Resolution 1, PTSD Research and Effects

Katherine piece is based very heavily on PTSD and the way this effected soldiers in the first world war. In order for me to be able to really connect with the film I have looked into PTSD and particularly the way it effects people:

PTSD

PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A definition I have found on the internet says:
'Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events. Someone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks, and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt.'

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/

On the NHS website I looked into how PTSD affects people who suffer from it and the symptoms that show...

- 'Re-experiencing' is the most typical effect and can occur in a number of way such as through flash backs, nightmares, repetitive and distressing images or sense, and physical sensations like pain, sweating, nausea or trembling.

We need to find a way to choreograph the dance to show them re-experiencing what they have been through possibly through gestural movements related to the war imagery and actions.

- Avoidance and Emotional numbing can also be an effect of this. The sufferer will avoid certain things in life which may remind them of the traumatic event and even avoid talking about it. They can go one of two ways here. One way is to busy their mind and distract themselves from the event by picking up other activities etc. Others can refuse to feel anything so they become emotionally numb leading them to be withdrawn and isolated. 

We need to consider ways in which we can show avoidance in the piece and the term isolation is also very interesting when we have two dancers. We must find a way to make them both seem isolated  even together.

- Hyperarousal refers to when someone feels on edge. Suffers can become very anxious constantly being alert and and aware of threats surrounding them. This makes them unable to relax and lead to more issues such as irritability, angry outbursts, sleeping problems and difficulty concentrating.

I feel like we can express this symptom really effectively within the dance if we use random twitches and movements. Facial expressions from the dancers could also be a key to this.

- PTSD also leads to other mental health problems such as depression, anxiety or phobias, and self-harming or destructive behaviour (such as drug misuse or alcohol misuse). It can effect every aspect of their life and is potentially a life ruining disorder. 

I really want to portray the severity of this disorder in the dance by making it as emotionally evocative as possible. A good way to approach this is to find imagery and music which will emotionally evoke us and the dancer in rehearsals.

I feel like this theme has such depth to it and there are many ways we can portray this disorder but the main priority for me is finding movement which is interpreted from this theme but is emotionally evoking as well.

Resolution 1, Pina Bausch Research and Analysis

Katherine has informed me that she would like her dance piece to use Pina Bausch styled choreography. In order to better understand this and help me within my role as AD and Choreographer I have looked into her dance style:

The Fall Dance - Pina Bausch


The style of dance is very contemporary and subtle. This piece in particular moves at a very steady slow pace slowly building up. This makes it seem much more deliberate and emotionally thoughtful which is how I would want to try and choreograph the Gunpowder mill dance. Repetition is also utilised here by having this one important key dance move which keeps being performed in different areas of the space. I am considering weather it is worth myself and Katherine choreographing small motifs such as this which can then be performed in various areas of the space to explore how it effects their movement and therefore reflecting the mental effects also. This piece has a lot of movement in terms of walking which again will be key in our choreography because it will allow us to move the dancers around the location in a very considered way.

Vollomond Part 1 - Pina Bausch



This piece agin start with a lot of similar techniques as before. It has slow deliberate movement which repeated again this one key motif. I feel like repetition will be key to getting across the main dance movements which display the most emotive information to the viewer. Also they are utilising props at the beginning which is an aspect Ive never thought of before. We may be able to find some key items which could really help the dancer have something to work with. Another approach would get them to almost use the location as if it were a prop coming back to the same spaces which are most intriguing and reacting certain movements inc certain spaces. Once this has built up it then goes into a much more contemporary fast paced dance which has many more technical elements. While doing this the dancer utilises high and low levels keeping it interesting. We will defiantly need to think about ways in which we can utilise low levels in our location especially with a dirt ground. IF we are unable to I feel like we could use some camera techniques which are higher to still make it feel this way. I like in the first segment of this video the way the two men interact with each other, almost mimicking but also fighting with each other. They get a really good balance of push and pull between to make it effective. It is this part of the dance I am most interested in because we are hoping to have two male dancer within this piece so we need to master a good balance between push and pull.

I feel like the main elements I take from these pieces and her other work in general is that we must focus on creating a deliberate emotionally  evoking piece which will rely heavily on pace as her work always has pace changes. We can build up with pace as well again similarly to her. We need to consider all levels and utilising them in the best ways possible and motifs will be key to explore the space in a way which builds on the themes.