Cog Head:
My main objective is to portray the development of dementia in a person. This would range from the mood changes, memory loss, the breakdown of speech and the change of personality. To do this successfully, I know a great deal of acting would be needed. I want to demonstrate the journey the brain takes as it shuts down and becomes static, mechanical and detached from the world. The movements would have to range with every emotion that is taking place: smooth transitions would reflect the calm state and sharp and crisp movement to reflect confusion, panic and anger.
The reason why I have chosen Cog Head and to use dementia is because I have witnessed the whole development dementia had on my Grandma. I have seen how the disease slowly takes over a body and how it strips a persons freedom, power and pride. I see Cog Head as a being just like one who has dementia, deprived of its emotions(hinted my the mechanical brain). I feel this stimuli is one I will really connect to.
I want to bring all the emotions to the audience! There is not just one category of feelings that sums up what a dementia patient goes through and feels. One of the symptoms is the large variety of emotions a patient feels and character changes. I must portray the fear, anger, sorrow, confusion, happiness, laughter, irritation and vulnerability.
After a great deal of searching, I have settled with the music The Four Seasons by Max Richter for my piece. I was immediately drawn to this music because of the steady beat throughout with the repeated melody in a high and low key. It is very intense with the slow violin playing and the consistent drone of sound. I feel the music fits both smooth and dynamic movements which is a quality that is definitely needed. As well as this, I came up with the idea of placing a voice recording on top of the music. This would be of an old telephone recording of my Grandma speaking. This recoding is muffled and hard to understand however there are clear moments where you can hear words like "I'm sorry" "goodbye". This would help the audience understand the confusion that is taking place.
I will be using plenty of repetition of stillness to represent the next levels of the brains breakdown; plenty of embellishment since I feel the Cog Head is so detailed and intricate and therefore needs lots of small detail to portray it properly; highlights, contrast and climax will be used throughout to demonstrate the changing unsteady mental state.
The content of this post is well thought out, and clearly explains what you hope to achieve. You have clearly explained how the use of music and choreographic devices will help portray your final idea and the personal aspect will allow you to have a deeper connection with the piece. For further development, consider what further research you will undertake to add greater depth and understanding to your theme. How do you plan to structure your solo choreography?
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DeleteI have planned to structure the beginning as a slow and still acting motif displaying one of the impacts dementia has on a person. This will be one of the following: lack of speech, change in character or lack of 3D judgement. Similarly, I will end on an intense acting section demonstrating how the body will eventually surrender to the disease despite their best efforts to hold on to their sanity and identity. The rest of the piece will express the progression of the body shutting down and the patient loosing control. I will include a fierce and dynamic climax which will be followed by an intense contrast of movement, slow and steady walking. I plan to use as many choreographic devices as I can to make my piece as intense, powerful and extreme as it can be.
DeleteI plan to undertake extra research to explore more features that could potentially be added to my piece. For example, what kind of priorities does a patient have once they have been diagnosed with the condition? This will lead me to consider how I can incorporate new knowledge and ideas into my solo.