*** I was going to put this on to google docs but as I am in France at the moment google docs will only come up in french so i can't understand it!! slightly frustrating! so here it is in a post***
Review of http://blog.sokanu.com/so-youre-thinking-of-becoming-a-choreographer. This is an article written about
becoming a choreographer, what it entails and how to get there.
I both like and
dislike this article. I found that there is a lot of information in here but
not all of it is accurate. It is also very vague skipping over a lot of facts
that could have been explained in a lot more detail, making it ore useful. I
decided to review this piece of literature as it is along the same line as the
article I am thinking of writing, however, this does not include any quotes
backing up what the author is saying.
The article
starts of looking really promising. It starts by explaining what exactly a
choreographer is: “The word choreography literally means “dance writing”.” I
found this opening sentence really intriguing, I had never thought about
describing choreographing like this. It makes you think that in essence a
choreographer is an author in the most visual sense. The rest of the opening
paragraph is informative and concise, stating exactly what a choreographer
does.
Further in to
this section of the article the author starts to describe the personality
traits that would help in becoming a successful choreographer:
“Choreographers must have an excellent understanding of
the specific type of dance they choose to teach. Creativity, physical strength,
flexibility, coordination, patience, and perseverance are must-have
characteristics. Choreographers must have excellent communication skills and
have an ability to be a leader and motivate a variety of dancers. They must be
able to work as part of a team and must also be able to work under stress and
pressure in a chaotic environment.”
Although I do agree with a lot of
what the author is saying, I don’t think that using ‘must’ for especially the
middle sentence is accurate. Yes choreographers need to have a lot of knowledge
on the type of dance they choose to choreograph in and they need to be able to
work as a team to get along with the dancer they are choreographing on. On the
other hand, the characteristics described in the second sentence, although very
valuable, are not a necessity. I feel that as long as the choreographer has
chosen dancers that they feel will portray the image they have in their head it
is not necessary for them to have the physical capabilities to do the exact
movement, as long as they are able to describe it. Look at the majority of
ballet masters and mistresses in the big ballet companies, they no longer are
able to get their legs around their ears but they are still able to get the
right action out of their dancers.
I also disagree with the statement ‘Choreographers typically are older dancers’
There are so many young talented choreographers in the world, yes she uses
‘typically’ however I feel that there is a huge mix of ages of choreographers.
For example some of the bigger choreographers such as Anne Teresa De
Keersmaeker, Michael Clark and William Forsythe started choreographing and set
up their own companies in their early twenties.
I do really like the fact that the
author has listed all the possible tasks required by a choreographer. They
cover every aspect of choreography, from choreographing amateur productions to
choreographing for big companies to choreographing for kids in local
competitions and shows. This would be very informative for a reader thinking
about going in choreography. It would make them think about all of tasks
involved, not just putting a few steps together but the paper work side of
choreographing and the organisation.
The section titled “What it takes
to be a choreographer” is just a hash of information. I don’t feel any of it is
backed up with evidence or explanation. The author just seems to be putting in
random unexplained and frankly incorrect sentences like; “Choreographers are former dancers with years of experience working in
the theater and with dance companies.” This is very infuriating and the reader isn’t gaining any
real knowledge from this section of the article. He is writing information as a
given instead of exploring the possibility that there are other possibilities,
however unimportant or unlikely they view them.
In spite of
this, the author does then redeem himself by stating possible ways of gaining
experience as a choreographer. This information would be useful to a reader as it
would give them ideas as to who to get in to contact with. They explore the
ideas rather than saying just one way is the only way; getting specific
qualifications such as a Bachelor in Fine Arts or a Masters Degree; gaining
experience through following a choreographer in a company you are already
established in; choreographing for local amateur productions; choreographing
for dance schools and children. These all add up to possibilities for a reader
to look in to, the readers current circumstances may push them to one over the
other but at least the author is suggesting options.
The rest of the
article is adequate. The author is still not explaining or backing up his
points, however he does give options. He explains that there are many different
environments a choreographer can work in, presenting lots of opportunities for
people looking to go in to the profession.
I think this
article was a good learning tool for me. I am able to see that even with in a
journalistic article you need to back up your points and explore ideas
presenting ideas not telling the reader there is only one way when there isn’t.
