Lets discuss FORM a little more comprehensively. To do that I'm going to repost the solo on this page so dont have to flick back and forth...hang on...
Ok, now have a watch again and define your sections.
So. The beginning to him falling to a kneel and hitting the strong arm pose with his arm? Yes you know the pose? If not go back and watch for it.
This pose signifies the link between the end of the beginning and the start of the first part of the development. I know I didn't say this before but I was wrong and it is.
Then when the sirens come and he does the elevated grande jete phrase upstage this is the second part of the development.
The end section we agreed upon begins after the link of the arm phrase, in which he hits the accents of the cymbals while extending each arm and then throwing them both down.
The formal structure for this is ABC as it builds to a crescendo of technical fireworks and resolves in a most theatrical of announcements "Thats All Folks" after a last encore of skills...almost... there are two sections in the development it is not ABC but A, B1, B2, C. You see?
Cultural Influences on Form.
The form of Percussion 4 is Historically and Artistically influenced by the male solo in classical ballet.
Watch Mikhail Baryshnikov's solo in Don Quixote and write notes about the similarities of the structure;
Can you see the build of technical skills, the placement in the solo of the turns, the striking of strong poses, preparations for large elevations and turns etc. Dont get too caught up in the movement vocabulary, although there are a lot of similarities here, more look at the overall structure, the begining, the development, the resolution.
Another artist who has influenced Fosse is George Balanchine, a classical and musical theatre choreographer who has been hailed as the foremost contemporary choreographer in the world of ballet. Lets learn a little bit about Balanchine and make notes of influences you can see on Fosse.
The son of a composer, Balanchine early in life gained a knowledge of music that far exceeds that of most of his fellow choreographers. He began studying the piano at the age of five and following his graduation in 1921, from the Imperial Ballet School (the St. Petersburg academy where he had started his dance studies at the age of nine), he enrolled in the state's Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano and musical theory, including composition, harmony and counterpoint, for three years. Such extensive musical training made it possible for Balanchine as a choreographer to communicate with a composer of such stature as Igor Stravinsky; the training also gave Balanchine the ability to reduce orchestral scores on the piano, an invaluable aid in translating music into dance.
Artistic Approach
Balanchine's style has been described as neoclassic, a reaction to the Romantic anti-classicism, (which had turned into exaggerated theatricality) that was the prevailing style in Russian and European ballet when he had begun to dance. As a choreographer, Balanchine generally de-emphasized plot in his ballets, preferring to let "dance be the star of the show," as he once told an interviewer. Nevertheless, tantalizing hints of story color works ranging from Agon to Liebeslieder Walzer, and such ballets as La Valse, Apollo, Scotch Symphony, La Sonnambula, Harlequinade and Prodigal Son – as well as the full-length Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Coppelia – integrate the elements of dancing and narrative.
Though most noted for his ballet choreography, Balanchine also worked extensively in theater and movies. He choreographed numerous musical comedies, including On Your Toes, Song of Norway, I Married an Angel, The Boys from Syracuse, The Merry Widow and The Ziegfeld Follies of 1935 and his film credits include Star Spangled Rhythm, I Was an Adventuress and Goldwyn Follies.
Profound Originality
In 1970 U. S. News & World Report attempted to summarize Balanchine's achievements in the following words:
"The greatest choreographer of our time, George Balanchine, is responsible for the successful fusion of modern concepts with older ideas of classical ballet. Balanchine received his training in Imperial Russia before coming to America in 1933. Here, the free-flowing U.S. dance forms stimulated him to develop new techniques in dance design and presentation which have altered the thinking of the world of dance. Often working with modern music, and the simplest of themes, he has created ballets that are celebrated for their imagination and originality. His company, the New York City Ballet, is the leading dance group of the United States and one of the greatest companies in the world. An essential part of the success of Balanchine's group has been the training of his dancers, which he has supervised since the founding of his School of American Ballet in 1934. Balanchine chose to shape talent locally, and he has said that the basic structure of the American dancer was responsible for inspiring some of the striking lines of his composition. Balanchine is not only gifted in creating entirely new productions – his choreography for classical works has been equally – fresh and inventive. He has made American dance the most advanced and richest in choreographic development in the world today."
