Jazz improv help!

by Allena
(Oroville, CA, USA)

I need help on coming up with dance moves for the lyrics "you can be the straw to my berry" and "we're perfect two". I need something that means something like those lyrics... The song is "Perfect two" by Aburn.

Comments for Jazz improv help!

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May 03, 2011

Answer from Maria
by: Maria

Dear Allena,

Giving movement suggestions without knowing the rest of your choreography is a bit difficult, but still, I'll try to give you some ideas to think about.

As I understand, you are creating a dance that translates the lyrics, trying to communicate their same message with movement. In the lyrics you mention, two things match perfectly. So, you could create dance moves in which:

-Two parts of your body get in touch.

-Two parts of your body execute complementary movements (like one embraces the other, or one is long and the other is short, but the movements are executed at the same time, etc. ...)

-You occupy two complementary places of space, successively (for example left area an right area...)

-You repeat a movement two times.

-You do two complementary movements, one after the other (for example something big with a lot of extensions and then something small with a gathering of the whole body...)

If your worry is to translate the lyric, remember that choreographic language always has a degree of abstraction. It is not possible to 'talk' in such a descriptive way with movement as we achieve with words. But, you can also include some pantomime within your choreography, if you wish to really illustrate what the lyrics say.

For example, you could 'draw' a straw or a berry with your arms or hands in space, or you can try to imitate the matching embrace of two people, more like if you were acting than dancing.

Still, you also have the possibility of sticking to other elements of the lyrics that transmit a less concrete content, like the rhythm with which they are sung or the ambience and musical dynamics.

If you do not worry so much about 'translating' the words and decide to work in a more abstract way, you can simply execute some dance moves that match rhythmically and dynamically. You may still keep an idea of something about love and meeting together, but without the worry of being very precise with the meaning of movements.

I hope this helps,

Best wishes for you and your choreography!

Kindly,

Maria

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