USAR02: Music and Technology

Combined Halls Dance Concert - Dance Uncensored.

Melissa Mak. USAR02 ["Music And Technology"], University Scholars Programme, National University Of Singapore.

"That's what we call Human Technology" - Nokia

Dance Uncensored is a combined halls effort from the six halls of the National University of Singapore to showcase the dance culture talents to the public. The dance concert is a refreshing and exciting musical and technological experience for the audience present at the University Cultural Centre. It had been a bold attempt at unfolding various dance genres from funk to traditional. And there was a dance item that had incorporated tap dancing influence into it as well, sort of like the Riverdance, where tap dancing is used to produce the rhythm, over the conventional recorded music.

Inspired by the dazzling audiovisual performance at Dance Uncensored, I determined that there are two main technologies involved in dancing in a concert. Technology is defined to be a capability given by the practical application of knowledge.

Dancing is a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music. Dancing is a form of expression whereby the "human technology" is maximised creatively. So what is human technology? What is it about this natural form of technology that is born within us literally? The basic parts of the human body used for movement are the skeleton and muscles. Using sensory nerves, the body would respond to according to reflexes either conditioned upon it or follow the instructions given by the brain through nervous impulses. Within every living creature with the locomotive ability, the brain will ensure that the correct muscles contract or relax at the right time. The basic units of the nervous system are the neurones. For dancing reflexes, the neurones carry the impulses directly from the brains through the spinal cord and to the muscles for the correct response.

Dancing requires a high level of nervous coordination in the dancers' bodies. A certain level of body coordination on the part of the dancer to carry off the expression desired. The appropriate use of the human body includes the right facial expressions to carry the mood of the dancers, like "seventeen muscles are used to smile" for a creating a happy mood. The swift and "groovy" dance steps are well executed by the flexible limbs of the dancers. Strong muscles are required from dancers to allow them the dexterity of movements, from the simple turn to a more difficult ballet spin. "Human technology" is what that allows dancing to happen. Dancing is a way of the discovery of aesthetics using human movements.

The synchronization of the dance steps with the rhythm of music is an important aspect for the audience to undergo completely the experience. Basically, music for dancing in Dance Uncensored can be divided into two main types. One will be the conventional recorded music, where music is played out of the loudspeakers.

Most of the music played at the dance concert was mainly English pop-influenced music. There were fusions of culture as well, since some of the groups had remixed various genres of music. There were performances that had foreign music, like from India, Arabia and Korea. Music ranging from funk to contemporary pieces was played that night.

The other was the fore mentioned tap-dancing influenced music, where rhythmic sounds are produced using the tapping of body parts or accessories onto the stage. Such sounds are conformed to become rhythm, which in turn becomes music. Dance moves are choreographed in sync with the rhythm of the piece of music selected, so that the impact of the dance will be maximized on the audience.

In order to allow the sound system, whether by speakers or natural sounds, be heard clearly, the acoustics of the concert hall must be good. The University Culture Centre's theatre is relatively small in size and built with a lot of wood and cushions. Most theatres that have good acoustics would have a lot of wood and cushion to trap the sound within the room, so the sound projected can be heard relatively louder and clearer.

Hence not to be ignored will have to be the coordination of the lightings with the dance. Lightings on stage enhance the effects of the dancers' movement on stage. It makes their dance steps obvious to the audience. Lighting acts as a tool for better observation of the dance for the audience. It's a form of adding on to the visual effects provided by the dancers.

Costumes make the dancers look the part that they are doing. And alike to lighting, it is a form of improving the visual effects provided by the dancers.

Dancing is like a package deal. The raw basic of the deal, being movements and sounds, and supplements like lights and costumes are included to improve the overall outlook of the dance.

I have enjoyed myself tremendously at the dance concert, and the various performances put up by namely Kent Ridge Hall who was the organizing committee, Sheares Hall, King Edward 7 Hall and Raffles Hall was excellent. The most memorable performance amongst the 14 dances was by King Edward 7 Hall. It was named Shakira, meaning women of grace. Deeply influenced by Arabian styles to showcase the females of style and sensuality. The music used by it was incomprehensible since the language it was presented in is Arabian. However, most undoubtedly, the rhythm offered by the piece of music selected by King Edward 7 Hall was easy for the audience to catch on. Dressed in Arabian costume, the entire dance was in sync with the theme that was selected and presented.

Foreword - I am not culturally inclined at all, mostly because I am not a dancer or musician. I am not socially conditioned to appreciate the arts. I do not enjoy going to watch orchestra performances, simply because I do not understand the difference between a two-bar and a four-bar, a quartet from a quintet either. Yet these bridging sessions from watching fluffy yet artistic concerts like this, I would grow in my cultural understanding. I might not have gone for the concert if my friend, the choreographer of one of the dance performances, had not invited me to watch the concert. I have not regretted attending that concert, as it was a truly impressive dance concert. Perhaps it can be said that I was touched by my friend's dedication to her cause -the time and physical effort put in for rehearsals and muscle building was long, considering that there was more than dancing which she has to attend to.

"Dance is a song of the body, Either of joy or pain" Martha Graham