Tuesday, October 7, 2014

CONNECTING THE DOTS: MAKING SMOOTH TRANSITIONS IN YOUR DANCE



 
Photo by Maharet Christina Hughes
 

  Transitions   are the unsung hero in dance. 

They’re almost an unseen  “missing link”, they are  the lines that connect the dots, stringing together a bunch of separate movements and making them look cohesive.  Good transitions add an unending flow, making our performance look polished and effortless. Sometimes our transitions are fancy and flowery, other times they’re as unnoticeable as a simple weight change…but they always need to be there. Without transitions, any dance would look stilted and jerky, simply a series of stationary movements.

  When I first started dancing, the very idea of transitions totally confused me.  Like many baby dancers, I was focused purely on technique.  I didn’t understand the importance of transitions… and often, teachers don’t fully explain that, either.  Many classes focus solely on drilling on stationary technique, or teach full choreographies to beginners, without stressing the mechanics of what is actually being done in the choreography.  When this alone happens, a student can perform a full choreography, but might not be able to build a choreography (or an improvised piece) their own.

 The purpose transitions serve are many, and once you become comfortable with their purpose and importance, they will seem a lot less esoteric!

Essentially, our dance transitions are a way of matching our movement and moods to the phrases in the music itself.

Transitions function as a preparation for our bodies to segue from one movement into another in a seamless and logical way.  Basically, a physical transition involves making sure that you are in the correct position to make your next movement. A transition usually involves all of at least some of the following: weight placement, body angle and alignment, spatial movement, and embellishment. But transitions can also convey feelings to the audience. Quite often, the music we use in performance calls for a change of attitude on the part of the performer, so the dancer needs to use stage presence and facial expressions as well as body language to change with the mood of the music. In that case, an emotional transition needs to be made as well.

 If you were to imagine your dance piece as a classical painting, then transitions would be the place where the colors in the painting are blended. If you   didn’t have the transitions  (or a mixture of colors in the painting) then your piece of art would be just a bunch of blocks of color, not a finished work. Well, maybe it’d be Modern Art… but I digress.  

Another analogy would be to think of your dance piece as a story, or a book.    In that case, transitions are the punctuation as well as the points of separation for new thoughts or idea that run through the entire narrative, connecting the plot-lines so that the story makes sense. Essentially, our dance transitions are a way of matching our movement to the phrases in the music itself, so we can better “illustrate” the song we are dancing to.

 Here are some ideas that will help you out with incorporating smooth, flowing transitions emotionally and physically.


 Weight Placement
 This is one of the most important facets of transitions, knowing your footing. Without proper weight placement, your dance is destined to fall apart. In order to avoid performing an odd (and unwanted) little jig as you move from step to step, or from phrase to phrase, be hyper-aware of your weight placement.

A good rule of thumb is: “What Goes Up Must Come Down”.
 In other words, if your weight is on your right foot, in order to make a seamless transition, you will step onto the left foot…and vice versa.  This is especially important while turning!  Drill your weight placement even if you think you are fine with it already.

 Work With The Counts
 When I was a baby dancer, I was confounded that so many movements could be fit into eight counts… or sixteen, or thirty-two. I jut didn't get it, and always seemed to finish late, after everyone else was done. The problem was real, and the solution was simple, but it was assumed that everyone in the class would understand. What I didn’t know was that the transition in movement starts occurring one or two beats before a phrase is finished…and that concept was never explained to me!  No wonder I was finishing late, I had no idea what was going on.

 So, if a phrase is eight counts long, the transition to the next phrase will start at the sixth or seventh beat, not on or after the eighth beat.

Look For Clarification In Class Or Rehearsals
 Make sure you understand everything you can about the way a choreography- or a “follow the leader” type of improvisation works. Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher (or another dancer) to go over weight placement, phrasing, or a preparation for a turn.  If you’re worried about holding up the class or rehearsal don’t be- chances are, you’ll be asking a question that many are wondering about them!  And even if that isn’t the case, it’s always better to be performing correctly, so that the entire group looks uniform and together.

 Analyze Music Without Dancing To It
 Take some time to get really familiar with your music. Sit with it, and analyze it; break the entire piece down into measures of eight counts.

After you’re comfortable with this, have another few listens and identify the musical changes themselves… you will start to be able to see how each musical phrase is a “paragraph” in your musical story. 

  Of course, do this exercise with the music you’ll be using in class or for your show, but also with music that you would probably never use onstage.  At first it might seem like a big daunting task, but after a while, you’ll have that “A-Ha Moment”, and you’ll have fun breaking your music- or any music- down in this way.


  Feel The Music
The next step is become comfortable with it, really feeling it and recognizing exactly where the transitions will come.   Remember to look for changes in the emotional attitude of the piece, such as a bridge that goes up into a sweeping crescendo, or pauses and full stops in the song.

The music itself will inform you, but by using your counts and sensing the mood of the composition, you will know when to physically begin your transition.

 With practice, this will become almost intuitive, ingrained into your consciousness, and you will start being able to anticipate where and when your transitions will need occur, even if you’ve never heard that particular piece of music before.  



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  Sunday, October 19th, 2014, Washington, DC
I’ll be teaching  a  three hour  mini-intensive on this very subject as part of the  Raven’s Night weekend.
“Go With The Flow: Musicality, Sensuality, Texture And Fluid Transitions”        3:30-6:30pm
 Epic Yoga
1323 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036

 More information & Registration here:











2 comments:

  1. awesome stuff. And so very true. this is why I love learning new steps in choreography because you learn how to use the combos and transitions.

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    1. Yes, Brenna, totally agree! And when you are doing someone else's choreography, then it lets you in on the way THEY hear the music- each person is different- and this in itself is a mini- education! : )

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