Step description
A step description (English step sheet ) is the written record of movements for dances and choreographies and is considered a form of artistic expression.
application
It is used in the areas of dance that should be reproduced by different dancers, for example when performing pieces in the theater or for group-based and group-like dance forms.
The step description has its equivalent in the classical dance types of the standard and Latin dance , which like many other pair dance types is subject to the guidance of one of the partners, in the written fixation of figures with their often quite limited scope. The composition of such individual figures is usually not set down in writing, but rather initiated spontaneously on the floor by appropriate signals, mostly of a physical nature, by the leader. Nevertheless, even for tournaments and other extraordinary occasions, a routine is definitely fixed in writing, rehearsed and perfected to the desired reproduction quality.
At line dance events, a uniform implementation of such step descriptions on the music is a basic requirement so that often foreign dancers can still meet harmoniously next to each other on the surface. In line dance tournaments , too, a binding step description for the dance disciplines to be completed is an indispensable element of the respective organizer. Today's internet archives list well over 10,000 line dance choreographies. Often additional information is linked here, such as the contact details of the choreographer.
history
The two Italian dance masters Domenico da Piacenza (around 1450) and Fabritio Caroso (before and around 1600) have compiled dance descriptions under the titles Ballarino , Ballare , Balli and Bassedanze, put them in writing and published them in book form. Her work has been mainly on the ballroom dancing fixed at that time and should allow that groups can dance of people on appropriate occasions together.
Step description in standard / Latin and other dance styles
In standard and Latin as well as other types of dance, the term step description is used for the individual figures. Depending on the type of dance, only a few beats (often 3 or 4) are combined into one figure. This type of fixation is also practiced in line dance, whereby the term basic steps or step combinations is used in the subtitle at the latest to distinguish them - not least to be able to distinguish them from the abundance of written down choreographies there, also referred to as step descriptions.
Step description in line dance
The line dance as a relatively young sport dance uses very intense at the center of the step description. Often the English term step sheet is used for this , due to its US-American character . The corresponding descriptions are traditionally distributed on paper by choreographers to the teachers (if there is no personal union) and further to the students as a memory aid for later independent practice and for their reference purposes, usually after this has been taught in the form of dance lessons. Increasingly, however, the internet is also being used to distribute it to dance teachers as well as to those who want to learn to dance themselves.
The contents of such a step description in line dance are typically divided into two areas. On the one hand, a header area in which the name of the dance and choreographer can be found as well as further information, and on the other hand, a main part that lists the actual description of the steps in lines and paragraphs, mostly with the announcement texts for the dance teacher based on figure names as subheadings stand above the individual paragraphs. Most types of dance are staggered in groups of 8, whereby intermediate steps (syncopated beats) are not taken into account, but in the case of the waltz, groups of 6 are consistently formed according to its rhythm. Typical choreographies for all of these dance genres often consist of around 4 to 6 such paragraphs and therefore usually fit on a DIN A4 page. In the case of more demanding works, for example if the phrasing, i.e. the text as well as stanzas and refrain, of the assigned music requires a more elaborate arrangement, the length can occasionally grow to 2 pages. An even larger scope is extremely rare, at least in line dance.
nature
The language used is often English, but there are also translations. Technical terms from dance sports are also used throughout, especially for figures. Some choreographers use the terminology conventions of the National Teachers Organization (NTA) as a guide or are occasionally adapted by third parties. The abbreviations LF (left foot) or RF for the left or right foot are often used to provide space for the actual description of the movement of a step. Left and right are also reduced to the abbreviations L and R. More rarely, but no less helpful for a connoisseur's understanding, is an additional column that provides additional information on foot positions, such as those used in ballet .
In addition to the frequent additional information in the header, such as the recommended music with interpreter, the tempo of the music, the level of difficulty and overview information on the length and possibly necessary phrasing, there is often an instruction at which point in the music such a choreography should be started. Information on the direction of rotation is less common, i.e. H. In which direction the repetitions of the basic pattern take place, but actually always an indication of the length of the choreography in beats as well as an indication of how many repetitions are necessary to reach the starting position again, the so-called " walls ", derived from the English word for wall. More recent choreographies continue to provide information on the underlying dance of the classical dance types or so-called motions , from which connoisseurs can derive, among other things, information on the rhythm, the timing and the design of the physical expression as a whole.
Copyrights
Older step descriptions (> 30 years) are often choreographies that can usually no longer be assigned to anyone. Here the choreographer is often only noted as "unknown". Newer choreographies, on the other hand, are consistently marked by their authors with names, sometimes only with first names, nicknames or even with artist names, for example with DJs . Like many comparable works, they are subject to copyright law . However, it is common for a choreography that has been published once, for example in a specialist magazine, in a workshop or on one's own website, to be redistributed largely freely and without any special restrictions by the author. This usually includes translations and broadcasts. Often this, as well as the passing on within a teacher-student relationship, ends up with names and logos of dance schools, groups and other associations on the corresponding step descriptions, which are then not an original part of the choreography. Larger adaptations and clear variations of choreographies are usually marked as such in order not to endanger the basic intention, namely to encourage dancing together. Plagiarism and non-tolerated adaptations are rather rare. Choreographies that are only available to a limited group of users as a step description are mainly found in the area of show and tournament dances. In the case of choreography competitions, on the other hand, it is usually mandatory to provide the organizer and thus the judges with a copy in advance.
literature
- William A. Smith: Fifteenth-Century Dance and Music. Twelve Transcribed Italian Treatises and Collections in the Tradition of Domenico da Piacenza . New York 1995.
- DR Wilson (ed.): Domenico da Piacenza: De arte salt andi ... . In: Sources for Early Dance, Series I: Fifteenth-Century Italy . The Early Dance Circle, London 1988.
- DR Wilson: The steps used in court dancing in fifteenth-century Italy . 3rd edition, 2003.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.parties-und-events.de/Tanz-Schrittfiguren.html
- ↑ http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/caroso2/
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated February 5, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
