Rosas Danst Rosas

1. Rosas Danst Rosas Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker 1983 (Film 1997)

2. Objectives Complete the ‘Rosas Danst Rosas’ work sheets as we work through the power point.

3. Rosas Danst Rosas (1983 & 1997) Choreographer – Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (Belgian choreographer) Director (of the film) - Thierry De Mey Company – Rosas Date of first performance – Premiere 6th May 1983. Filmed in 1997 Dance styles – Pedestrian, minimalist, gestural, abstract, mechanical, grounded. Concerned with relationships whilst maintaining dancer-dancer independence

4. Choreographic style – Highlights single parts of the body, drawing attention to small human gestures. Movements are patterned and structured to create rhythms and perfect unison is achieved Themes – Human behaviour and rage. Starting point – The human vs. The abstract: Every day expression: Flirtation, longing, frustration. Music/dance relationship Structure – 8 sections. Dancers – 4 dancers (Stage version) 18 (Filmed version)

5. Accompaniment – Thierry De Mey and Peter Vermeersch.Electronic, percussive, minimalist music together with the natural sounds of the dancers in action. Costume – Rosas: Drab everyday grey skirts and tops/ black leggings, socks and shoes. Loose fitting and functional. They appear institutional. Lighting – RemonFromont: natural light through the windows. Set – Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. The dance takes place in the corridors and rooms of a large, austere, empty school in Belgium. Windows, doors and walls frame the action. Props – An assortment of wooden chairs are used for one section. Staging – Site Specific- An old school building.

6. Structure of Rosas Danst Rosas Section 1 – Moving In Section 2 - Floor Section 3 - Chairs Section 4 - Building Section 5 – Glass Interiors Section 6 - The Lying Down Section 7 – Inner Court Section 8 - Coda *the three specific sections we will be looking at are highlighted in blue!

7. Rosas Danst Rosas TIP: try to use these words when you analyse ASDR and choreographic devices in the 3 different sections.

8. Floor – Section 2 This section is all about exploring the floor using contrasting dynamics with an emphasis on suspension, fall & release.  Key actions used are roll, push up on the elbows, arch, fall, always using the breath as a way into and out of the movement. At first, the actions appear repetitive, with the same movements repeated over and over again, but this is not the case. Focus carefully on the use of the arms and you will see that tiny details change all the time. Fragmentation (taking pieces or ‘fragments’ of movement and putting them together in a different order) is used to great effect towards the end of the section.

9. Section analysis - Floor Watch the clip of Section 2 and complete the analysis sheet Rosas Danst Rosas - Floor

10. Floor section In your own words, analyse the ASDR content of the floor section. How does it help to convey the dance idea? Use your mind map to help you and include the movement styles.

11. Chairs – Section 3 The action content can be divided into 4 main motifs and these are fragmented and re-ordered throughout this 8 minute section, using a large amount of accumulation and relationships which together create a complex structure. The 4 motifs are introduced first before building in complexity and intensity. Motif A: Cross legs. Hand to hair, bring down side of head, over ear, to neck. Pull top off shoulder, pause, replace, pause, look over R shoulder. ‘Knowing’ nod with slight smile. Face front. Motif B: Uncross legs. Throw arms across body to L, L arm holds top of chair, R arm to L hip. Suspend, fall forwards arms folded across stomach, head falls last. Rebound to upright, L arm crosses under R, R arm on knee. 

12. Chairs – Section 3 Motif C: Hands behind head, elbows raised to sides. R hand to breast, flop forwards, punch R arm down. Rebound. Backs of hands pass under chin one after other, drop forwards, replace. Arch, hand to chin & head turn to R, drop palm in lap. Upright, R hand over head. Motif D: Twist/lunge to L throwing arms and clasping hands in front. Throw clasped hands across body to R, simultaneous drop forwards. Upright, arch, hands between thighs.

13. Chairs section task Find a space and in pairs, mark through one of the chair section motifs. Now include the appropriate dynamics Share with the other pair

14. Section analysis - Chairs Watch the clip of Section 3 and complete the analysis sheet Rosas Danst Rosas – Chairs

15. Glass Interiors – Section 5 This section follows seamlessly from ‘Building’ as a continuation . It is primarily focused on relationships, making good use of fragmentation which creates a canon effect as well as unison, counterpoint and grouping different sets of dancers together. The result is a section where dancers move in and out of these relationships fluidly and it can be hard to spot where the change has happened. The movement often matches the accents and dynamics of the music.

16. Section analysis – Glass Interiors Watch the clip of Section 5 and complete the analysis sheet Rosas Danst Rosas – Glass interiors

17. Modern day comparison Beyonce – Countdown Compare Beyonce’s use of the action content with the original Rosas Danst Rosas version What does Beyonce’s version do for the theme and ideas of the original? Discuss positive and negative effects.