Mini Dance Film Critique

Video:

Piece Information: (Make sure you include this information below in your opening paragraph)

Pas de Quartet (1845 original/ 1968 this version)

Choreography by Jules Perrot (restaged by Anton Dolin)

Music by Cesare Pugni

Performance by Carla Fracci, Margrethe Schanne, Josette Amiel, and Kirsten Bundgaard

Pas de Quartet is a Plotless Ballet

Nearly one hundred years later, in 1941, a new version of Pas de quatre was staged by choreographer Anton Dolin. The dancers he used were, in order of appearance: Nathalie Krassovska as Lucile Grahn, Mia Slavenska as Carlotta Grisi, Alexandra Danilova as Fanny Cerrito, and Alicia Markova as Marie Taglioni. Since then many ballet companies have performed the piece.

Watch the video links and then review the resources link that can help you gain more general knowledge for your critique. Then write a three paragraph critique using the Mini Dance Film Critique Guidelines. You are only critiquing the Pas de Quartet 1968 version piece that was given at top. The rest of links are just extra resources to help you have better idea about the work you watched.
Make sure you included the piece information (title, choreographer, music and dancers) listed above about the piece in the opening paragraph. Also remember that your readers have NOT seen this piece so do your best to describe it to them within your critique. Use the information you have learned in your lectures and readings to help support your thoughts.
I DO want your opinions here, so make sure you form ideas about the work and support them through what you have learned so far in class.
Your mini dance film assignments are a combination of ideas learned in your Dance Work Observations, how you describe what you saw and Neutral Questions Feedback, how to not judge works but ask questions for exploring themes in dance works. Using both of these assignments ideas you will now form your own opinions and express them in written format in your 3 paragraph critique. Use your two learned skills to helps support your opinions in your critique.
774275
13 hours ago
General Resources:
https://michaelminn.net/andros/history/pas_de_quatre/
https://michaelminn.net/andros/biographies/perrot_jules/index.html
Cesare Pugni
774275
13 hours ago
Important
For each mini dance film critique you need to write three paragraph critique. Each paragraph needs a minimum of 5 sentences, more is ok. The critique will start with an introduction paragraph that clearly states what piece you saw and all the details about the piece (including title, choreographer, music and all information given to you within the assignment itself).
You must also have a thesis that tells the reader what you will be discussing in the body of the essay.

You will follow with one support paragraph that covers the details of the piece you saw. Ask yourself questions about the movements, genres, choreographers, time in history, costumes, dancers and more. What your your personal thoughts on all of these details and how can you support why you think this based off what you ahve learned. Always give details and examples when possible, go into the why’s.
Finally in your third paragraph, you will wrap it up for the reader, briefly recapping the important items and helping the reader know why these details are relevant. Here is your opportunity to restate your important ideas.

You should write your critique with the idea that your readers have not seen the piece and have no knowledge of it. Tell us all the basic details, so we have a clear idea of what you are saying. You must paint a clear picture of the pieces without just writing step by step details of the story you envision. Think about the important details and how you can discuss them in an interesting way to grab your readers. You will be given all the program information for the pieces you have to watch, but it is advised to do outside reach to support your thoughts. Some critique you will be given additional resource links or videos to help you get more background information about the work you saw.

Suggestions for things that could be included or places to look for ideas to begin when watching videos:

Can you apply class terminology to the description of the performance?
Analyze what you drew you into the piece and what kept you out (likes and dislikes) and explain why or why not.
Identify production elements: costumes, music/sound, lights, props, stage design
Describe the movements.
Did the choreography hold your attention? How did it convey the theme or atmosphere of the piece? What were the mood, images and ideas conveyed?
Was the program based on a narrative/storyline or more abstract?
What style of dance (s) could you identify (i.e. ballet, modern, jazz, ethnic, etc.)?
What could have been done to enhance the performance?
Do you think seeing this piece on video made it different then if you saw it in a theatre live?

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