Smoke (Mats Ek) Flashcards
(28 cards)
What is the formal structure of Smoke?
Theme and Variation.
List the sections of Smoke.
A1 - Searching for Answers A2 - Denial A3 - Bargaining A4 - Relapse/Anger A5 - Surrender A6 - Redirecting Hope
Describe the movement vocabulary of Section 1 (Searching for Answers).
- yearning movements
- reaching gestures
- long duration
- large dimension
Describe the movement vocabulary of Section 2 (Denial).
- percussive
- strong force
- interactive with body and stage
- as if trying to distract herself
Describe the movement vocabulary of Section 3 (Bargaining).
- grooming and cleaning gestures
- soft force
- slow timing
- choreographic device of abstraction is prevalent
Describe the movement vocabulary of Section 4 (Relapse/Anger).
- large dimension
- fast speed
- strong force
- elevated
Describe the movement vocabulary of Section 5 (Surrender).
- low level
- curved shapes
- long duration
- collapsing qualities of movement
Describe the movement vocabulary of Section 6 (Redirecting Hope).
- elevated
- locomotive
- large dimension
- free flow
What two types of transitional phrases are used in Smoke?
- Stillness on Pauses in the Music
2. Locomotion and/or Change in Level
Stillness on pauses in the music used to transition between which sections?
- Sections 2 and 3 (second position)
- Sections 3 and 4 (scratching stomach)
- Sections 5 and 6 (back to wall)
Locomotion and/or change in level is used to transition between which sections?
- Sections 2 and 3 (rolling)
- Sections 4 and 5 (collapse to floor)
- Sections 5 and 6 (shuffle back to wall)
List the motifs used in Smoke.
- Mirror
- Cleansing
- Undressing
Define the choreographic device of abstraction.
The process of altering or reducing the realistic appearance of the original inspiration, often everyday movements, while maintaining the essence of the idea.
Define the choreographic device of retrograde.
Where a motif or phrase is performed backwards, as if rewinding a video.
Define the choreographic device of inversion.
The process of manipulating a motif or phrase where the position of the body is reversed as the movement is performed.
List the influences on Smoke’s expressive intention.
- A strong interest in the psychology of relationships
2. Experience with German Expressionism
Explain how Ek’s interest in the psychology of relationships influenced Smoke’s expressive intention.
Ek had a strong interest in the inner workings of a relationship. He didn’t want to recreate fairytale romances, he wanted to show the uglier side of relationships and was intrigued by the realistic emotions endured through a relationship. This influenced Ek to create the expressive intention of Smoke’s female solo around realistic grief following the destruction of a relationship. Ek drew on the seven stages of grief, dark and ugly imagery, and forwent a happy ending to show this realism.
Explain how Ek’s experience with German Expressionism influenced Smoke’s expressive intention.
Ek’s mother was strongly influenced by German Expressionists like Kurt Joss. In dance, German Expressionism aims to make people conscious of their inner impulses and teach them to express those impulses. Its goal is to create dances that arise from human urges and are directed by emotion, without the need for refined technique. In German Expressionism, there are no ‘bad’ or ‘ugly’ movements, as long as they convey emotion. Previous experience with this style influenced Ek to create Smoke’s expressive intention around the conveyance of the realistic human emotions of grief, regret and shame, driving the dance through raw emotion as opposed to technical movement. In line with the style, Smoke’s expressive intention and raw emotion is conveyed through her facial expressions and body language, showcasing the idea of surrendering to emotional impulses.
Explain how the seven stages of grief influenced Smoke’s form.
Ek wanted to show the uglier, psychological side of relationships, and hence in the creation of Smoke he was drawn to the theory of the seven stages of grief. This theory poses that when grieving, people progress through seven stages: searching for answers, denial, bargaining, relapse, anger, surrender, and finally redirecting hope. This impacted Ek to structure Smoke around these stages. Smoke’s formal structure is Theme and Variation and each section explores a different stage of grief as a variation on the overall themes of grief, regret and shame. The movements are thematically related in each section based on these stages, such as the reaching gestures with long duration in section 1 to convey the stage of searching for answers, and the abrupt, strong forced poking of the face in section 2 to highlight a sense of denial and trying to distract oneself from loss.
Explain how the music influenced Smoke’s form.
Smoke’s music was composed by Arvo Part and influenced the form of Smoke by supporting the variations of emotional intensity across the dance’s sections. When the music is at its most intense and loud, that is where Ek placed his most intense sections, relapse/anger (Section 4) and redirecting hope (Section 6). To match the intensity of music, Ek chose movements of fast speed, strong force and frequent elevations. The music also influenced the differentiation of the sections as pauses in the music often indicate a change in section, such as between sections 2 and 3 when the music pauses slightly and the dancer sits in stillness in second position.
What is the expressive intention of Smoke?
To convey the regret and shame a woman feels in her grief over losing her beloved partner. It explores the seven stages of grief: searching for answers, denial, bargaining, relapse/anger, surrender and redirecting hope.
List the influences on Smoke’s movement vocabulary.
- Training in Theatre
2. Training in Classical Ballet
List the influences on Smoke’s form.
- The Seven Stages of Grief
2. Music
List the influences on Smoke’s production aspects.
- Technology of the 1990s
2. Desire to Portray Realism
