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mcpPLATINUM Member Flying Water Muppet 5,276 posts Location: Edin-borrow., United Kingdom
Posted: (this in no way refers to busking. I mean routines in terms of stage routines / multiple person routines.)
Tech vs Dance vs Performance.
I don't see why a techy performance only appeals to a techy audience in some peoples minds. (this is not your minds, just some peoples. sometimes. perhaps my mind too. who knows. it's not directed is what I'm saying.)
Sure if you spin standing still, with no character and no facial expressions just doing techy move after techy move, linked up badly, yeah the only people that would stand to watch that would be a techy audience. (though I don't think you could really call it a performance, more like a demonstration.)
I definately think you can have an exceedingly technical routine, with and without standard 'crowd pleasing' moves that appeals to a lay audience and a techy audience that knows what you're doing.
And if you don't, you're not making your routines right.
Maybe a lay audience can't tell the difference between a 3 and 5 beat weave perhaps, but they're all human, and they have excellent pattern recognition skills built in, they can tell the difference between anti-spin isolated buzzsaw fountain and a butterfly buzzsaw. And if they can't tell the difference between a flower and an anti-spun flower, you just have to make you routine better so they do, like yuta does, when he speeds up as soon as he starts the anti-spun flower, so the audience gets the speed thrill and the pattern is more clear to them.
Yes I'm motivated to make technical routines because I want to use difficult skills in my routine. But I also want to make a beautiful routine also, and one that builds to a climax and all those other things that make a good routine. Character story etc... I also want to trick people into thinking I'm amazing at what i do.
I mean like yeah sure, people will watch for a little while if you're spinning fire around, and that's got their attention, and you might lose it again and never know, cos out of waiting for the next act / nothing better to do, they keep watching. But you can keep it in highly technical ways, like: did he just throw those poi from behind his back? or how come they just stalled upwards like that? I thought they were chains... Did they just get magically shorter? Did they just go through his arms? etc. (this is only a basic idea, I've seen some highly technical character work that uses a very different mindset.)
And will all of that you can add in body movement / dance / expressions and character to keep them entertained.
Like one of 'jam's' (British troupe) moves: Where one poi goes between the legs and then the leg comes over and the poi is free again. They do it as a balletic move, with a sly grin at the audience that is supposed to say (and I quote) "It's naughty but I kinda liked it" Other people do it with martial art kicks, or as jumps and so on. Most moves, techy or not, crowdpleasing or not, can be adapted to make them what you need them to be in your routine.
We've all learnt these hard skills, if would be a shame if we skimpted on the learning to use them in a routine part also.
Yeah that is kinda where I'm coming from, I don't particularly want to have to make a good routine without the tech bits, those skills I spent years working on. But there's also stuff I couldn't put into a routine if I hadn't spent the time on them. Maybe if I wore a skirt and just flounced around a bit I could be a good performer, but I'd rather try and make something that I could respect as well as entertain with.
Just combine them alllllllll!
This is just some unfinished thoughts. So if you disagree tell me, or tell me other examples / counter examples. I wanna know.
sorry it's a bit ranty.
"the now legendary" - Kaskade "the still legendary" - Kaskade
I spunked in my friend's aquarium and the fish ate it. I love all fish. Especially the pink ones. They are my bitches. - Anon.
StoutBRONZE Member Pooh-Bah 1,872 posts Location: Canada
Posted: Our new year's eve show... 2 spinners+ a 200 foot stage, in the round no less.
When we did this venue last year, I had the only "real" accident that I've ever had onstage ( catastrophic wardrobe failure, leading to part of my costume and one double poi wrapped around my neck ) so I was heavily into don't screw this one up mode.
Other than atomics ( great pattern for in the round ) I don't think I spun any move that isn't here in the free lessons section. And do you know what? judging by audience reaction, it didn't matter at all. I pulled every cheesy poseur move I could think of, which is not something I pride myself on, but, well, we brought the house down.
So why am I posting this? 'cause it's just another example of the realities of performing running up against the ideals of choreography ( most routines we have are written for a 30-50 foot stage ) and we really only had one day to come up with a routine that actually covered the whole stage, and the complexity or difficulty, of the moves was the last thing we took into consideration.
DurbsBRONZE Member Classically British 5,689 posts Location: Epsom, Surrey, England
Posted: My fave bit from the Ragatz post
"2. Practice the blocking without juggling. Video tape your routine without props. Ask yourself if it is interesting without the juggling. If not, the choreography is lame."
Which I think sums it up really. To possibly paraphrase: "You can, but shouldn't, hide behind your props"
Cont'd "You don't need to be a dancer, you just need to think like one...Make strong movement choices - and commit to them. If you want to do some trick with one leg in second at a point, then really make that leg straight and with a strong point. Don't be embarrassed about dance - just be bold."
I wish I was this intelligent...
Burner of Toast Spinner of poi Slacker of enormous magnitude
_Clare_BRONZE Member Still wiggling 5,967 posts Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)
Posted: Yep
Getting to the other side
DurbsBRONZE Member Classically British 5,689 posts Location: Epsom, Surrey, England
Posted: "Yep" you wish I was intelligent? or "Yep" he's right?
Anyway, get off the net hippy, you're meant to be on holiday
Burner of Toast Spinner of poi Slacker of enormous magnitude
_Clare_BRONZE Member Still wiggling 5,967 posts Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)
Posted: Both, of course
Am only here temporarily... this internet place is the coldest in Bangkok
EDITED_BY: _Clare_ (1167888659)
Getting to the other side
borganiqueBRONZE Member member 154 posts Location: Cornwall, United Kingdom
Posted: ok, haven't read the whole thread - cos its 2 in the morn and i want to go to bed, but also want to comment - a fire routine will surely have to vary depending on distance and angle (above/below) of the audience from the performer. A close crowd would appretiated more things like ontact staff, where they can see whats going on, whilst a further away crowd would appretiate the patterns made by poi or double staff. dance, again is effected by crowd size/position, if your say, in front of a line of people, linear, wheel plane (is that the one in front and behind?) patterns with 180 turns, throws etc would be appretiated more whilst if you had an audience in the round, or above, more steve, helicopter, wall plane stuff would be more visual, and also these moves encourage circular motion in dance (to me anyhows) i can't do staff without movement, or poi, i'm not great at either but standing still? damn it makes it so ffing hard! and it strains muscles more i find, a happy medium works best for me. anyhows i hope this is relevant and not too early hours bullsht. night all.