes the working leg rests on knee in retiré

environmental staging

physical relationship between audience and performers where there is little or no clear definition between space dedicated to each

lighting plot

plan of the stage showing the location of each lighting instrument, size and characters

exposition

playwriting device of providing info to audience

Organizational principles of theatre

plot & conflict setting character language rhythm and unity

upstage

portion of acting area that is farthest from audience

downstage

portion of the proscenium stage that is closest to the audience

Arabesque

pose in which the working leg is extended with straight knee directly behind the body

Allegro

quick or lively movements

extension

raising the leg to straightened position with the foot very high above ground, lift and hold the leg

form (theatre)

relationship of all the parts of plays of a certain type considered apart from any single example of that type, as in the form of farce and the form of the well-made play; what emerges is a model r ideal of a theatrical experience that can be used to describe specific examples

force

release of potential energy into kinetic energy

neoclassic drama

renaissance writers attempted to recapture glory of theatre in ancient greece/rome; aided by application of certain rules (unities), rigid verse forms and decorum on stage

Early 20th century Dance

revolutionary aspects of Ballets Russes (russia) stretched classical ballet -Revolution of modern dance -Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham -flapper era with fast-moving dances such as the Charleston

Time

rhythm, tempo, beat, meter, syncopation, rhapsodic rhythms (non-metric, i.e. breath, water, wind)

Barre

round rail attached to wall, for dancers to hold during first half of technique class

movement materials

sequences, motifs, and phrases developed as the choreographed dance

one-act play

short duration play that is presented without intermission and without major scenery changes

stage left/right

side of stage to the left/right of an actor facing the audience

Social Dance

socializing is main focus, partners are essential; hip-hop, line dance, ballroom, waltz, foxtrot, tango, rumba, swing

thrust stage

some part of the stage extends into and is surrounded by the audience,no more than 270 degrees around stage

Elements of Dance

space, time, levels (dynamics), force (energy)

pas de deux

specific codified form that is choreographed in many classical ballets; used to refer to any section of a dance performed by two dancers together

tempo

speed with which incidents make up the action take place

pit

standing or lowest admission fee seats

stage

structure where all drama and theatre takes place; ex: proscenium theatres, arena theatres, amphitheatures, black box theatre

inciting incident

the first incident in the chain of events called rising action; introduces disequilibrium

conventions

the temporary rules of the performance, specific to particular cultures, styles of theatre, and individual productions

Alignment

the way in which various parts of dancers body are in line with one another during movement

block

to decide upon gross movements of actors on stage; assign the physical relationship of actors and location of entrance & exit early blocking rehearsals for this

multiple plots

traditional element of theatre plotting in which more than one story line is presented simultaneously; plots kept separate until late in the play when they interact; share same theme

Aristotelian theatre

traditional theatre; clear simple plot, strong characters high levels of intellectual content; minimum of spectacle 3 unities: one main action, one physical space and unity of time -5 acts -no violence

Pirouette

twirl/spin; one foot can be executed outward or inward

modern dance

type of creative dance involving specialized movement techniques; emphasis is on expression and communication

storyboard

visual display of the plot; each scene is presented by a single picture or description