Evaluation Checklist

1) How well have you used the stimulus?
In my opinion I have used the stimulus quite well and thought about different aspects regarding my stimulus to include in the dance piece. These include plane motifs because the buildings were attacked by terrorists who had hijacked planes and crashed them into the towers. The other common themes in the dance include panic and fear, which I think reflects on the stimulus as it shows the feelings of the people who were panicked as they were trapped, and also the general panicked state New York was in at that particular time.

2) Have you used original and varied action content? 
All of my actions and motifs have been developed originally from the events of the day. I think most of my action content are quite original and there is a great variation in style.

3) Have you got contrasts in dynamics in your dance?
Yes, sometimes the actions are very slow and steady, and at other times the actions are quick fast. Sometimes, the music also highlights the dynamics in the movement because the music is sometimes fast and at other times slow. There is also a variation in the volume in the music, which reflects on the movements sometimes.

4) Is there variety in the use of relationships?
There are two dancers in the piece which allows me to use a wider range of choreographic technique such as unison, canon and contrast which would have been more difficult to do if the dance was done in a solo. For example, there is evidence in my dance piece of both dancers performing the same actions at the same time. But there are also different points in time where the dancers are performing actions to highly contrast each other.

5) Have you thought about your use of space, levels, pathways, entrances and exits?
Throughout the dance, I think both dancers cover a wide space - sometimes an extremely large space in a small time, at other times an extremely small space. There are also different levels through the dance as there are rolls on the ground at a low level and also high jumps and lifts at a high level. The entrance and exit of the dancers are explained further below.

6) Have you included several motifs which encapsulate the dance idea?
I have 2 main motifs that are repeated often in the dance. However, as I had intended the piece to be episodic, I decided to only have few motifs to be repeated throughout and to instead, focus more on conveying the message and telling a story. I think the overall dance accurately shows the dance idea of the feelings of the people who were at the attacks.

7) What about repetition and development, contrast and variation, and unison/canon? Have you thought about where these might feature in your dance?
There is not very much repetition of sections or movements in my dance, however there is the repetition of motifs and developed motifs. Because the dance is episodic, I did not think it was necessary for the same motifs to be repeated throughout the whole dance as the main motive of mine was to produce a story - which would have required more than a few motifs to come up with.

8) Have you thought about creating a good start and finish (onstage/offstage)?
I have thought about my start and finish. My dance starts with both dancers walking onto the stage one at a time. I did this because I wanted the casual feeling and introduction of the dancers - to suggest that when the attacks took place, everyone was unaware and carrying out their everyday activities.
The dance ends with Dancer 2 lying on the floor dead and Dancer 1 breaking the 4th wall to address the audience the same way President Bush did at that time.

9) Is there a climax in your dance, and are there highlights leading up to it?
There are two explosions in my dance, which I think are the climaxes of my dance. However there are no highlights leading up to it as I wanted the audience to be unable to anticipate the explosions as this was how the people in the building at that time felt when they were unable to escape.

10) Are there smooth and efficient transitions in the piece?
The transitions between the different sections in the dance are quite efficient and smooth. The first transition in my piece is after the first section and after the first explosion. The dancers simply collapse during the explosion and run off stage - I did this to introduce the themes of the dance before continuing with the dance.

11) Is there a clear structure to your dance?
As far as I know, there is quite a clear structure to my dance as it is episodic and the accompaniment which includes the 2 explosions clearly paints a picture of the timeline for the audience. These blasts enable the audience to realise when the first attack and when the second attack has taken place. Due to these crashes, there are two obvious climaxes in my dance piece.

12) Have you thought about choreographing the use of focus into the dance? 
Focus in my piece is especially important as without it, the message behind the dance will not be conveyed to the audience.

13) Do you have moments of pause and stillness?
Yes there are moments of pause and stillness in my dance. And often these moments correlate with my music - so if there is a pause in my music, there may be a pause and the dancers may be still. Throughout the dance piece, there are quite a few moments of stillness.

14) Have you chosen an appropriate accompaniment to enhance your dance idea? 
I think the accompaniment I have chosen is highly appropriate for my dance as the melody is reflective which enhances the deep meanings behind the dance. Also, the news flashes in the music enhances the dance idea by giving everyone in the audience a flashback to the shock and chaos of the day.