Effects of Props/Song on the performance - Page 3

Originally posted by: AlinaD

I feel same. I dislike use of props in dance, which affect dancing. I love to see pure dancing, expression through body and face, like in so you think you can dance.

but even in Dancing with the Stars they have a story behind the dance and their steps carry on that story forward (sometimes).

to the Topic Maker: Great topic👍🏼

The songs and props play a very vital role in the performance. I personally am not that big a fan of props in dance performances unless the performance would be incomplete without that prop as I want to see the story through the use of different dance steps (be it lifts, twists or turns etc) more than the props.

Isha and Salman's Week 11 performance on Butterfly/Satrangi re needed some sort of prop to signify that its butterflies they are representing but their choise of those big dupattas was wrong. I read somewhere that during the technical rehearsals the dupattas didn't cause any problem but only in the final act. I am happy with their marks for that performance: [27] because if the prop worked earlier or didn't work at all is something the choregraphers need to think of beforehand.

Coming to song selection, I don't know if the wild card entries count but I especially liked Rashmi's performance and the dance complimented their act. I don't know how many of you are familiar with Korean music and DBSK but I am pretty sure their was a few seconds of music from Hey! Don't me bring down, I think, and that gelled in well with their whole performance.

Someone mentioned earlier Karan's Yeh Jism Hai To Kya performance. Stricly speaking, the dancing wasn't something extraordinary but the song is what made the difference between a full 30 and may be a 27/25.

Another performance where the prop was used and which I liked was Deepak-Pratyusha's performance in week 2 The Teesri Manzil performance. Pratyusha couldn't do justice to that performance at all otherwise the song selection, the prop, the mood of the performance, the dance forms were all excellent. [I really felt bad for Deepak back then as it was a pity to see his talent not being used to the full extent as it is now because of the celebrity he was given].

Isha-Salman's latest performance on Beauty & the Beast, the song played quite a big role in delivering the story and for that Salman gets the credit as the lyrics is what complimented the performance and not just the music/tune.

And not to forget one of the great acts of this season Rashmi-Deepak's Alien act. The song selection was bang on, the dancing excellent, the concept and execution excellent. Their coordination was excellent too. The one thing that I think definetly deserves a mention is their masks, they actually used their masks in the performance (tilting them during one of the steps) and not just had them on their heads for the show.

Another act which completed the whole performance was Isha-Salman's horror act - the only prop they used was the wire/sling used to carry Isha up the wall. I wonder how they did that? I have watched that performance about 8 or 9 times so far trying to figure out when they put that wire/sling around Isha's stomach at the end of the act but haven't been able to figure out so far (perhaps they edited it out?)

Gurmeet's Broadway & Kathakali act - I didn't quite get the tail part in Shampa's costume. It somehow made the performance less enjoyable for me.

So, to conclude this long post, I agree with the TM, the props and songs play a very important role and can compliment the performance but only if used right. Performances that tend to use or rely on too many props can get boring and if something goes wrong, can result in a bad performance (Bharti-Savio's week 11 performance) or if execution is done right can turn out excellent (Isha-Salman's Mere Haath Mein Freestyle Puppet Dance act).

Originally posted by: Me_Anonymous

but even in Dancing with the Stars they have a story behind the dance and their steps carry on that story forward (sometimes).

to the Topic Maker: Great topic👍🏼

The songs and props play a very vital role in the performance. I personally am not that big a fan of props in dance performances unless the performance would be incomplete without that prop as I want to see the story through the use of different dance steps (be it lifts, twists or turns etc) more than the props.

Isha and Salman's Week 11 performance on Butterfly/Satrangi re needed some sort of prop to signify that its butterflies they are representing but their choise of those big dupattas was wrong. I read somewhere that during the technical rehearsals the dupattas didn't cause any problem but only in the final act. I am happy with their marks for that performance: [27] because if the prop worked earlier or didn't work at all is something the choregraphers need to think of beforehand.

Coming to song selection, I don't know if the wild card entries count but I especially liked Rashmi's performance and the dance complimented their act. I don't know how many of you are familiar with Korean music and DBSK but I am pretty sure their was a few seconds of music from Hey! Don't me bring down, I think, and that gelled in well with their whole performance.

Someone mentioned earlier Karan's Yeh Jism Hai To Kya performance. Stricly speaking, the dancing wasn't something extraordinary but the song is what made the difference between a full 30 and may be a 27/25.

Another performance where the prop was used and which I liked was Deepak-Pratyusha's performance in week 2 The Teesri Manzil performance. Pratyusha couldn't do justice to that performance at all otherwise the song selection, the prop, the mood of the performance, the dance forms were all excellent. [I really felt bad for Deepak back then as it was a pity to see his talent not being used to the full extent as it is now because of the celebrity he was given.

Isha-Salman's latest performance on Beauty & the Beast, the song played quite a big role in delivering the story and for that Salman gets the credit as the lyrics is what complimented the performance and not just the music/tune.

