Description
After selecting and watching a performance online, write an 800-1000 word review. Video Link : https://video-alexanderstreet-com.jpllnet.sfsu.edu/watch/wonderland/details?context=channel:marquee-arts
Guidelines for Writing Performance Reviews of Online Dance Performance
General Information:
• 800-1000 words
• All papers should be uploaded on iLearn by the due dates published on the syllabus and on iLearn Pre-performance/review prep:
• You can discuss the performance with others, but do not write your review together.
• If available you can read previews or reviews before the performance.
What to include in the review:
• Introductory Paragraph: Include the title of the choreography and name of the choreographer. The introductory paragraph should provide the reader with a brief description of the event as a whole and should be no more than one brief paragraph. Provide a short description of the structure of the performance. Is the performance one evening-length work or is it a collection of several short stand-alone choreographies? Do not list the names of every single person involved in the performance and do not transcribe the description of the performance from the program notes.
• Evening-length work: If the concert is one evening-length work, provide a short description of the performance as a whole and then choose and choose at least 3 sections of the performance to analyze in depth.
• Collection of short works: If the concert is a collection of short works, provide a brief overview of the concert as a whole and then choose at least 3 dances to write about in depth.
• Describe the dance/dances with an eye towards striking a balance between detailed observation and general comments. Was the dance a large group piece, a duet, solo? Was the movement fast, slow? Was the dance athletic or did the dancers move at a meditative pace? Find language to describe what you saw. What did the work evoke? Did the dance tell a story? Do the dancers perform as specific characters, or is the dance about movement or the execution of physical virtuosity? What kind of music did the choreographer use?
• How did the choreographer make use of a modern dance, classical, and/or social dance vocabularies?
• Describe the choreographic structure of the performance? Did the performance tell a story or was it an abstraction of musical structure? What is the overall “look” or “mood” of the performance?
• Be specific in your descriptions. Find verbs and adjectives to describe the action on stage. For example, “the dancers ran across the stage” is not descriptive as “three of the dancers skittered across the stage”
• Comment on individual dancer’s performances, lighting, costumes, and scenery if notable. For example, if a costume dictated how a dancer could move or if a set required the dancers to navigate the stage in a particular
manner then the costume and set are an integral part of the choreography.
• If you refer to reviews, program notes, or outside sources in your review, you must cite your sources and include a bibliography.
Other things to consider:
• The title of the choreography should be italicized
• Use terminology such as “the dance, the choreography” when referring to a dance
• Do not use terminology such as “number, skit, routine, or dance routine”
• Do not refer to dancers as boys, girls, guys, or gals unless the dancers are children.
• Papers must be free of spelling and grammatical errors
Papers will be graded on the following criteria:
• Clarity of Writing: organization, spelling, grammar, use of language
• Originality/Creativity: vivid description and engaging prose
• Analysis: thoughtful analysis, insightful observations
• Readability and Flow: coherent and compelling narrative