March 6th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Footworks Dancers and Musician
How does percussive dance (clogging, body slap, tap, hambone, steppin’) differ from other dance forms?
How did the dancers integrate props into their performance? Was it effective? Explain.
Compare &/or contrast authentic (hambone, clogging) dances to the more contemporary/abstract “bottle/trash” dance.
Discuss the use of rhythm and self-accompaniment used throughout the performance.
This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 9:30 am and is filed under Beginning II Dance, Intermediate Dance.
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I had no clue what to expect from this performance, which was probably good because honestly, I would have been pretty skeptical. Although clogging and “wagon-wheeling it” aren’t exactly favorites of mine, I had to give the dancers credit for all the energy they had.
Overall I think props are good change of pace for dances, they add a new element of entertainment to a performance. The props that Dancing Feet used that stood out the most to me were all the platsic bottles. That was definetly suprising and at first kind of shocking.
I think the use of the bottles could be seen two different ways. At first I thought it was distracting from the dancers as my eyes would follow a bottle rolling into the orchestra pit instead of the dancer.But then I kind of figured that that was the point. They were objects used everyday and suddenly they were tossed onto a stage creating a whole new setting. It was pretty cool.
March 16th, 2008 at 1:16 pmPercussive dance, unlike other dance forms, seems to emphasize sound and percussion more than it does with visual effects.
The dancers used empty plastic bottles for their props. I believe this was effective because they could interact with the bottles in all sorts of ways to make new sounds which sounded very cool in the end.
Authentic dances, such as hambone and clogging (or “hoofing”) are bona fide forms of dance, who’s origins are absolute and indisputable. Their forms have a precise technique and form that distinguish the forms as they are. In other contemporary and abstract dances, there isn’t any origin, as most of them are newly created by a single artist and are played off as so. Despite this difference between the types of forms of dance, they can be similar in the sense that contemporary and abstract dances can be based off of an authentic form of dance. An example of this would be the “bottle/trash” dance, which was based off of clogging.
The rhythm in the performance would vary on occasion, but it remained constant at the same time. Despite this, the rhythm was distinguishable regardless of the changes. It is because of this that the dancers were able to add their own accompaniment at the correct times, whether it was a shout or clapping-the timing was good, adding more effect to the performance.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:29 pmI thought the footworks company was very different to the other companies I usually see. The clogging and body slapping seemed so free unlike different forms of dance like ballet. In ballet there are so many rules and you have to be in a specific position and it requires alot of discipline. The clogging and body slapping requires technique and discipline but it seems like a freer form of dance. It seemed very fun when they used all these unusual props. They used trash to make noise and make the piece more interesting. I commend them on their creativity, however I felt like the props they used was something I have seen before in step groups or stomping groups. It was cool to see but I thought if there were more dancers it would have been more interesting. still their pieces were interesting especially with the violinist. It added another interesting element to the dances.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:00 amFootworks was very unique from anything else that i have everyseen performed. I really liked how the dancers created sound through movement rather than the typical movement choreographed for a specific sound. What i also enjoyed was the fact that they didn’t just create sound through traditional dances such as clogging, tap dancing, or irish dancing to create the sound to which they moved to. They used simple things that i never would have thought of to be the percussive backround for their pieces;such as rubber boots and even trash. It was not only a fun performance to watch but also a fun performance to hear with all the different instruments/ props that they used in order to create a rhythm to move to. Their creative ideas and talent that they brought to the stage is what made this performance so enjoyable.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:33 pmI enjoyed watching Footworks, though I wasnt expecting this type of dancing. It is very different from what i am used to but I liked how they used the their clogs and shoes to create rhythm. They also created rhythm by using bottles and a musician. I would have never thought of using crushed plastic bottles to dance and create movement. When they used these it made more noise than the clogging done before and it really grabbed the audiences attention. I thought it was a good idea and maybe i can learn from it. This form of dancing and all forms of dancing have similarities but this particular form was very different from others. They incorporated different props and used different types of shoes and they had one musician. I liked how they didnt need to use a whole orchestra or a cd. I hope everyone can take something from this and use some ideas in their own choreography.
March 30th, 2008 at 8:36 amI thought Footworks was interesting. I enjoyed seeing something new and different but I was very surprised. The dancers were all very energetic and you could tell that they loved what they were doing. It’s always fun to see people doing something that they love because it makes it much more fun to watch. I personally didn’t like their use of props. The bottles they scattered on stage were noisy and just distracted from their movement. I think if they had used props that made clearer more distinct noises then it would have been more beneficial but they bottles were just muted and dull. They had very interesting and innovative movement, most of which I had never seen. It was good because I went into the performance with no preconceptions and I was able to just sit back and learn about a new type of dance.