And not to forget one of the great acts of this season Rashmi-Deepak's Alien act. The song selection was bang on, the dancing excellent, the concept and execution excellent. Their coordination was excellent too. The one thing that I think definetly deserves a mention is their masks, they actually used their masks in the performance (tilting them during one of the steps) and not just had them on their heads for the show.

Another act which completed the whole performance was Isha-Salman's horror act - the only prop they used was the wire/sling used to carry Isha up the wall. I wonder how they did that? I have watched that performance about 8 or 9 times so far trying to figure out when they put that wire/sling around Isha's stomach at the end of the act but haven't been able to figure out so far (perhaps they edited it out?)

Gurmeet's Broadway & Kathakali act - I didn't quite get the tail part in Shampa's costume. It somehow made the performance less enjoyable for me.

So, to conclude this long post, I agree with the TM, the props and songs play a very important role and can compliment the performance but only if used right. Performances that tend to use or rely on too many props can get boring and if something goes wrong, can result in a bad performance (Bharti-Savio's week 11 performance) or if execution is done right can turn out excellent (Isha-Salman's Mere Haath Mein Freestyle Puppet Dance act).

@ Bold, I thought the same of Deepak's choreography, that was very innovative and I think even Pratyashu did good but her lack of energy spoiled most her dances like this one. Even their ek lavya performance was very out of the box, but then again same happened. Glad Deepak found someone better to do justice to his choreography and ideas. I always look forward to his acts.

As for the rest, bang on 😃

Originally posted by: -Chandramukhi-

@ Bold, I thought the same of Deepak's choreography, that was very innovative and I think even Pratyashu did good but her lack of energy spoiled most her dances like this one. Even their ek lavya performance was very out of the box, but then again same happened. Glad Deepak found someone better to do justice to his choreography and ideas. I always look forward to his acts.

As for the rest, bang on 😃

Ahh, I had forgot about that one. It was very easy to interpret the story from their act and again the props used were a part of the story/act.

me too, although I haven't watched their week 11 performance on the colours theme. I don't like brown colour so I doubt I'd watching that complete performance ever although I have seen bits and pieces and it seemed interesting.

Since we are talking about songs here, I was wondering if anyone knows the song that Shibani and Puneet performed on for the Rajesh Khanna Tribute (week 7) episode.

Originally posted by: Me_Anonymous

Ahh, I had forgot about that one. It was very easy to interpret the story from their act and again the props used were a part of the story/act.

me too, although I haven't watched their week 11 performance on the colours theme. I don't like brown colour so I doubt I'd watching that complete performance ever although I have seen bits and pieces and it seemed interesting.

Since we are talking about songs here, I was wondering if anyone knows the song that Shibani and Puneet performed on for the Rajesh Khanna Tribute (week 7) episode.

It was "Yeh Shaam Mastani", but they had only used the instrumental of that song, no lyrics !!!

And about Rashmi's brown colored act, you should watch it, I really liked it, it was nicely choreographed by Deepak.

Oh breeze of fresh air. Thank your TM

Originally posted by: -Chandramukhi-

It was "Yeh Shaam Mastani", but they had only used the instrumental of that song, no lyrics !!!

And about Rashmi's brown colored act, you should watch it, I really liked it, it was nicely choreographed by Deepak.

Thank you. I have been looking for that song since the day I saw their performance. I recognised the tune but couldn't quite recall the song.

I'll try😳

@tannipartner: your post was very informative in terms of the whole process of choreography - I knew all these but guess all this hardwork didn't quite register in my brain before. I really am going to appreciate each and every choreographer's work more from now on (in my mind only, no posting)😛.

This is my first post on this forum and I am sure it is pretty obvious why. I wanted to thank the Topic Maker for one of the few posts where members actually have a respectful discourse.

To me it has always been the entire package: the props, the song, the lighting….everything.

@Tannipartner, just wanted to reiterate your sentiments. I too am choreographing a bunch of kids for a show that we are going to do next week and boy what a tough job. You have to know your kids strengths and weaknesses, you have to think about the props, the costume, the song, the steps and so much more. And if things do not work for some reason then you have to go back to the drawing board and start all over again. I have been choreographing this dance for the kids for 3 whole months. I cannot imagine the effort and strength it requires to do this every week for a span of so many months. That is why irrespective of the fact that I may have my own favorite contestants I can never find it within me to demean or bring down other contestants or choreographers. No matter what, each and everyone of them (choreographers and contestants) are working their bottoms off and kudos to them for their effort and their perseverance.

Once again, thank you for this post.

Originally posted by: tannipartner

Oh breeze of fresh air. Thank your TM

The song, nowadays correct mixing of beats or for us less advantaged people correct song with the correct beat or thalam using correct instrument is a prerequisite for a dance performance.

