Jamison's Choreographic Style

Jamison's Choreographic Style

1. Dunham- like Integration African movement

   • The opening motif in the opening section is performed by four dancers and consists of a repetitive suspended torso ripple. This is then followed by side steps which integrate Dunham-style swivelling hips.

2. Ballet Technique Influence

   • Centre Stage, the female soloist extends into an arabesque with the right leg. The soloist extends her left leg into an attitude in second position and pivots in a circle whilst sustaining the attitude
   • The moments of classical influenced action are fragmented with isolated hip swivels and undulating torso actions. The sense of movement remains true to the African American heritage.

3. Horton Technique

   • In a canon pattern the individual dancers perform a hinge like action to travel from a group image which identifies a group of individuals who can come together to support the strong leader to an individual space. In unison, the full company of dancers return upright from floor level pushing through a hinge-like action.
   • As the dancers move into three groupings, they perform variations of the Horton wing-like arms. These variations of the Horton Wing-like arms are a development from one Horton influence that can also be seen in Ailey's work.

4. Musical Theatre - Physical Setting

   • The female soloist performs in a central image projected through light. The image is a pattern of shapes that give an authentic African American design thus enhancing the theme of the work.

5. A creative process that develops the Aural setting with the movement

   • The image of the strong female leader with her leg extended in attitude and arm extended horizontally forwards, her focus projecting into the distance is accompanied with an intense rhythmical drum pattern
   • The soloist returns to centre and sharply extends her arms forward with a flick of the wrists. This is on the rhythmical drum pattern which suddenly halts and a African heritage wire drum strikes, directly correlating with the flick.
   • A high pitched soundscape accompanies the soloist as she looks upwards as though searching for the spirits. Then the soundscape is repeated at the end of the solo as if entering a trance.