Art form: Dance – Original Solo Composition (OSC)

Title: Obsequent

What tips do you have for other year 12 students to help them prepare for their WACE exam?

Try to make your movement as unique as possible, this will give you an interesting edge that draws the viewer in. Don’t just use your favourite movements that you use for everything, and don’t just use movements you have learnt in class, try to create movements that you haven’t seen before. Also make sure all your movements have a purpose and a meaning, whether it is the action itself that reflects your intention or the quality and emotion behind the movement.

How did you go about creating new movement?

For creating my OSC I used improvisation strategies to produce my movement to ensure it was still connected to my intention. I gave myself a task or a stimulus, set up my phone to video me, and danced out all my ideas that were sparked. For example, dancing with a certain quality, a certain emotion, or in a certain way (ie. Like if you were trapped in a box, or if you had no bones). I then went back and re-watched the videos and picked out the most interesting, unique and effective movements, and turned them into phrases. I then manipulated these phrases using choreographic devices and elements, to make them more engaging, whilst still demonstrating the desired intent.

How many times did you edit your ‘finished’ work to keep refining and shaping your OSC?

How many times did I edit my ‘finished’ work to keep refining and shaping my OSC? Well the truth is, I never stopped. Every time I performed it, it got developed. A movement was added, a connecting pathway was refined, an intention was clarified, or the quality of a phrase was changed. Once it did then start to become more set and I knew it really well, I started performing it with different music, with different dynamics, or with a different emotion. This helped to keep the movement alive, fresh and engaging, not only for the audience but for me as well. And the more connected, engaged and focused I was, the more captivating the work became.