SCENE 1: Genesis- This sections shows the starting of life and a feeling that builds from expressionism. The feeling of electricity is impacting the dancers. The idea of struggling for freedom, finding individuality and conforming/order are explored.
SCENE 2: Growth and Struggle- Starts with an individual dancer’s expression and is contrasted by other dancers entering from stage right. Aggressive movements suggest the struggle for the recognition of individual expression and passion. The end of this section is inspired by a rugby scrum with the ensemble supporting one dancer.
SCENE 3- The Connection and Flow between People- This scene develops from a duet to an ensemble piece. It looks at the ideas of memory, manipulation, flow, merging and playing between individual people who have a relationship with one another. An unseen energy connects the dancers who are sometimes controlled by an individual and other times perform in unison.
SCENE 4- Empowerment- The unseen energy is caught and released with a new surge of superhuman power. This is chaotic and contrasts with the unison of the ensemble. This section demonstrates the individual skills and talents of the core dancers. The accompaniment and movement complement each other with their contrast between lyrical and staccato elements. This section builds in energy to show the full empowerment of the dancers before ending in a huddle.
Kendrick designed the costume to represent the company. They perform in casual but clean costumes that enhance the dancers’ shape. They wear blue shirts with jeans and grey trainers. The dancers wear their hair tied back to ensure the audience can see their facial expressions. Some dancers wear jewellery that they would wear on a day-to-day basis to show their individuality and the pedestrian feel of the piece.
Emancipation of Expressionism
Choreographed by: Kenrick H20 Sandy
Performed by: Boy Blue Entertainment – an award winning dance company founded in London by both Sandy and composer Michael Asante, presenting dance that presents a ‘perfect marriage’ to music.
First performed: May 2013
Dance style: Hip hop, including elements of krumping, popping, locking, animation, breaking and waacking techniques.
Choreographic approach: the exploration of the company’s ‘signature’ hip hop movement in a contemporary way. Working closely with the accompaniment, particular attention is paid to musicality. Sandy selects specific movement motifs and develops these with choreographic devices, formations and the use of space
Stimulus: The music ‘Til Enda’ by Olafur Arnalds, as well as the idea of emancipating expressionism – being free to express ourselves both as individuals and through the use of hip hop movement vocabulary.
Kenrick used hip hop as a tool to create art that affects an audience in a theatrical setting. He wants the audience to feel that they are sharing an emotional journey through the piece and appreciating hip hop dance as an art form. Each section is a scene and the whole work is a journey. The theme of order and chaos highlights the restrictions of an individual style of hip hop dance. Kenrick creates variations to create a sense of chaos in contrast with the potential limitations of set styles. Often individual dancers split from the ensemble and at other times the ensemble are all in unison. Kenrick uses these contrasts to show different relationships between order and chaos.
AURAL SETTING:
SCENE 1. Original production and arrangement by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante of Boy Blue Entertainment.
SCENE 2. Original production and arrangement by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante of Boy Blue Entertainment.
SCENE 3. November composed by Max Richter.
SCENE 4. Til Enda composed by Olafur Arnalds
The music develops through the piece, starting with urban pieces that use drum beats and electric sounds. Moving on to a classical accompaniment (November) and finally using a piece of music that combines these two styles (Til Enda).
This shift from musical styles shows the journey that Kendrick was taking the audience on. The accompaniment is layered and complex and this has been mirrored through the movement and choreographic devices seen throughout the piece. This had been created by Kendrick notating the music using counts and symbols which were then translated into movement to ensure that they two work complimentarily.
The piece is performed by 17 dancers (8 female, 9 male) in a proscenium arch stage The use of theatrical fog/smoke creates texture in the air around the dancers and is enhanced by the lighting.