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Video Critique of ‘Attraction’ by Shadow Theatre Group and ‘Love
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Video Critique of ‘Attraction’ by Shadow Theatre Group and ‘Love in the dark’ by Kyle Hanagami
Dancing improves the brain function through blending cerebral and cognitive processes, which enhances balance and enhance psychological wellbeing (Burzynska et al.). Brain function enhancement benefits the dancers while on the other hand, the audience gets inspiration through the storyline and messages passed by the choreography. The basis for the motivation may be on the storyline, movements, costumes and stage design. Using ‘Attraction by shadow theatre group’ and ‘love in the dark choreography by Kyle Hanagami’, the stage factors are differentiated, especially on the movements and storyline. Attraction displays the life and family of an individual to his death through a slow dance. Love in the dark by Kyle Hanagami displays dances by two individuals in turns, while the others are in the background. Comparison of the two choreographic works bases on the stage design, visual and audio aspects and also the dancer’s characters. Each work is creative due to various factors, but attraction by shadow theatre group is exceptionally excellent.
Attraction by shadow theatre group is a choreographic work performed by eight dancers and based on a story. A shadow is used to display the is much attractive as objects and buildings are performance seen by the audience. As the video starts, the dancers make a Stonehenge, showing how two individuals meet at a prehistoric site. The two individuals fall in love, and later in the video, they wed at a church. The dancers’ shadow also displays the church. After they get a child, the man travels abroad and again; an aeroplane is a portrait on the stage. It is impressive how these dancers get together, arrange themselves and create an object from their shadow, which gives a visual experience of the story made. This act and movements make the work unique and outstanding.
Also, the video starts with a happy mood, as the characters meet, wed and even get a child. It then turns to a sad feeling when the man leaves to fight in an army and dies. The theme and storyline are well-developed as every individual in the audience can easily understand the story. The sad theme is felt by the audience and some end up shedding tears when the love story ends with the death of the man, leaving the wife and daughter. The work paints a picture in the audience mind and gives the impression that life is short, and one’s happiness may end at any time through a tragedy. I liked the work due to the simple understanding of the story it gives to the audience.
Love in the dark by Kyle Hanagami is also a choreography on love. As the name suggests, the performance of the work was in a dark place with each dancer holding a light source. The flickering of the light sources gives a sense of hidden love from the public. As some of them go on, the others go off, meaning the love has to stay in the dark. This light source is used as a prop to convey ideas or feeling; in this case, the love between two characters. Also, the movements of the dancers with jumping, spinning and leaping throughout the video is appealing. Usually, when one spins, it is easy to get dizzy, but for the dancers, they are more flexible and stable to stand and continue with the moves. This act encourages one to try such steps and give out their best.
However, In the performance by Shadow theatre group, the fact that one could not see the moves and steps done to create the images displayed in the shadow is unappealing. The images generate curiosity and questions that are not answered or addressed by the end of the viewing. Also, in Kyles love in the darkness, the storyline is not clear, and the audience cannot easily read and follow through it. It displays the art of dance and talent more than the story it conveys to the audience. Integrating the stage design and body movements creates a storyline that can be understood by the audience (Lock and Robertson). Besides, the stage arrangement does not display the theme of the performance, hence not attractive to the viewers.
The two videos, attraction by Shadow theatre and love in the dark by Kyle, both convey the theme of love. ‘Attraction’ gives a story of a love story to the end, starting with a happy mood and ending in a sad mood. On the other hand, love in the dark has a painful feeling all through the video. It tends to display two performers dancing in turns as the others deal with the lighting. In the end, the couple also goes into separate ways, and lights go off. They both have the same ending in a sad mood. Also, the choreographies convey both contemporary ballet and modern dances. These dance styles are shown through partner dancing in some parts of the videos and the use of bodyweight to enhance movements. Besides, music inspires the feeling of movement in listeners and viewers (Hannaford). The music used in the choreography works is slow, quiet and soothing, which blended well with the theme of the videos. These songs are love in the air by Adelle and Read all about it by Emeli Sande in Attraction.
