Movement written report for La Mer

Categories of movement

• Travel
• Turning
• Elevation
• Gesture
• Stillness and falling

The movement piece

The first part of our movement piece was our group entrance, where line by line we got into our positions on-stage. My entrance involved walking into the centre and then turning to face the front, ready to perform the next set. This was in the travel category of movement and set the stage. We then did the jumping sequence, which practised both elevation and turning, since we did the jumping and turning 180 degrees on the 8th jump, then 8th again, then 6, then 4, then 2, then 2 again before finally turning a full 360 degrees in one jump. then one by one we all used a different gesture, incorporated into travel, to move into a long line across the stage. We then transformed from one freeze frame to another, with distinctive elements of our characters in each, and back again. 

This part was very difficult in terms of spacial awareness, since when we devised and rehearsed it in class it worked fine and looked really good, however when we got to the stage we realised that it was much smaller than the classroom. We had to alter the piece to fit into the space, which was quite a challenge for us as a group, however I think that the end product was far more effective than if we hadn't been pushed to change it.

I think that I learnt a great deal about doing movement in large groups. I'd worked on movement in smaller groups for the transition pieces and generally in theatre before and in GCSE core dance, however I wasn't used to incorporating very subtle, independent moves into a move that a group can do as one body.