Balanchine himself wrote: "We must first realize that dancing is an absolutely independent art, not merely a secondary accompanying one. I believe that it is one of the great arts. Like the music of great musicians, it can be enjoyed and understood without any verbal introduction or explanation.... The important thing in ballet is that movement itself, as it is sound which is important in a symphony. A ballet may contain a story, but the visual spectacle, not the story is the essential element. The choreographer and the dancer must remember that they reach the audience through the eye – and the audience, in its turn, must train itself to see what is performed upon the stage. It is the illusion created which convinces the audience, much as it is with the work of a magician. If the illusion fails, the ballet fails, no matter how well a program note tells the audience that it has succeeded."
Cultural Influences on Movement Vocab
We have talked about this a bit, and you should have your research on Jack Cole and Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly. There is also the more general cultural influence of the Broadway Musical, there is "flash" and showmanship that is more overt than the stoic or serious faced classical ballet solo. Although there is a lot of classical vocab in this solo and that is a Historical influence on Percussion 4, the thing that makes it different to Baryshnikov's solo is that it is firmly infused with Theatrical Jazz technique.
NOW if you havent already watched it then you need to now progress to Kiandra's Page to watch the Jack Cole video she posted and make notes!! Its a fantastic resource and thank-you so much Kiandra for finding it. GOLD.
MORE INFO AVAILABLE HERE - Print these out please.
NOW HERE WE GO>>>
PERCUSSION 4 UNIT 3.
Lets discuss FORM a little more comprehensively. To do that I'm going to repost the solo on this page so dont have to flick back and forth...hang on...
Ok, now have a watch again and define your sections.
So. The beginning to him falling to a kneel and hitting the strong arm pose with his arm? Yes you know the pose? If not go back and watch for it.
This pose signifies the link between the end of the beginning and the start of the first part of the development. I know I didn't say this before but I was wrong and it is.
Then when the sirens come and he does the elevated grande jete phrase upstage this is the second part of the development.
The end section we agreed upon begins after the link of the arm phrase, in which he hits the accents of the cymbals while extending each arm and then throwing them both down.
The formal structure for this is ABC as it builds to a crescendo of technical fireworks and resolves in a most theatrical of announcements "Thats All Folks" after a last encore of skills...almost... there are two sections in the development it is not ABC but A, B1, B2, C. You see?
Cultural Influences on Form.The form of Percussion 4 is Historically and Artistically influenced by the male solo in classical ballet.
Watch Mikhail Baryshnikov's solo in Don Quixote and write notes about the similarities of the structure;
Can you see the build of technical skills, the placement in the solo of the turns, the striking of strong poses, preparations for large elevations and turns etc. Dont get too caught up in the movement vocabulary, although there are a lot of similarities here, more look at the overall structure, the begining, the development, the resolution.
Another artist who has influenced Fosse is George Balanchine, a classical and musical theatre choreographer who has been hailed as the foremost contemporary choreographer in the world of ballet. Lets learn a little bit about Balanchine and make notes of influences you can see on Fosse.
The son of a composer, Balanchine early in life gained a knowledge of music that far exceeds that of most of his fellow choreographers. He began studying the piano at the age of five and following his graduation in 1921, from the Imperial Ballet School (the St. Petersburg academy where he had started his dance studies at the age of nine), he enrolled in the state's Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano and musical theory, including composition, harmony and counterpoint, for three years. Such extensive musical training made it possible for Balanchine as a choreographer to communicate with a composer of such stature as Igor Stravinsky; the training also gave Balanchine the ability to reduce orchestral scores on the piano, an invaluable aid in translating music into dance.