Also a choreography , ie an overall presentation of act depends on many finer and minute details

usually when you are just showing off your technical dancing skills, just appropriate beats will do, for example tillana in bharatnatyam, which is more about showcasing the tecnical and finer nuanses of the skill. But whenever you add a song to it, there comes emotion. Also interpretation. How a choreographer interprets a song. Then comes setting the postures or steps. Simple example a line with word aankhe or nayan, for example the line from the song apsara ali, nayan talwar, there are different ways to present the same movement. The more conventional highlighting the eye or something else depending on choreographers choice of movements. hence knowledge and technical learning comes in use. Its like vocabulary, the more words you have the stronger and more expressive your essay can get.

once steps are set, costumes play a huge role. The appropriate costume for ease of dancing and also the dramatic effect. the beautiful wings and the costume won half the battle for the angel act of isha and salman. Another example is the tango costume used by punit. it was standard ballroom costume no doubt, but somehow the color chosen sat well on shibani and the make up, the red flower and red lipsticks gave the additional touch of passion associated with tango.

And how a costume can ruin a dance? Shampa's costume in the kathakali jazz mix. the idea was nice, but either she should have worn jazz pants and upper half in indian or wore her jazz pants like short dhoti, something other than the long flying tail she used, it took attention away from her dance. i was really irritated by the costume.

Another good costume was shibani's costume in her opening act. true to the mix style, it was neither western nor indian but a nice mix of it. Salman's puppet act costumes were also very good. ravi kissen won half the act by the costume he wore as girl during rashi episode.

After costume, the usage of lights and stage, positioning the act s so that the audience can get connected are enormously important. You can give awesome expressions, but if you cannot make eye contact with audience, its done.

As for lighting and stage usage. I liked the cloth prop and the background scenes used by punit in his apsara ali act. I loved the way salman used lights to tell stories.

Overall for an ACT to be presented, each and every thing needs to be worked upon and handled with care.

lastly soul or passion and the requisite expression. No Act is complete if your inside is not there. when you are angry you have to feel the anger inside to bring it out, the energy to express it. For example Gia as durga was quite bad because somehow no matter now much she tried, she was not feeling the anger out. Also isha lacks a lot in terms of expression. rashmi desai on the other hand has such a presence because of her expressions. even when she is not expressing any mood, she is capable of holding your attention . Also Avneet, that little kid does really have amazing expression. again over expression is not good. case in point punit, at times he gets bowled over and makes too many faces, takes away from act.

mere stomping your feet or executing your moves , or showing your technical skills are not enough for an ACT. yes they are important, executing each step perfectly isa must, getting the correct postures are a prerequisite for the right balance, the transition and most importantly making the dance look good. If you are doing semi classicsl based on the likes of bharatnatyam, you need to be in the half sitting position to actually make the postures look good, stretch your legs without bending knees. If you r doing kathak, you need to have chin up, firm legs, no bend knees, if you are doing ballet based dance, toes must be pointed, you need to walk on your toes. If you are doing manipuri, your feet should be light and spring and your wrists have to be soft and so on.

All these are interrelated and interdependant for a perfect Act.

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Sorry for the super long essay, just came home after choreographing a small act for local function and so much detailing to be looked upon, makes me appreciate each and every choreographer on JDJ. Choreographing is no easy job, dancing is way easier. but to think the theme, choose a proper song, visualising the steps and expressions and everything else to go with it, Helluva Job.👏👏

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Clarification:

All the examples taken are chosen at random from the top of my head and all are strictly my opinion as a normal member and human being. This is not a DT note.

Also I am still MIA, so please pm gunia(luvya4ever) or gur (gk_09) for forum complains.

This one one of the very few posts I have read where the person has knowledge of dancing. And the terms you have used to describe some dance forms, never even heard of them 😆 So I am glad to have read the perspective of a choreographer, who has put across the thoughts without demeaning or being rude at the contestant. I am sure I and others can learn a thing or two aobut dancing from such posts.

P.S: Looks like we need to nominate you in the most knowledgeable category 😛

Originally posted by: angake

This is my first post on this forum and I am sure it is pretty obvious why. I wanted to thank the Topic Maker for one of the few posts where members actually have a respectful discourse.

To me it has always been the entire package: the props, the song, the lighting'.everything.

@Tannipartner, just wanted to reiterate your sentiments. I too am choreographing a bunch of kids for a show that we are going to do next week and boy what a tough job. You have to know your kids strengths and weaknesses, you have to think about the props, the costume, the song, the steps and so much more. And if things do not work for some reason then you have to go back to the drawing board and start all over again. I have been choreographing this dance for the kids for 3 whole months. I cannot imagine the effort and strength it requires to do this every week for a span of so many months. That is why irrespective of the fact that I may have my own favorite contestants I can never find it within me to demean or bring down other contestants or choreographers. No matter what, each and everyone of them (choreographers and contestants) are working their bottoms off and kudos to them for their effort and their perseverance.

Once again, thank you for this post.

Another choreographer, yayyy, glad to have opened the topic 😃, otherwise I wouldn't have been familiar with the members who are quite knowledgeable about dance. You should definitely post your views in episode discussion or create more topics which are of course dance related. It would be quite interesting to learn different perspectives about dancing.