March 30th, 2008 at 3:37 pmI did not know that Footworks was going to be like this at all. I really ended up enjoying though because it was so difference. I found that they did not really make it as much about focusing on the movement but more about the rhythem you could make with movements to create different sounds such as the percussion. I really found it interesting all of the things that they found to work with their style and make it unique the garbage one really stood out to me because it is something you would never expect. It shows how something like garbage can be just as effective as clogging shoes. I really enjoyed this performance and was very suprised by it. There was such a variety I found it so interesting to watch and easy to really focus on the individual pieces that they combined together to make the piece complete.
March 31st, 2008 at 6:02 pmi was very thrown off when the musician came on stage and started to play his violin (fiddle?)
March 31st, 2008 at 8:25 pmbut it prepped me for the dancers… the music did a good job at setting the tone, mood, and energy for the pieces. What was cool was that the man playing the instruments wasn’t the only musician. The actual dancers were their own accompaniment! they took advantage of their props and own bodies for rhythm. Their feet, hands, chests, legs, and vocals participated. They used plastic bottles and jugs by banging them together, banging ON them, and kicking them around. They derived sound from everything they brought onto the stage! It makes the dancers appear more intimately involved with their dance. They are performing and using the dance at the same time (of that makes any sense).
The timing and persistence was impressive. Even if they did happen to mess up, the audience couldn’t tell. This especially applies when their more than one dancer, because you also have to conform to the timing of the other dancers.
I usually don’t favor of prefer this type of dance. Yet, there were parts of their performance and kept me engaged and interested. It’s just a type of dance that we’re not used to seeing or hearing about. They added their own creative flavor, which made it more than just tapping and clogging.
When this company came to perform for us my expectations were completely different. Usually when we see companies they perform some kind of traditional ballet or modern dance that most are used to. However, I thought it was really refreshing to have a different style company come and show something that I have personally never experienced before. What was most interesting to me was that every single dance and every single step had a meaning and a purpose. It was never just moves put together to form a sequence. Everything had a place and was put there for a reason and was explained to the audience. I enjoyed this because with a style so different to an audience they often question why it is being danced or what does it mean, and these dancers had a full explination for everything.
I also wanted to comment on the complete variety of props the used in their pieces ranging from their own bodies, to rain boots. It was interesting because when they brought out the rain boots or plastic bottles I thought I knew exactly what was coming, and when they were finished I was wrong. They used their props in the normal way most would think of and then took it to the next level using them in imaginitive ways unpredictable to the audience.
March 31st, 2008 at 9:04 pmI think the major reason I enjoyed the Footworks performance so much was the way that they interacted with the audience throughout the performance, and made us feel involved. They brought a lot of different styles of dance that most of us were not used to. I found the way they integrated the concept of creating rhythm into their dancing, and allowing them to mesh them together. They were so creative in the ways that they created different rhythms. They used traditional clogging, hitting their bodies, recycled materials, and even rainboots to create unique rhythms that integrated with the movement of their bodies. I found the whole performance very intriguing to watch.
March 31st, 2008 at 10:58 pmI thought that this performance was really interesting and unique. I had no idea what to expect when I came to the auditorium that day, and when they came on so energetically and enthusiastically I was very surprised. Their use of props was excellent, and I loved the way that they interacted with the audience as a whole. Their coordination and rhythm were two things that I found to be very impressive. These are things that are relative to all types of dancing, whether it be clogging or ballet. I also loved the use of music in their performance. It was so amusing to watch them create very unique and interesting sounds from the props that they had brought with them. The live accompaniment was also a nice touch.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:22 amI love tap-dancing. I never did it, but it always excites me and I think is excites everyone in the audience, they always start tapping their feet along to the beat. I liked the clogging and traditional tapping, and they seemed to have a good idea about the trash, but they could’ve taken it further and made it more exciting. I love experimenting with unexpected sounds in dance, but they didn’t make enough of the awesome crunching sounds of the bottles under their feet. They really didn’t need more than like four, that they slapped their thighs with. They could’ve taken the sounds & dance a lot further with that.
April 1st, 2008 at 8:44 pmI thought this company was very energetic. I felt the show was geared more towards younger kids, but the dancers were very into what they did and they seemed to really enjoy being part of Footworks. The fact that they used their own percussion sounds and beats that they made themselves to dance to was very new and intriguing.
May 25th, 2008 at 2:10 pmI agree with Leah when she says that they could have gone further with the trash piece. There was so much potential there, but they didn’t use a lot of the trash, at all. It seemed like it was just there for decoration. I would have liked to see more of the trash used, and in different ways. Also, the bottles weren’t that loud, so it was hard to make out the beat when all they were using were the bottles.