This issue of Musea is another in my series of special issues - each covering one art form and introducing a lot of new art and art ideas.
This month its 'dance' with 3 features:
The first and main feature is the first draft of a dance film called Terpsichore. It's an anthology of 30+ original dances that combine music, storytelling, theater, film, and dance all into one. Next is an outline for an original ballet based on Shakespeare's comedy, A Midsummer's Night Dream. And finally, the first draft of a TV Dance Party called The 500 X TV Special, Land of a 1,000 Dances that introduces a lot of new pop dances.
So readers, dust off your most polished shoes, shuffle over to your nearest ballroom, and with the glitter ball rolling ... Let's Dance!
Terpsichore
Terpsichore, named after the Muse of dance, is an anthology film of
numerous short dances that each tell a story. In other words, it's an
anthology of story dances. Here dance, movement and very great music
replace most dialogue; otherwise it's just like any other filmed short story. It has all the things an audience loves with a mix of theater, costume, characterization, plot, scenery, spectacle, special effects, themes, drama and comedy, action and romance, etc. Plus, dancers of all ages dancing solo or in groups. Add to that classical or jazz music and voila - story dances. Note: the music for the dance follows the title.
Editor's apology : I know the music, but often I don't know the exact title - yet.
Intro: Audition Midsummer's Night Dream (incidental Music, Mendelssohn)
In a theater/film set a messenger dances through the technicians and
scenery trying to deliver an urgent message. He passes off the message
like a baton to a 2nd dancer - and she a third - until the message marked "URGENT /TOP SECRET' is put in to my hands. I open it up with
misgivings and after reading, show it to the audience: "start film by pushing red button." With a flurry I turn to a console, push the button and the dance movie begins!
1. Tin Soldier. (MSND incidental music, Mendelssohn). A row of Tin toy soldiers stand on a shelf at stiff attention in a toy store. When the toymaker leaves - one Soldier begins to act up, fall out of line, pushes the row like dominos, and merrymakes. He bravely takes chances of being caught…. Twice the owner comes back to check on the noise. The first time he almost catches the rebel soldier, the 2nd time the whole line has joined in the fun and almost all are caught except the rebel who is first back in line. The third time all are back in stiff attention but with a wink the rebel shows what fun they've had on their breaking rank escapade.
2. Moon Dance/Paper Moon (Mazurka Opus 9, Tchiakovsky.) A couple (b/w film) are holding hands on a carnival moon seat while waiting for their photo to develop. They both raise their gaze to the real full moon. Scene shifts and they, now in skin tight jump suits and clear glass space helmets are dancing gracefully, and with little gravity, across the real moon. Ends with them back on earth and photo finished.
3.Jester. (Nacien #6, Satie.) Jester or Harlequin proudly performs his dance before an audience and waits for applause. No one is watching him or paying attention. He resigns himself to just dancing for himself and repeats the movements for a 2nd time, but this time less bravado, more skill. The audience picks up on the change of sincerity and by the third time he wins them over.
4. Practicing Steps (Title unknown, piano work/Barber.) With only a piano and a practice room as a backdrop, a dancer practices his steps - pure dance.
5. Life of the Party (Title unknown, Poulenc.) Breezy partygoer enters party of all cardboard cutouts with a flare, and dances among them telling gossip, drinking from their mixed drinks, and mingling with the other guests.
6. American Tourists. (Title unknown, Kurt Weil) Couple are exploring an empty narrow Bavarian street. They match buildings with their guidebook and explore. A whistle blows and workers flood the walkway. The tourists get separated and caught up in the flow of foot traffic. The workers leave and the tourists are left harried but having fun learning about a different culture.
7. Tightrope Walker. (Title unknown, Satie) After climbing the high stairs, a tightrope walker (walking on a blue screen, special effect, floor) walks/dances three times out on the narrow wire. One time he fakes an almost fall to bring gasps from the crowd. (Note - a big part of all these dances is how perfectly the movement and story fit the music - something hard to replicate in words!)
8. Sorrow (Gypsy violin and piano work) A man sitting in a hardback chair with his head in his hands, is grieving over his lost wife (photo on a dresser near by). His spirit raises up from his body and dances around the chair as he grieves - always in slow turgid backward movements - showing his grief at the finality of the loss and trying to recapture their life together before her death.
9. Marriage of Sun and Forest. (Guitar, Bach) In a b/w film, a group of children holding hands, dances through a forest path flooded with sunlight.
10. Phantom of the Theater Hall. (Mazurka, Chopin) Phantom floats down to an empty theater stage. He is a ghost recalling his days performing there. He dances to different parts of the stage and imagines some of his great dance moments (which the audience and he sees as flashbacks showing a full ballet group with a packed audience). At end he wistfully floats back up and out. Visit done. 11. Porcelain Figurines. (Title unknown, Praetorius) Stately love dance of 18th century porcelain couple that come to life on a mantelpiece - taking turns and ending together. Then back into their original stances.
12. Hoedown Showdown. (Title unknown, Poulenc) Crowd in a circle clapping in a western barn dance as center couple trade off steps to see who has the most winning moves. Sprightly competition with a western theme.
13. Mannequin. (Title unknown, Gershwin) Delivery guy reaches door with arms full but no answer from bell. Drops packages and enters. Music starts as he sees the room is full of beautiful women mannequins. Dances through the harem and even takes a peak up one of the dresses. He feels a hand swatting at him for it, and looks to find one mannequin come to life. Grabs her in his arms and heads for door, but alas, upon crossing the threshold she returns to the mannequin form - spell broken.
14. Courtship of the Birds. (Title unknown, Schubert(?)) A Rooster (great costumes here) is proudly dancing to win a hen. After the first dance he finds her paying attention to another Rooster. He then chases that rival away and re dances again. This time he wins her for himself.
15. Morning on the Beach. (Adagio for Guitar and Strings, Albinoni) Lone person brings blanket out to beach before sunup. He does stretching exercises. Sun rises and it is a glorious moment to be savored. He plays with the light by using his blanket as a bullfighters cape to draw the sun towards him.
16. Silhouette Dance. (Title unknown, French accordian music) The shadows of a dancing couple on the wall, sway into love. 17. The English Garden. (Intimate Impressions, Mompou) B/w. Couple come down the steps from a country home and explore a wild and free growing English garden.
18. The Butler. (Title Unknown, Barber) Two young society ladies enter a mansion asking to see the Dowager that lives there. The butler asks them to 'walk this way'. He leads them on a comic obstacle course that involves crawling, swinging from vines, jumping through windows and other physical comedy. They follow along as if this was the norm. Then finally he reaches the entrance to a grand room and introduces them to the old Lady. While saying their greetings, they both discover that this room is right next to the entrance hall where they came in! ???
19. Jazz Dance. (Title unknown, very fast jazz instrumental) This is a challenge dance of all out skill. Numerous dancers trade moves as they take solos, then come together for a quick finale.
20. Daedalus and Icarus. (Dance of the Gnomes, Liszt) Father and son are flying - fleeing Crete - but son moves too close to the sun and the wax holding his wings together melts. He falls to the sea - a flying dance.
21. Cyrano. (Music from Carmen, Bizet) Big nosed Cyrano is helping his young goodlooking friend, Christian, win the girl he is infatuated with, Roxanne. He plans to serenade her through dance. But his moves are jerky and uncoordinated while Cyrano's are elegant and graceful. So they devise this plan; Cyrano will dance behind the bushes and Christian will imitate the moves out in the open under Roxanne's window. They begin but in the middle, Cyrano glances up and sees Roxanne for the first time and he falls in love with her. He's torn from the irony of helping Christian win Roxanne away from him with his dance!
22. Nutcracker. (Nutcracker Suite, Tchaikovsky (guitar version)). We see movement inside a huge Christmas present. An arm pokes through, pulls the ribbon and as the package unfolds, a Nutcracker comes out. He stretches his jaw and begins to explore for nuts to crack. Following a trail of ever larger nuts he spies a giant 8' tall walnut - his ultimate jaw breaking challenge. He surveys the nut, tests its thickness and in one snap breaks it completely apart - voila, his masterpiece!
23. Pounders. (Astudious, Albinez) B/w. In a vast and surreal foundry floor or desert landscape there is a field of waist high black posts. A 'pounder' comes over the hill with a rubber hammer in each hand. He hits a post and drives it into the ground. Then another , etc. He takes a break, wipes his brow, and begins again. We see a vast field ahead of him and endless work to do. Behind him come 2 then 4 then 8 more pounding behind him to the rhythm of the music.
24. House Muse. (Quartet #1, Tchaikovsky) Man is reading in cozy home with a fire in the fireplace, by a table with a picture of his wife? Muse? on it. He hears a noise and explores. We see it is the spirit of the woman in the picture. He tries to solve the mystery of the noises, but she always manages to be a few steps beyond him and out of eyesight.
25. Snow Globe. (Junk, Junk, Hendricks) Close up of a confused skater on a pond skating to disconcerting jagged music with snow falling and an icy wind blowing. The camera pulls back at the end to show that she is a character in a snow globe on a table.
26. Zen Dance. (No music, just the wind murmuring) A child or adult with no movement whatsoever, stands with eyes closed and a smile on her lips... as snow falls.
27. Jack In The Box. (Pop Goes The Weasel) Setting 3 Jack in the boxes. The first pops up - a refined and beautiful young woman. The 2nd pops up - a handsome and heroic young man. The 3rd pops up (with slightly distorted music) - a bored, older, out-of sorts, JITB in tattered clothes with a real attitude problem. As the other two sway rhythmically behind him dancing with their tandem hand movements, he recites his rant, "Poor Jack in the Box" by Mary Mapes Dodge.
28. Spy Vs. Spy. (Le Coucou, Daquin) Black cloaked spy chases White Cloaked spy who is carrying a packet marked 'Top Secrets' through an old mansion/hotel/factory. Each scurries through a maze of obstacles. Final scene - White is cornered in room and Black is tugging at the packet when a third spy in red pulls back a curtain to show a crowd of passerbys on the other side of the window, who see the two spies fighting over "top secrets" that neither should have. Crowd through window gasps and police arrest them, as 3rd spy chuckles.
29. Monster. (Signal, Hendricks) A monster comes down from the hills and prowls the streets at twilight looking for a victim. He sees a child leaning out an open window. His steely claws come down in a deadly swipe but just then the child pulls back inside - not knowing what danger he missed. A hunter's horn is heard, and dogs begin to bark. The monster recoils in horror and fades back into the night.
30. Fractured Beethoven. (Fractured Beethoven, Hendricks) version of the theme from Symphony #9. B/w. In a room full of suspended keyboards at all angles and heights, I play the piano piece by moving and switching from one keyboard to another at every line of the music. Then a clone of me plays a part, and a 3rd clone joins in and all 3 play for a finale flourish.
31. Watching Her Walk From Behind. (Watching Her Walk From Behind, Hendricks) Short film of assorted woman's butts as they walk, dance and shimmy to this jazzy piece of music.
32. All Aboard (Dance for the Masses) . (Sabre Dance, Khachaturian) Setting an ocean liner with passengers boarding. They come in huge groups with each person in the group doing a similar synchronized move. After a large crowd boards and deck is empty, a lone woman wanders leisurely on deck and to the rail. Then a porter walks on and straightens some deck chairs, then another, then all 3 exit. Then 2nd synchronized horde of passengers boards with the last person (the only one out of step) a child on a stick horse prancing at the end of the line like its tail.
33. Mirror Dance. (Title Unknown, fast jazz combo piece) Tommy is fleeing screaming girl fans as he races through the closed Midway at Fair Park. He escapes into the House of Mirrors. It is completely dark inside. First fan turns on the light - now b/w. Music begins and she sees a maze full of mirrors and Tommy at the far end. The chase continues through the mirrors as more fans enter the maze. Finally he escapes out the other end and speeds down the Midway with the fans following.
34. Mermaids (Water Dance) . (Lonely Woman Pat Metheny) Scene opens with camera close up of man that is watching something intensely. There are water shadows going across his face. The camera turns and sees a life-sized aquarium with naked mermaids dancing through the water.
35. Fur Elise (Fur Elise, Beethoven) One guy clown on stilts is shyly swooning over a photo he's carrying. He shows us through his actions that its a picture of the girl clown he loves. The photo shows her with a silly grin and goofy hat. During the octave breaks in the music he gives butterfly kisses to the photo. At the end the woman from the photo wanders in on stilts and wonders what he's hiding. He shyly shows her his photo of her and expresses his love for her. Then she pulls out of her big coat her photo of him!
A Midsummer Night's Dream Ballet This evening of dance mixes parts of Shakespeare's play, Mendelssohn's incidental music for the play, and some original added dialogue of mine. What I'm hoping to do is present a lively play, ballet, and pageant, with a quick first act to entice the audience then a long ballet portion with great dancing, wonderful fairy costumes, breathtaking sets and backdrops, and moonlight cascading over all the enchanted forest.
Then the wedding march scene of all the couples in love. Then the play within the play, by the artisans, for some comic relief. Then the ending fairy dialogue and dance scene. And finally Puck does the finishing speech, "If we shadows.... Altogether, a nice night of theater.
Act One:
Summary: Puck flies in and intros all the mortal players. They line up in groups from left to right: Group 1 - Duke and Amazon Queen. Group two -Hermia, her 2 suitors, and her father. Group 3 Helena. Group 4 - artisans, and laborers. Act ends with the 'to the woods' speeches.
Act One: Scene outside a castle: Puck flies in and instead of
Shakespeare's dialogue of Act one, Puck explains the action and introduces the characters.
The actors enter in groups and line up from left to right, as Puck
introduces them.
PUCK: (far left) This is Theseus, Duke of Athens. He's about to marry Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons. They are busy as bees making great plans for the marriage revelry. (Puck flies to stage center left) This is Hermia, daughter of this stubborn man, Egeus. She loves this boy Lysander, but her father has promised her to this boy Demetrius. So father Egeus has complained about his daughter's willfullness to Duke Theseus over there (points to first group) who has ruled...
EGEUS: (reading decree) 'Hermia Must marry according to her father's wishes OR abjure forever the company of men, OR die.' (Hermia sits in the middle crying with one suitor on each side and her father pacing in the back and leaning toward the side of his choice - Demetrius. Puck skips to the next group)
PUCK: This is Hermia's friend Helena. She, to further complicate things, loves Demetrius who truly loves Hermia. (She is sitting, facing Demetrius. Puck flies off to last group) And these artisans and laborers: Bottom, Quince, Shout, ... (He intros each as he points them out) have met to discuss their plans to put on an interlude as part of the Duke's revels.
ARTISANS: Then it's settled. We'll meet in the forest tomorrow for rehearsal. To the woods, my boys.
LYSANDER & HERMIA: We must elope. It's our only hope. We'll meet in the forest tomorrow. To the woods, my love.
HELENA to DEMETRIUS: I've overheard Lysander and Hermia. They will meet in the forest tomorrow. You and I will follow. To the woods, my dearest.
THESEUS: Enough plans and preparations. Time for revelry and celebration. Let's have a hunt in the forest tomorrow. To the woods my court, my friends, my guests.
PUCK: To the woods all! (Curtain)
Act Two, Three, and first part of Four:
Music plays. Throughout the forest dancing begins as the fairy dust falls and the mix ups follow. This very complicated and multi-event scene plays out Shakespeare's story in dance.
Act Four: Music stops. The Duke enters the forest and finds all the couples sleeping. Plot straightens out and Duke proclaims: "Everyone take the hand of the one that you love."
Mendelssohn's Wedding march plays and all couples promenade 2 by 2 through the forest to the artisans play area.
Act Five: The 3 couples sit to watch the play within a play by the artisans as written by Shakespeare. At the end, the amateur thespians are congratulated and all mortals leave the stage for the night.
Epilogue: Puck enters with broom and does speech, "Now the hungry lion roars..." This introduces the fairy dance finale. After dance, all spirits flit away except Puck who delivers the final speech to the audience, "If we shadows have offeneded..." (Curtain)
The '500 X' TV Special Land of 1000 Dances
Time for a Dance party - a Dance party at the Dallas, Deep Ellum, 2-story, Co-op Art Gallery they call "500 X". You know the funky brick building down by the tracks. It's a night that's a combo of art hung on the wall and dancers bouncing off the floor - where they're swinging and swaying in every nook and cranny, to Tommy's record collection . What' songs are swooning their soulful sounds? It's an all out mix of melody and rhythm such as "Land of a 1,000 Dances", or the original "Blue Velvet", or Bossa Nova, or Tom Waits, or 'Eyko Eyko'(the old version), or Clair de Lune, by Debussy, or Fats Waller piano, or western swing like 'Rosarita', or Nat King Cole's trio, or "Pennies from Heaven" by the Skyliners, or be-bop, or Crosby, Sinatra, Elvis, Beatles, James Brown, etc. Etc. Music that is so far out its back around. And sway loose and grove on some new dance numbers. As a society we're way overdue for some new poppin' steps like:
1. The Caterpillar. Dancers in a line each holding the waist of the one in front. Over 4 counts, hop on left foot ( and at the same time slide left on right foot) then hop on right food (and at the same time slide right on left foot) then repeat with left, then raise right foot and bring it down - then improv arm movements for 4 counts and repeat. The line is doing the caterpillar or dance of a thousand feet.
2. The Offbeat (or 'Tomfoolery') (easier for amateurs to do!) You dance not on the beat, but off of it - smooth and jerky movements that never quite fit the rhythm.
3. The Wallflower Great for the novice. You hang against the wall and just watch.
4. The Amoeba No bones about it. You move as if you are all jelly and ready to jam. Smooth movin through and through.
5. The Kiss Every time the music stops you have to kiss your partner until it starts again. And then at the end ....
6. The All Out - Real Fast When you hear the fastest music on record - you have to keep up. It takes steps that are all out and real fast. We save this one for near the end - cause it will be.
7. The Slide No couples here. Just singles on the dance floor. And no 'steps', instead you must slide among and through the crowd to the rhythm of the music - undulating man!
8. The Blob Everyone starts by dancing their own way with a center couple repeating a specific step. During 2nd verse, the 5 couples around the center join in the same step. The next group of dancers joins in during the bridge - and so on until the room that started out an eclectic mix - is now all doing the same moves in harmony. And we can't forget all the standard fare that makes a dance party - with a glitter ball bouncing light off of all matter and all that matters, and a bubble machine filling the room with air champagne, there's the who-can-forget dances like:
The spotlight dance - a chance for couples to show off their steps.
The stroll - guys lined on left, girls on right and the end couple strolling down the middle.
The strobe light dance - frenzied frenetic fun. Oh and what's that over in the corner? It's the scramble board with a couple trying to straighten out - not a simple phrase - but a rather complex physics math equation. Some serious shuffling of symbols about!
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