The difference in the stage design of the performances is by visual elements such as the costume and lighting. In attraction, the stage is dimmer as the light is placed in the backstage, with a curtain that displays the dancers’ shadows. The shadow conveys the visual content of images and not the dancers themselves. The audience can not thoroughly explain the details of the actions of the dancers since it is not visible from the stage. In contrast, ‘love in the dark’ performance uses a prop, which is the lighting sources. It also conveys its message through the dancers’ moves. The dancers and movements are visible; hence, easy for the audience to explain details of steps. The costumes of the dancers in attraction is only depicted when showing the ladies, mother and daughter with dresses, while the rest of the dancers only convey the image. However, in Kyle’s love in the dark, the costume has a white and grey theme but not uniform. The stage design provides a proper context for the performances.
Choreographers may improve their work by creating the dances that convey a message or story to the viewers. A story considers floor patterns and maximizes the use of stage while displaying the visual design patterns created (Allsopp, and Lepecki). It also leaves a memory in the viewer’s mind, hence wishing to see more. It is also appealing to relate the stage design with the theme of the dance. Before the audience can understand the subject of the dance through movements, the stage design informs the viewer of what the dance is about. Knowledge of theme creates increases attention and concentration.
Choreographic videos convey ideas through the dancer’s movements, costumes and storyline, if any, depending on the aim of the performance. Attraction by Shadow theatre group shows a distinctive performance through the use of shadow to display the images and give its storyline. The attribute gives it a unique form that is not common with many choreographies shows. The second video, Love in the dark by Kyle shows dancers moves and is informative, especially for an audience with dance interest. As much as Kyle’s work is descriptive and displays various dance moves, the shadow group stood out due to its storyline that leaves one with an emotional state of sadness. A dance with an articulate storyline is more appealing and communicates feelings and ideas to the audience. A well-developed stage design gives an added advantage to the performance as it generates a vivid impression to the viewer, consequently creating an attachment.
Works Cited
Allsopp, Ric, and André Lepecki. “Editorial: On Choreography”. Performance Research, vol 13, no. 1, 2008, pp. 1-6. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/13528160802465409. Accessed 6 Dec 2019.
Burzynska, Agnieszka Z. et al. “The Dancing Brain: Structural And Functional Signatures Of Expert Dance Training”. Frontiers In Human Neuroscience, vol 11, 2017. Frontiers Media SA, doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00566. Accessed 6 Dec 2019.
Hannaford, Carla. “Movement And Music: The Dance Of Life”. Perspectives: Journal Of The Early Childhood Music & Movement Association, vol 3, no. 1, 2008, pp. 4-8. Intellect, doi:10.1386/ijmec_0092_1.
Loke, Lian, and Toni Robertson. “Design Representations Of Moving Bodies For Interactive, Motion-Sensing Spaces”. International Journal Of Human-Computer Studies, vol 67, no. 4, 2009, pp. 394-410. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2008.11.003.
The Disney Princess effect according to Hanes refers to the urge by young children especially girls to mature faster, earlier
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The Disney Princess effect according to Hanes refers to the urge by young children especially girls to mature faster, earlier than their ages. The effect matters in that it has contributed and at the same time led to influencing the lifestyle of young girls, stopping them from behaving like kids and going ahead and act like grownups. The society has portrayed the women’s lifestyle in a sexualized manner, and this has led to the bringing up of young girls in the same environment, of a sexualized lifestyle. Young girls insist on wearing dresses like their Disney princesses. The imaginative world has played a significant role in changing the image of young girls, as to right from ages 2 to 5 it is the Disney Princesses, then to Hannah Montana and then the High school musicals, and this has had a great impact on the growth and development of young girls. According to Hanes, the media has been attributed to being the main cause of sexualization as well as the biased image in the women in the internet, television and even in the books that are meant for young children, creating an overall disturbing image to the young girls.
