Singing and Movement Evaluation:
Rock of Ages
For this assignment we were tasked with
combining our skills, in both our singing and dance movement lessons, to give a
performance of the famous song “Built this city on rock and roll” from the
landmark musical “Rock of Ages”. In this
performance we were to explore our understanding of both the physical and
verbal details within our own performances.
Verbally exploring the story behind the lyric of the musical number and
seeing if we were capable of projecting such details on stage. As well as physically exploring a specific
type of character we were giving in the rehearsal process. All these technique were to be explored and
presented for the main performance, but was to add as many details as possible
to ensure that there was story within the performance.
Strengths
During both the rehearsal and performing
process I felt my key strength was my physicality in our dance routine. Having previously worked in other dance
routines I felt my key strength is memorising my set movements on stage. The reason being why I feel this is a key strength,
in taking part in the performing arts, because this technique of having
physical practise becomes a muscle memory, therefore making my performance feel
and seem more natural on stage. This
strength also comes in handy when it comes to my acting in the course, as
relying on muscle memories can create a positive outcome in both rehearsals and
the main performance.
Another practical side to this assignment
which I felt was a good strength was our task of creating a character for the main
performance. The idea was to create a
character suitable to my performing role in this musical number. Having been given the performing role of a
‘rocker’, it was my task to create a character that had a suitable origins
story and decent characteristics that would suit a plot line within the lyrics
of the song. The story within the lyrics
focuses on a city where the citizens are divided and want to have their own
groups of people, the ‘rocker’ and the ‘protesters’, to claim the city for
themselves. One side of the party, we
have the ‘rocker’ who claims to have built the city themselves, therefore
strongly feel they have the right to stay, and claim the city, and “rock on”
essentially. Whereas on the other side
of the parties, we have the ‘protesters’ who are the citizens who have had
enough of listening to the ‘rockers’ music and aren’t going to take it anymore,
therefore they want there to be no more ‘rock and roll’ and want the city to be
more civilised and decent. The character
I created had a rough origins story, concerning an abusive father figure, and a
mother figure that was never there for him.
This origin, I feel, suited the purpose of the story within the lyrics,
as my character strongly wanted to prove his point and stand strong against the
protesters. This all helped for when it
came my physical performance, as I strongly felt I was capable of physically
projecting an aggressive emotive with a slight mix of enjoyment, as my
character wasn’t pleased with his life, but at the same time enjoys every
minute of being on stage with other ‘rockers’.
Therefore I feel that learning the
physical movements and projecting characterisations within the physical side of
the performance was a massive strength.
I also strongly feel I would be capable to project more characterisation
in other future musical performances with assistance of choreographed movement,
as I would be able to present more detail to an audience.
My physical strengths aside, more of my
strengths I feel came from the verbal side of the performance. My first strength, which I feel confident
enough to present to audiences in future musical performances, was my learning
of the lyrics in this assignment. I had
known another version of the song, so when receiving the lyrics for this
assignment I had a slight struggle as I worried that I wasn’t going to be able
to learn this set of lyrics in time for the performance. But my worries were proven wrong, as during
the rehearsal process we repeatedly listened to the movie version of the
musical number, with professionals singing the piece, and this helped
vastly. Having already been told what
our type of character we were playing, if we were a ‘rocker’ or a ‘protester’,
and we were also told about what type of musical tone our voices was, whether
it was high or low pitch. Thus meaning
we knew how to sing this musical number and we all managed to learn the entire
song of by hand, singing in the right tones and pitches and staying in the
right characters.
So my key strength in the verbal side of
the performance was learning the lyrics and mastering the correct tone and
pitch I was meant to perform the musical piece in. I felt I managed this well enough during the
early stages of the rehearsal process and during the main performance.
Weaknesses
During the main performance I feel there
were a few minor weaknesses in which only slightly affected my own
performance. But offered a majority of
targets in which will come in handy to ensure that future performances can go
successfully. The first area in which I
feel could have been improved, involved the staging of the performance. While during the rehearsal process we created
a set plan of how we were to be staging the performance, the down side, I feel
was rehearsing on a different stage, so when it came to the main performance I
feel we needed a little more rehearsal on that particular stage. With the use of higher and lower levels on
the main stage, I feel some of us performers struggled as we were slightly
worried about the space we used. As some
of us were limited by the higher levels of the stage, and the performers at the
front were concerned about coming too close to the audience. But on the up side to this minor error was
the fact that it made the performance, in the audience’s eyes, seem a little
more natural and all over the place, as it has been depicted in other
professional’s performances of the musical number. As the story depicts two groups of people
constantly arguing about who takes over the city, it made sense to present the
performance as a mess on stage. The only
down side was that I might of slipped a few out of character facial expressions
as I had a slight panic during the main performance.
But I do see this as another positive
opportunity to take notes for when it comes to future performances. As we should have more focus during final
rehearsals and study all possibilities for presenting a detailed physical
staging of the main performance.
The only slight error I think occurred
during the verbal, singing, side of the main performance was the fact that I
feel I should have taken more breaths during singing. Having not taken enough deep breaths in
between note changes, I feel might of cause slight moments when my voice
cracked and became out of tune in some areas.
This area I feel can be improved but me taking more focus sessions when
I focus on my own voice and see if I can take in the right amount of deep
breaths to make my singing performance as successful as possible. Whilst aiming to do focus sessions, for
future reference, I think I should also focus aim to look at my speed of
singing the lyrics, as there were certain moments in the last minute rehearsal
and in the main performance when I was slightly ahead to the musical and other
group members.
Therefore my main aim for future performances
is to look into more of my own singing of the performance, so then I can ensure
that I know how to successfully give a detail and clean verbal performance in
this musical number.
Did you fulfil your last target?
I strongly feel I succeeded in fulfilling
my last main target of working on my pronunciation, as I feel I gave enough
detail in the main performance, verbally, that the audience understood the
concept and story behind the lyrics of the song. As well as accomplishing in giving a decent
amount of detail within the entire performance, verbally and physically.
More on the verbal side of the
performance, I feel that receiving a plan of how to perform this musical number
was extremely helpful. Knowing exactly
how to present this particular type of character verbally helped me create the
character, for the movement side of the performance, and give an extra bit of
detail, in order to succeed.
Having a new set of target makes me
strongly feel that I can accomplish them, having enough focus to ensure that
any other future performance in musical theatre can go to success as equally as
these assignment pieces.
What target can you set for
future reference? How will you achieve
these?
Of course my main targets if set focus
session on my own performance. By
looking into more detail of my own performance makes me strongly feel that I
can accomplish the best I can for my performance. By testing my limits, singing wise, I feel I
can push boundaries to see if I am capable of extending to my set tones and
pitches by my teacher, to see if I can create a detailed verbal character
amongst many others. Whereas with the
physical side of the performance I feel I only need slight practice in changing
stages so when it comes to the main performance I will be able to give the
right amount details in my own character’s physicality. Presenting my own characters origins and what
the true meaning of this performance is; physically and verbally presenting the
moral messages hidden within the lyrics of this musical number. All these targets I feel I can achieve for
future reference so I can give as equal amount of detail in my musical theatre
performances, as I do in the acting performance’s.
Taking on these assignments has been an
incredible experience and has allowed me to see what it is like to take on many
different types of performing roles in the performing arts industry, and I am
sure that the techniques I have learnt and the targets I have set will come in
very handy for the future in the performing arts and in musical theatre.
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