Earth Dancers vs West Side Story

Mallory Green
Grade: 9
Due: Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
Earth Dancers & West Side Story Evaluation
Q: What was the dance like?
A:
EARTH DANCERS: In the Earth Dancers performance, I chose the "Resurrection Fern" dance piece. It was one of the last pieces of the first act. The costumes that the performers were wearing were several different vintage style mini dresses. There was no more than ten young adult female dancers in the piece. The dancers all had equal roles in this piece.
WEST SIDE STORY: In the West Side Story performance, I chose the "I Feel Pretty" scene. It was scene one of the second act. The costumes that the performers were wearing were lingerie and pajamas that were different for each dancer, but the same coral color. The performers were Maria and the Shark Girls. Maria played the lead role, especially in this piece. The Shark Girls observed her and mocked Maria.
Q: How was the dance put together?
A:
EARTH DANCERS: The "Resurrection Fern" dance was put together using a variety of movement. The dance was put together as a canon. The moves were abstract movements. There was moments were the dancers were still and isolated for extensive periods of time, there was noticeable weight shifts, their balance was purposely lost, and their falls and jumps were recovered lingeringly. Collapsing was the most used movement quality. The slow tempo remained the same throughout the dance but the size of movements did not, along with the levels.
WEST SIDE STORY: The "I Feel Pretty" scene was put together using a small variety of movement. The dance was put together to go along with the lyrics of the song that the performers were singing. The choreography was expressive but used literal movements. There was no kneeling, sitting or ground levels. Only standing and minor almost unnoticeable jumping. There were a few partner moves although the focal point was on Maria. The size of the movements were moderate.
Q: What did the dance mean?
A:
EARTH...