Hanes in the article quotes various statistics to support her case, and some of them are mind-blowing. Hanes states that research by the University of Central Florida found that 50 percent of the girls aged 3 to 6 years are in fear of being fat. It is a worrying trend in that, the girls of that age should not be worried about such issues, and it seems that the influence from the media on the way women are supposed to look like, with a curvature body has taken an impact. The Disney Princesses as well, has depicted this, and therefore, young girls want to be like them, they want to be sexier like their princesses. Another statistic by Hanes is the research of a marketing group NPD fashion world conducted in 2003 and indicated that more than 1.6 million dollars were spent annually for the purchases on thong underwear for the children of ages 7 to 12 years old. Truly speaking, the sexualization in the media has played a significant role and has to greater heights affected even the fashion tastes for the young girls in the quest to be sexier. In another case, the girl scout study found that 23 percent of the young girls aged between 11 and 17 do not participate in sports with the main reason being that they don’t think their bodies look better in engaging in sports. Self-image has been portrayed as one that is sexy looking, and this has affected a large number of people especially the young girls, more so those who are exposed to the media. For the young girls to accept themselves, they will have to attain the desired body shape so that they appear sexy. The girls don’t realize that engaging in sports is a talent and as well a way to maintain body fitness and therefore the statistics are astonishing.
Citing from Mary Finucane’s blog, the welcome information on the right-hand side of the page, the position towards sexualization has been accurately characterized in that they both talk of the impact of the Disney Princesses to their young girls which is an influence from the world of imagination. Many parents had the same quest, finding the solution about their children getting lost to the Disney world and this has been attributed to the marketing strategies by the media. The welcome information shows that a large number of children have been lost to the imaginative world and more and more parents are getting worried on how to tackle the situation. Parents need to be keen on their children and monitoring the content they watch on the TV and the internet.
Reference
Hanes, N. (2011). Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect. Retrieved from: https://solano.instructure.com/courses/1373886/files/65440547/download?verifier=XEuEwnzICSKBBI6iPwQbNWxMs3AIb4XKk3IvrK5k&wrap=1
Ursula Infractions against the Crown
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Ursula Infractions against the Crown
Ursula is regarded as the leading antagonists of Disney’s animated film “The Little Mermaid.” In the film she possesses several distinct traits, making her a favorite subject for study and therefore this is the reason we decided to select her for our study. Ursula is a heinous sea witch who typically helps merfolk to achieve her individual objectives and goals. She is portrayed in the film as a wicked person who uses her abilities as well as powers to influence and control other individuals for her gains. In some instance, for example, she pursued to some exact revenge after she was expelled from Atlantica by King Triton who existed as her long-lasting rival. She sought her revenge by seizing Triton’s throne and also taking the total control of the oceanic, like a queen (Trinh et al., p.7). Ursula’s ardent self-confidence, flamboyance as well as theatrics have resulted in her being one of topmost popular besides being an icon of all the Disney villains.
Her personality is defined as being evil, power-hungry, greedy, cruel, and cunning, power-hungry, hot-tempered and dangerous among other wicked character traits. In her mode of life, Ursula is characterized by numerous offenses which calls for severe punishment for example rebellion against the patriarchal crown and unlawful use of arms alongside the royal family among other heinous crimes. Therefore, for this reason, she is termed wanted for her to face the law for her mischief actions.
There are many issues raised from Ursula “The Little Mermaid” film, especially from Ursula’s character. From the feminist perception, she exemplifies a personality that depicts the authenticities behind people’s anticipations of women and portrays a more accurate affiliation among men and women. The film presents a lot of disparities in the society whereby the male and the female gender are represented differently (Palmater and Pamela, p.277). For example, Ursula is given the role of the antagonists in the film. Moreover, Disney’s patriarchal ideology is exhibited in that any woman with supremacy has to be characterized as a bad thing in society. Ursula’s appearance similarly corresponds with the other evil females in other Disney films, therefore becoming a metonymic symbol as the evil women typically share the similar somatic features as well.
Infractions that Ursula Committed
The following are the list of some violations conducted by Ursula, which makes her be put under wanted to face the consequences of her actions. However, some of these infractions tend to be not that serious, but they carry a point in them.
Insurgence against the Patriarchal Crown
Ursula applies her powers in the wrong way by using it to attain ultimate power to become the leader of the sea domain when King Triton presents and offers himself for Ariel’s liberty (Bell et al., p.32). Therefore, Ursula ought to be punished for her strength as well as the power to influence other individuals as well as nature.
