Dance Magazine: A few decades ago, the choreography seen across Broadway stages looked remarkably similar. Dancers vying to be in musical theater studied the same movement techniques and perfected the same stylistic nuances—outstretched fingers, isolations, and clean, long lines. In recent years, the landscape has shifted and choreographers from all different genres of dance are bringing their unique styles to Broadway musicals and plays.
7 comments:
This article makes fantastic points about the importance of storytelling that I think are true for every element of production. The choices made by lighting, sound, costumes, scenic, etc. should all stem from that seed of narrative and serving the story. Cool lighting effects are fun, as are flamboyant costumes and powerful sound cues, but if those effects don’t live within the context of the world and serve the story, the show feels incohesive and out of place. But when all those elements come together to support and contribute to the same story, what results is poetry of the stage. I think the biggest questions in every design field are “why?” and “how?” Why does this character feel this way right now? How can that be portrayed in the world around them? How does this choice serve the story? Everything stems from the story, from the characters, and from the world of the show.
Part of why I feel so strongly about theatre is the storytelling aspect. I’m a reader, and I’ve been invested in stories my whole life. I thoroughly enjoyed this article’s deep dive into how the choreography is part of the story, as choreography and dance in general is something I don’t have much experience with. The only dance class I ever took was a beginner dance class in 4th grade. I loved the statement that one must understand how the movement fits the story. It was also enlightening to read about how the movement works in tandem with the set and the costumes. I already knew that costuming for dance is different due to the larger range of movement needed, but now I know to think about the set as well. Finally, I liked that the author added that acting and singing lessons enhance the dance training that performers undergo.
I opened this article because I was curious what it was going to say about storytelling. I have always valued storytelling as the main highlight in a production. I love thinking about a script, finding all the stories and hidden meanings in the story and finding creative ways to communicate them. I think it is interesting how much the article focused on dance as a means of communication because it is not at all what I was expecting. I think because I have always been so focused on the storytelling in the other design elements that I overlook how much dancing and block contribute to the whole. That is perhaps because I am not a director or choreographer, so I have not learned to think that way so I do not immediately think that way. Thinking about the way dance has been approached throughout time in musicals and how styles have changed the tone and meaning of the story is a perspective I would like to learn more about.
There is a quote in the article that I connected with immediately: ““Movement adds energy and motion and dimensionality to what the audience experiences…Sets and costumes are only effective if there are people to live in them and with them” Too often a as designer, I fall into the trap of thinking of actors as models for costumes, as I’m sure other designers might inadvertently think of them as models for their sets or lighting designs. People are naturally inclined to think of their own work with more priority or emphasis than other disciplines in any given production, but design elements would be nothing without the performers who bring them life. Dresses are only made flowy so that dancers can twirl in them and wow their audiences. More credit has to be given to the performers onstage, and the article is right in that respect and more: the fact that Broadway has opened itself up stylistically in recent years to give more opportunity to dancers with different backgrounds and training is a great thing.
Storytelling is really the most important aspect when putting on a play for an audience. The whole point of a traditional play is to tell a compelling story in front of a live audience, everything else in a theatrical production is supposed to be the backdrop to the story and the characters, more of a support role which is why I find it interesting how they relate choreography to the story in the article, you can’t have good choreo without understanding the story and why it was made. Which is why I find a lot of modern theatre productions pretty hollow, since a lot of them focus more on a concept or idea instead of an actual story which is ok sometimes and often times stories like that are fun and still enjoyable but i think we need to set the precedent back to more more meaningful stories in theatres, it’s important to have a good mix of different types of plays
I feel very strongly about the relationship between storytelling and aesthetics, and I will just about always take the side of storytelling. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people leave out something that would make a performance more reflective of the storytelling in favor of making it more universally palatable. Like choosing to make a set “beautiful” to keep it universally appealing to all audience members, as opposed to creating an “ugly” set that actually reflects the reality the characters are living in. Prioritizing the spectacle over the story drives me crazy. With dancing, I get there is a certain level of demanded spectacle and it makes sense that it might be a little easy for people to drift from the balance of storytelling and spectacle. But I’m really happy to see the emphasis is being placed on storytelling and the style associated with the proper atmosphere again.
I’m really glad that this article called this out so specifically. I think it's important for everyone involved in theater to remember that they are in service of a story, that is the whole point of all of this nonsense. It's what separates good media from incredibly terrible media. It's always so incredibly obvious when things are created with real heart, and when they are created for the sole purpose of making money. It creates this interesting paradox, where if you make art with the goal of making money, it's almost never going to be as successful as a beautiful executed passion project where everything is done for a reason, and it doesn't matter how many times you watch through something, there will always be new and subtle nuances to pick up on. Entertainment exists so that people can tell stories, and I think that is an incredibly important thing to keep in mind while creating any sort of art.
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