The Music Dance Relationship in Six 2

 The Music Dance Relationship in Six

 

Task One- No Way

In this extract, the time signature is 4/4 which means there are four beats in a bar. The name for a full pulse note is a crotchet and a half pulse note is a quaver. In relation to the lyric “SHHH”, we gesture with our right hand moving from the left side of our lips to the right which shows someone “closing their mouth” and indicates silence. This gesture happens between the second and third beat of the bar which means the gesture is syncopated. For example “one AND two AND three”, this gesture happens on the second AND. After we do this movement we hold this pose until the end of the bar and continue holding for the next four beats of the bar after.

 

Task Two- No Way

In this extract, the time signature is 4/4 which means that there are four beats in the bar. In bar 118, the tempo decreases and becomes more relaxed and sad in contrast to before where it was upbeat and confident. The change in the tempo shows the vulnerability of the character and how she is begging for Henry to tell her what she's done wrong. The music is more sustained than before, which helps the audience feel the emotion that Catherine of Aragon feels in this part of the story. At bar 110 there is a dance break which is very energetic and lively, then moving to bar 118 the music slows and so do our movements. Our movements in bar 118 are much slower and gentle in contrast to bar 110 where they are strong and electrified. This shows the difference between the two moods that the character feels, the strong movements reflect her strong mentality and standing up for herself and the relaxed or slowed movements reflect her vulnerability because Henry VIII had much more power over her. 

Examples of how our movements relate to the lyrics in each dance. 

In No Way, there is a line in bar 53 which has the lyric “SHH”, this is on the second off beat in the bar. During this lyric, we gesture with our right hand moving from the left side of our lips to the right to signify closing your mouth. This directly correlates to the lyric because if someone tells you to “SHH” they are asking for you  to close your mouth to be quiet. Not only does this incorporate body isolations [ with your hand and arm only], but it also incorporates syncopation [which accents on the off beat rather than on the beat]. 

In Six, there is a line between bar 29 and 30 which says “green sleeves”, this movement is carried out over two beats in the bar. On the first beat we stick our right arm out and run our left hand to our elbow and then on the second beat, we continue the movement with the same arm from our elbow to the middle of our chest. This creates the idea that we are signalling to our own “green sleeves” and running our hand over it. Running our hands slowly from our arm to our chest creates the idea that there is a hidden meaning to this which is mysterious. This gesture corresponds to one of the key features of jazz which is sensuality, many jazz dances that you see are “sexy” or have elements which can be risqué but are carried out in an elegant way. 

In Ex-Wives, there is a lyric in bar 52 which says “revealing”. This lyric is split into three separate beats from the second beat in the bar until the final beat in the bar. On the second beat in the bar, we cross our right arm over our left arm and our right knee comes in front of our left knee. On the third beat in the bar, our right knee becomes straight, back to a natural standing leg and our left knee comes in front of our right knee. On the fourth beat in this bar, we open our arms wide as if to hint that we were opening a robe and “revealing” ourselves to the audience. This is another example of how sensuality is used in jazz dance, the idea that we are revealing ourselves or displaying ourselves on this lyric is used to display confidence but also to foreshadow how they are going to “expose” Henry VIII which is exactly what SIX is all about. 

In Haus of Holbein, there is a lyric in bar 57 which says “bladder. This lyric is carried out over the final two beats of the bar. During these last two beats, we place our hands over where our bladder is and fold over as if your bladder is painful whilst making a confused face. This song is about a makeover and they're singing about all the strange ways women used to  change their appearance. The gesture to our bladder is almost as if we are questioning why we would add that “magical ingredient” to make your hair more blonde. This movement coordinates with the body isolations seen in jazz dance as well as keeping a low centre of gravity whilst bending our knees in order to indicate that they are worried or confused. 

In get down, there is a lyric between bar 81 and 82 that says “Get Down”. This line is said on the last beat in bar 81 and the first beat in bar 82. During these two beats, we perform a “slut-drop” to indicate us “getting down”. This dance is a bold one where everyone acts confident and cocky. This movement is designed to be “sexy” as well as sassy, which directly correlates to sensuality in jazz dance. The “slut drop” reflects the sexual nature of the dance move as well as well as confidence. The word “slut” is being reclaimed by women to embody their power and femininity, we see and hear this when Anne of Cleves says “because i'm the queen of the castle” which reinforces the idea that she is reclaiming her power through her sexuality. 

Another lyric in Get Down is, “because i'm the queen of the castle” which is said in bar 83. The key lyric is “queen” in this line which we gesture with both hands on top of our head aiming to symbolise placing a crown on our head. This once again, indicates power to the audience of how this Queen is reclaiming her power from the short-lived romance between her and Henry. This movement focuses on isolations, as only our wrists and arms our moving which relates to one of the key defining features of jazz dance. As we bring our hands up, we do not move any other part of our body- making it an isolated movement. This movement emphasises placing a crown on our heads as if we are all a “Queen of the castle”. This movement paired with the lyric could also be seen as ironic because the entire cast places a crown on their head and  performs this gesture, as if we are one of Henry’s wives [because he had so many]. 

Professional Choreographers that use movements to relate to lyrics. 

All that jazz- start the car 

In All that Jazz, choreographed by Bob Fosse, there are many movements that directly link to the lyrics sung. This is a smart choreographing technique which emphasises the lyric and movement at the same time. One example of this technique is in All that Jazz where Velma Kelly sings the line “start the car” and gestures with her right arm and wrist only that she is putting a key in the ignition and turning it on [as if to start the car]. This is an excellent example of isolations in jazz dance because only her wrist moves whilst she stands still, helping her emphasise the movement that matches with the lyrics.

Another example of isolated movements in jazz dance is where Velma sings “I bought some aspirin down at United Drug” where she brings her right arm up to her forehead and leans back. This movement indicates that she has a headache and needs some aspirin to help cure it. Not only is this an example of isolations in dance but it’s also an example of how Fosse liked to use angular movements to create depth in his choreography. The angular movement paired with the isolation of the arm and wrist shows the audience that Velma has a headache from drinking too much or to prepare for the next day's hangover headache after being out all night. 

Finally, in the same song, Velma Kelly sings the lyric “where the gin is cold but the piano’s hot” whilst standing with her feet shoulders-width apart, leaning forward slightly with her elbows out and fingers almost touching. Whilst singing this lyric, she circles her hips and shakes her fingers to imitate playing the piano. This movement incorporates isolations of the fingers, the classic Fosse “jazz hands” with her fingers sprawled out and moving them quickly as well as isolated movements from the hips. The only two things moving when she sings this line are her hips and fingers, the fingers display the idea of her playing the piano whilst the circling of her hips display an idea of sexuality and being “hot” which is another key feature of jazz.