BIOM 121 1nd Edition Lecture 1 Outline of Last Lecture I. NoneOutline of Current Lecture i. General Stage/ Theatre Informationii. Primitive Periodiii. Ancient PeriodCurrent LectureGeneral Stage/Theatre InformationProscenium Stage - Arena StageStage Directions – From Perspective of Performers – Downstage, Upstage, Stage Right, Stage Left, Center Stage, Gradation of Stage DirectionsApron- a stage that projects into the auditorium so that the audience sits on three sides of itCyclorama (cyc)- large curtain or wall, usually concave, hung or placed at the rear of a stageScrim- transparent fabric used as a drop in the theater to create special effects of lights or atmosphereBackdrops- A painted cloth hung at the back of a stage setRaking of the Stage or the Audience SpaceWings – Legs - BordersBatons - TreesOrchestra PitLight Booth“Spot” for DancersThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Lighting: Front Light, Back Light, Side Light, Overhead Light, Directional Light Spotlight, Specials,Color, Gels, GobosColor of Lights Indicates Mood, Time of Day, LocationLive Music versus Recorded MusicSet Pieces – PropsArtistic Collaborators:Lighting Designer, Costume Designer, Set and Scenic Designer, Composers and Musicians, Other CollaborationsPrimitive Period – Up to 3,000 B.C.Dance was 1st formal art to exist and key purpose is communicationDances of: Imitation Celebration Initiation Medicine Commemoration Spiritual Connection Imitation Often of Nature (wind, water, fire, rain, earth, etc.) or Living Creatures (birds, wolves, bears, etc.) Dance became ways to mark certain eventsWould often dance to praise the spiritual world and the heavensPrimitive Music – chanting, bells, rattles, early variations on drums and reed instrumentsCostumes or Clothing often animal skins, hides and fur, feathersDancers were predominately malePatterns were often circularMovements or steps were natural, not technical, and included running, hopping, skipping, jumping, leaping, twirling, tumbling, walking, rocking, undulating, swaying, etc.Celebration Dances include those to honor births, deaths, marriages, coming of age, etc.Medicine Dances performed to appease the gods, ward off evil spirits and protect individuals or groups from danger or diseaseInitiation Dances- turning from a child into an adultDances with Spiritual Significance also done to honor or appease the gods and to give thanks forrain, sun, a good harvest, rainbows, a good hunt, etc.DANCE WAS A WAY TO COMMUNICATE before the advent of spoken languageProof that dance existed in primitive cultures is found in a series of rock (cave) paintings from the Paleolithic Age (30,000-10,000 B.C.E.) – a painting in a tomb depicted a harvest danceDances were often ritualistic and passed down or taught in the absence of a common verbal language – the movement of the body could express thoughts and feelingNo narrative in the early dances of the primitive periodPurpose of the Native American dance video was to grass dance- had chanting/drumbeat and the Native Americans would stomp down on the grass. They thought the rain was a blessing.The Apache crown dance was the most spiritual of dances in this era. Eyes were covered because spirits don’t like to be seen, they wore crowns to honor the spirits and the sticks they held chased away the bad spiritsTHE ANCIENT PERIOD – 3,000 B.C. to 400 A.D.Periods or Eras overlapped with aesthetic sensibilities permeating each successive eraCivilizations began to develop: spoken language, written language, organized religion, centralized governments, class systems, artistic advancements in theater, literature, music, visual arts and danceGreece – Apollonian dance and Dionysian dance, a form of pyrrhiche or pyrrhic tradition that is a military-like dance with marching and formations). Greece also praised the gods and goddesses; Apollo- goddess of sun and Dionysus- god of wineRome – Mime, Pantomime, pyrrhic tradition, was the center of civilization. During this era they because creating roads, bridges, water systems. Formal language and written connection was also formed. Created better/ more sophisticated instruments. Dance was more meaningful, more organized religions.China – Court Dance (ballet= upper class dance), Dragon dance, Lion dance, the Silk Road (dance was developed)“Bharata Natyam” – an ancient temple dance still practiced today that required grace, skill and stamina – known for exact head and eye gestures, intricate footwork and symbolism; held in temples for thousands of years; done in religious ceremonies, dance spread1940s – Temple dance approved for secular viewing – academia and in the theatreAreas of Ancient Civilization included the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the Mediterranean, Greece and RomeDancers often were womenDances often geometrical and symmetrical – representing a balance between soul, body and mind and a balance in the cosmosDance still honoring or paying homage to the gods and consistently being used to communicateDance more elaborate, steps more complex, communication more intricate. Everything means somethingDancers were often women and patterns begin to change- not only circular, not symmetric