BASICS of TEACHING DANCE, Part Five TRANSITIONS

By Alexandra King

TRANSITIONS and BRIDGES

Overview

Transitions are the linking movements and musical lines between passages of dance and music. They can be difficult as any change can be. The challenge for students learning to dance is that their choreographic memory has not been developed sufficiently to move easily and quickly beyond a particular step, movement, or combination and this makes learning choreography daunting.

Dancers do not just develop muscle memory – they develop what I call a “Choreographic Memory”. This means they have learned the technical foundations of dance as well as simple combinations which are an integral part of a whole choreography.

Just as musicians first learn all the notes, chords and passages of compositions, dancers learn the foundation moves, steps and combinations before they learn choreographies.. The key to success at this is applying the proper gradient when teaching and lots and lots of practice when learning!

BREAK DOWN THE MUSIC FIRST

Before you begin to choreograph or teach a dance, you – the instructor - need to know it cold. Stopping to review or try and remember what you are teaching is disruptive and makes the transference of information stilted and stalls memory retention for the student. So, know what you are teaching before you teach.

Creating and communicating choreography starts with breaking down the music and laying it out. Start with Outlining the Music’s Composition. Create a legend for terms such as “CW=clockwise”. Example:

Legend:

R= Right; L= Left CW= Clockwise; CCW = Counter Clockwise

Use Time stamps for the different sections.

State whether it is a soloist, chorus or orchestral section.

SECTION I Opening [0 – 13]

4 Step Forward/Backward Step Touch R,L; R,L; R,L; R,L - 14

Turn L – >>>Flourish with a Wrist Circle<<<

4 Side to Side Step Touch L, R; L, R; L,R; L,R 20

Pivot Turn R

SECTION II: Soloist: [14- 26]

4 Hip Drops on R

1 Backward Figure 8's R, L

1 L Hip Circle

4 Side Travel Vertical Drop R

3 Vertical Hip Drop Slide R, L, R>3 Shoulder Locks R,L,R

SECTION III: Chorus [27 -40]

2 Double Forward/Backward Hip Lock on L Hip

1 Slow Vertical Hip Circle - L hip

1 Side Figure 8

4 Half Hip Circles turning L

1 Hip Circle CCW

2 Shoulder Rolls L,R>Triple Shoulder Locks R, L, R

BRIDGES

They are transitions from one dance or music passage to another and signal this.

Example: Sohair Zakis Set, “My Music”

 SECTION II - BRIDGE - Everyone 1:06 - 1:13

2 Hip Drops on R Hip; 1 FBF Hip Lock l; 1 4-Bounce Hip Circle R; Hip Shimmy

COMPARTMENTALIZING THE DRUM SOLO

Drum Solos – the cousin to Taksim’s – were traditionally executed in place- no traveling.  This was because drum solos typically in a 2/4 – a very fast rhythm and it was all about isolations, not steps. The taksim was/is a slow sinewy sequence displaying isolations in place or on the floor.  Traveling was introduced by western artists at the turn-of-the-nineteenth century. Now, dancers combine steps and isolations.

Drum Solos are rhythmic songs with groupings of the same rhythm or riffs in measures of 2/4, 4/4 or 8/4. The primary rhythm is 2/4 and so requires a 4th line in lines of four. Example:

·         D tekka Tekka

·         D Tekka Tekka

·         D Tekka TEkka

·         D-D-Tek [the closing line]

OR

·         D T tk T

·         D T tk T

·         D T tk T

·         DDT [the closing line]

TRANSITIONS IN THE CABARET SOLO

Moving from the opening to the veil to the taksim and drum solo gives the dance variety and contrast.  Contrast is one of the key elements of art. These sections of the dance are different in the Egyptian cabaret: they are a lot more random and sudden and have no beginning or end so, to western ears these transitions of sudden rhythmic change can be jarring. In the American Cabaret each segment is a complete section with a start, middle and end so it is cleaner and more digestible to western audiences. Things to remember about cabaret transitions:

1.      Start and end each section with a pose – which means knowing the poses of belly dance cold.

2.      Each section has a mood the music is communicating and this mood is different from the section before. Mood and emotion are the primary essence of performing art. Teach your students to develop emotional content and expression.

3.      Each section has an energy or, dynamic and this must be interpreted in movement as well as emotion. Hard vs. Soft; High vs. Low; Fast vs slow…..are some of the contrasting dynamics.

Keep these ideas in mind as you train your students. Let me know how things are going or if you have any questions!