Why is it important for a dancer to be able to perform in a stylistically accurate way?
This one can get a bit tricky, but it’s in the specification under technical skills, and so it could come up.
To get our heads around this one, have a think about the stylistic features of three of your Anthology works for a minute.
Infra
Modern ballet
Dancers need to have upright posture, their weight lifted, pointed toes and be able to work in turn out. Arabesques and held positions of the arms are also important.
EofE
Hip Hop
Dancers need to have their weight grounded into the floor and often perform with bent knees. They need to be able to use a powerful dynamic in their arms and perform with precision. They are also need to be able to work closely with the rhythms in the music.
A Linha Curva
Samba
Dancers need to be able to isolate their hips and rib cages in a fluid, sensual way, have their weight grounded into the floor and work with syncopated rhythms.
Why is it important that dancers can perform these styles accurately?
- there are specific requirements for each genre – if dancers cannot perform accurately in the style, the essence of the dance is lost
- it is likely that the music mirrors the genre – samba music for samba movement, hip hop music for hip hop movement. If dancers cannot perform accurately in the dance style, they will also miss the musicality of the music and the authenticity of the dance as a whole is lost
- it is possible that the dance style is important for the meaning of the dance [as in A Linha Curva]. If dancers cannot perform accurately in the style, then the choreographic intent is lost also.