Artistic Approach
Balanchine's style has been described as neoclassic, a reaction to the Romantic anti-classicism, (which had turned into exaggerated theatricality) that was the prevailing style in Russian and European ballet when he had begun to dance. As a choreographer, Balanchine generally de-emphasized plot in his ballets, preferring to let "dance be the star of the show," as he once told an interviewer. Nevertheless, tantalizing hints of story color works ranging from Agon to Liebeslieder Walzer, and such ballets as La Valse, Apollo, Scotch Symphony, La Sonnambula, Harlequinade and Prodigal Son – as well as the full-length Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Coppelia – integrate the elements of dancing and narrative.
Though most noted for his ballet choreography, Balanchine also worked extensively in theater and movies. He choreographed numerous musical comedies, including On Your Toes, Song of Norway, I Married an Angel, The Boys from Syracuse, The Merry Widow and The Ziegfeld Follies of 1935 and his film credits include Star Spangled Rhythm, I Was an Adventuress and Goldwyn Follies.
Profound Originality
In 1970 U. S. News & World Report attempted to summarize Balanchine's achievements in the following words:
"The greatest choreographer of our time, George Balanchine, is responsible for the successful fusion of modern concepts with older ideas of classical ballet. Balanchine received his training in Imperial Russia before coming to America in 1933. Here, the free-flowing U.S. dance forms stimulated him to develop new techniques in dance design and presentation which have altered the thinking of the world of dance. Often working with modern music, and the simplest of themes, he has created ballets that are celebrated for their imagination and originality. His company, the New York City Ballet, is the leading dance group of the United States and one of the greatest companies in the world. An essential part of the success of Balanchine's group has been the training of his dancers, which he has supervised since the founding of his School of American Ballet in 1934. Balanchine chose to shape talent locally, and he has said that the basic structure of the American dancer was responsible for inspiring some of the striking lines of his composition. Balanchine is not only gifted in creating entirely new productions – his choreography for classical works has been equally – fresh and inventive. He has made American dance the most advanced and richest in choreographic development in the world today."
Balanchine himself wrote: "We must first realize that dancing is an absolutely independent art, not merely a secondary accompanying one. I believe that it is one of the great arts. Like the music of great musicians, it can be enjoyed and understood without any verbal introduction or explanation.... The important thing in ballet is that movement itself, as it is sound which is important in a symphony. A ballet may contain a story, but the visual spectacle, not the story is the essential element. The choreographer and the dancer must remember that they reach the audience through the eye – and the audience, in its turn, must train itself to see what is performed upon the stage. It is the illusion created which convinces the audience, much as it is with the work of a magician. If the illusion fails, the ballet fails, no matter how well a program note tells the audience that it has succeeded."
Cultural Influences on Movement Vocab
We have talked about this a bit, and you should have your research on Jack Cole and Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly. There is also the more general cultural influence of the Broadway Musical, there is "flash" and showmanship that is more overt than the stoic or serious faced classical ballet solo. Although there is a lot of classical vocab in this solo and that is a Historical influence on Percussion 4, the thing that makes it different to Baryshnikov's solo is that it is firmly infused with Theatrical Jazz technique.
NOW if you havent already watched it then you need to now progress to Kiandra's Page to watch the Jack Cole video she posted and make notes!! Its a fantastic resource and thank-you so much Kiandra for finding it. GOLD.
MORE INFO AVAILABLE HERE - Print these out please.
Percussion 4 info Pg 1.pdf
Percussion 4 info Pg 2.pdf
Percussion 4 Info Pg 3.pdf
Percussion 4 info Pg 4.pdf
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Fosse_Bio_3.jpg
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Percussion_4_quotes_3.jpg
THERE IS ALSO LOTS OF BOB FOSSE FOR YOU TO WATCH IF YOU WANT OR NEED ON THE BOB FOSSE PAGE.