The Sound of Music: Day 2 Choreography History & Development And How It Enhances Plot, Characterization, & Theme

 Many musical films feature choreography to enhance the plot, characterization, or theme of the film. Think of your favorite musical scene from a movie or your favorite music video that features some dance. Explain how the movement or choreography helps you connect to or understand the song or what you particularly enjoy about it. Film Notebook:

 As the traditional musical got more complex, it required choreographers in addition to directors emerge as major artists. Choreographers went from simply staging engaging dances to ensuring the choreography furthered and enhanced the plot, characterization, and theme of the show.  In the teens and ’20s, choreographers were simply “dance directors,” but influential choreographers like George Balanchine (responsible for fusing classical ballet elements with more modern ones) and Agnes de Mille (a choreographer for Oklahoma! who pioneered the “Dream Ballet,” where she used a dance number to support the storyline instead of just for entertainment & made ballet more human and accessible with humor and truth) brought visionary ideas to the stage. Choreography: the art or practice of designing sequences of movements in which motion and form (or both) are specified. “I’m really like a playwright. … I tell a story and I tell it well.” – Agnes de Mille

 Gifted choreographers like Jerome Robbins (made the connection between the dance and story seamless; the movements tell the story and enhance our understanding of the characters --West Side Story is a great example) and Bob Fosse (pioneered the more aggressive, sexually suggestive dancing with hip thrusts, hunched over shoulders, and use of mime-like hands—Madonna’s “Vogue,” Michael Jackson’s “Bad,” and even Beyonce’s “All the Single Ladies” video feature this form!) broadened their range in the ’50s, and it wasn’t long before they took on the job of director in addition to their dance duties.  The director/choreographer became a major visionary force on the stage, guiding every visual and physical moment of a musical.

 Watch this clip from the TV show Smash. In the scene, the stars from the Hit List musical (a fictional musical made up for the TV show, which is about Broadway stars—up and coming ones and famous ones) are performing the song “I Heard Your Voice in a Dream.” The character Jesse (Jeremy Jordan) is trying to get across the country to the love of his life, Amanda (Katharine McPhee), who has stolen the songs he has written and is performing them in concerts as a major pop star.  As you watch, consider how the use of choreography helps you understand what the characters are feeling and how it develops the plot of the musical. What themes (or subjects) do the movements and motions help you visualize?  How does choreography enhance plot and characterization, and even theme?

 As you continue to watch “The Sound of Music,” pay close attention to the use of choreography in the songs. How do the movements emphasize characterization, plot, or even theme? Continue to fill out your viewing guide. Your Turn: