Dance Essay

Dance analysis
Megan Walshe

  Dance doesn’t just involve movement to a song; it involves individuals applying dance technique and performance quality of intricate elements to provide a work with meaning and beauty. These intricate elements include various body skills such as locomotor and non-locomotor sequences which relate to the way in which the anatomical structure works to provide strength, endurance and coordination in performing these sequences. In performance there must always be quality; which is the control and variation of dynamics, alignment, kinaesthetic awareness, musicality, focus and commitment to send a purpose of meaning in a song to make others want to watch and appreciate the work. Through my dance core performance to ‘Slow Dancing in a Burning Room’ By John Mayer, I have attempted to incorporate all of these elements of dance. This analysis will provide a deep understanding of how the elements were or were not correctly performed, and what improvements could be made.

  Locomotor sequences are in every dance piece, they are essentially a group of intricate movements following each other. A locomotor sequence is defined as a movement that travels from place to place usually identified by weight transference on the feet. As there are many complex locomotor sequences throughout the core performance dance, my example of this element is the retire step, more towards the start of the piece, where one arm is extended horizontally out and the other is rotating around to meet the other, while in retire and changing direction of the body to face the front left hand corner of the space. Then stepping three steps on which the third the left leg slides across the floor in a circular motion as well as the arms simultaneously to then face the back, to then slide on that left leg to the floor. In my performance the full extent of the shape where the leg slides down to the floor was not reached. In the transition to the floor I rushed too quickly into...