As I move through the material I look for connections, physically and intellectually—considering its unfolding like scenes in a novel or film.
I see the introductory warming up as a laying of the land—the introduction of characters, the mapping out of the location, getting a sense of the style (the period, the culture, the temperature)
As my body warms up and as I gather information (learn sequences) I begin to come into contact with other people and locations.
The action develops and the possibilities complicate to move me through different planes and at faster speeds or using more intricate language. I come across obstacles, need to find strategies for negotiating the new as my body moves in and out of the floor, skims through space or pushes up into the air.
And as I slow into the final stretching and cooling down of the class I get a sense of return, feeling the passage of that journey through my body, considering the shifts that have occurred as I resolve into rest.
There are a number of ideas or metaphors you could apply to your "dance class as a whole event"
—the passage of a lifetime
—the passing of seasons over a year
—a film narrative
I once used "the 12 stages of adventure" as a model for the structure of a dance piece and then my Masters exegesis (see link below). It is a pattern/progression I heard a film director referring to once as the pattern you can see replicated in many adventure film narratives.
1 The place where you are—something is missing
2 The call
3 The response to the call
4 Meeting with the mentor
5 Crossing a threshold into a new world
6 Tests, allies, enemies
7 The approach—facing the fear
8 The supreme ordeal
9 Reward
10 The road back
11 Resurrection—another ordeal
12 Return with the elixir
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