Using Powers and Magic for Personal Gains
Ursula commits this offense when she trickles Ariel that she will transform her into a human and in return, Ariel was to give her voice to Ursula, and she was not going to get it back whether the transformation process fails or not. She uses this trick for her gains since she wanted to use Ariel’s voice to make some revenge to the king.
Hypersexual Self-Presentation
Ursula presents herself as an individual with a big attitude problem and with a wicked sense of humor. After she was evacuated from Atlantica, she started some trade deals where she lures people by speaking in an exceptionally manipulative and sarcastic tone, pretending that her only concern is the pleasing satisfaction of her customers (Jones and Sara, p.14). This trick makes her schemes easier to fall for and when she feels that deal is not going through she remedies to pressure the victims to accept her offer.
Theft of Loyal Weapons
The trident is considered a royal and a magical weapon and it serves as king’s Triton royal weapon. Therefore being a high weapon, it is only the king or the associates of his bloodline who are obliged or are capable of removing it from its initial resting location. Ursula who is a sea witch has strongly desired this weapon due to its magical abilities. However, usually in one occasion manages to steal it through her tricks, and when the weapon is in her hands, she grows to an enormous extent and thus creates a huge whirlpool in the ocean that has as much force that it rises sunken ships from the ocean surface (Sharmin et al., p.55). Moreover, Ursula commits another crime using this weapon when she exploits its powerful lightning bolts which are predestined to guard Atlantica, to in its place try to kill Princess Ariel.
Refusal to Conform To the Standards of Thin and White Feminism
Ursula physical appearance does not resemble that of a typical female. She exhibits some octopus-like look in her lower body parts, while the upper parts resemble that of a female but in some way not according to the standards of thin and white which is common to the majority of the women in their locality. Her body is enormous, and also her upper body parts tend to have some muscles. Also, Ursula is dark in tone, and she exhibits a wicked sense of humor (Davis and Amy, p.277). Although this infraction tends not to make some sense, it is evident that her appearance betrayed her as she looked abnormal.
Illegal Use of Weapons against the Crown
It is considered illegal to use any weapon aimed towards hurting or killing the members of the crown. However, Ursula breaks this rule when she stills the trident weapon and tries to murder Ariel. Though she does not succeed in her mission to kill her, she commits this crime and thus she ought to pay for it.
Rejection of Hegemonic Family Formation
By attacking the members of the crown especially Ariel who was the king’s daughter and also Eric, Ursula shows that she was against the continued ruling of the royal family. When she tries to kill Ariel, her father agrees to take her place, and it seems Ursula is determined to kill one of them.
Entering Into the Domain of the Wealthy White Mer-Neighborhoods
At some point, she breaks the norms by transforming herself into another being and thus she can enter into wealthy white neighborhoods which were segregated. These places are not for every individual, and therefore this shows the existence of racial disparity in these regions (Sharmin et al., p.57). However, according to the stipulated laws, she breaks this rule, and consequently, she has thus she has to be punished.
It is evident from the film that although Ursula as a character commits many offenses, there are some social problems like sexism, racism and gender disparity which is portrayed in this film. These issues typically result in these offenses which Ursula seems to commit occasionally.
Works Cited
Bell, Elizabeth, Lynda Haas, and Laura Sells, eds. From mouse to mermaid: The politics of film, gender, and culture. Indiana University Press, 1995.
Davis, Amy M. “Women in Disney’s Animated.” The Animation Studies Reader (2018): 277.
Jones, Sara. “The Ideal Princess, the Perfect Woman.” (2016).
Palmater, Pamela. “Shining light on the dark places: Addressing police racism and sexualized violence against indigenous women and girls in the national inquiry.” Canadian Journal of Women and the Law 28.2 (2016): 253-284.
Sharmin, Tania, and Sanyat Sattar. “Gender Politics in the Projection of “Disney” Villains.” Journal of Literature and Art Studies 8.1 (2018): 53-57.
Trinh, Michelle, and Christine Connell. “Den Lille Havfrue against The Little Mermaid: The Female Other’s Induction into Patriarchy.” Humanities 1 (2018): 7.