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• Drumming

Drumming (1971), is a 90-minute piece for a
9-piece percussion ensemble composed by Steve
Reich. Jiri Kylian uses the first section of
Drumming as accompaniment for his work Falling
Angels. Reichs work is influenced by a trip to
Ghana. Based on a short, simple, repetitive
rhythmic pattern, the music ventures through
various shifts as the musicians move in and out
of time with each other. These syncopated and
phase-shifting rhythms are considered innovative
even today. References Wikipedia Amazon
reviews
SYLLABUS
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Falling Angels

• Drumming

This tutorial is an investigation of the musical
accompaniment of Kylians Falling Angels and the
relationship of this to the dance. In this
tutorial you will research aural elements and
discuss the way in which movement and form relate
to the accompaniment.
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READ THE TWO REVIEW QUOTES BELOW AND CONSIDER THE
WORDS HIGHLIGHTED IN COLOUR. HOW HAVE CRITICS
RESPONDED TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DANCE
AND AURAL ELEMENTS?
With scant pause between the pieces, eight
female dancers costumed in black leotards and
slippered feet advance stealthily in a line
abreast from the darkness. Falling Angels, set
to the first movement of Drumming, composed by
Steve Reich, begins with a simple rhythmic
pattern tapped by stick on an a bongo drum. Soon
the loom of Reichs phase shifting technique
weaves the copied and re-copied rhythmic threads
into billowing veils of energy. In a sense, these
veils became the net of history into which the
angels fall. www.ballet-dance.com/200504/articles
/BB200503.htm There are phrases in this work
that are inspired by two near-meditative Japanese
art forms the deliberate, controlled
articulation of butoh and the frenetic,
exaggerated body movement of taiko, with the
emphasis on the latter. The eight women begin by
emerging from the shadows and marching slowly
towards the audience. They stop within
non-equidistant square light patterns that throw
an unearthly penumbra on their faces and torsos.
Then with the drumming picking up, the women,
collectively and taking turns individually, throw
themselves into frenzied delirium. http//www.ball
et-dance.com/200504/articles/BostonBallet20050320e
ve.htm
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feel the sound, the colour of the endless
shifting overlapping patterns How does Kylian
respond kinaesthetically to the rhythms of
Drumming? What is the relevance of beginning
the piece in silence? How does Kylian use
movement to accent the drum beats? How do
dynamics of the movement reflect the drum beats
and rhythms? How do individuals and groups of
dancers respond to the different rhythms?
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from one short rhythmic motif, longer and more
intricate phrases are created and woven
togethercomplex music out of minimalist
means How does the generation and organisation
of movement complement the rhythms that build
from a single drumbeat? What movements accompany
single drumbeats? Describe how simple movement
motifs are developed further as rhythms become
more complex.
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HSC areas of study
components movement spatial elements dynamic elements aural elements dancers setting and environment interpretation of the work context genre subject matter meaning significance writing and criticism reading and writing reviews newspapers, magazines, journals the role of the critic in dance placing the criticism in context
organising the dance motif phrase motif into phrase sequencing transition repetition variation and contrast formal structure unity appraisal and evaluation evaluation general values of society specific values in the context of the work worth and merit effectiveness/appropriateness of the work effectiveness/appropriateness of the performance Prescribed choreographers and works era/period in which they work background/training influences choreographic style
This tutorial addresses the following syllabus
area of study in appreciation
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