7.1 Explain the following music elements and how they influence your musicality and dance performance: 7.1.1 Tempo: 7.1.2 Timbre: 7.1.3 Dynamics: 7.2 Design an inventive improvisation activity you could use to stimulate creativity towards composing a short dance - NSC Dance Studies - Question 7 - 2016 - Paper 1

Timbre describes the quality and texture of the music. Different instruments produce varied timbres, which can affect the mood and style of the dance. For example, a sharp brass sound may lead to sharp, percussive movements, whereas soft strings may inspire smooth, flowing gestures.

Dynamics refer to the variations in loudness and intensity of the music. They inform how movements are performed, emphasizing the uniqueness of different sections in a dance. Strong dynamics can add power and impact, while softer dynamics can create subtler, delicate movements.

For this improvisation activity, I will choose the props stimulus:

1. Start the activity with each dancer using a chair as a prop and decide what it could symbolize. They will explore using the chair at various levels (high, medium, low) to develop their understanding of the symbolism.

2. Encourage dancers to create movements on the chair, experimenting with how they can embody the symbolism through their movements.

3. Dancers will then improvise movements as they transition the chair through elements such as lifting, sliding, or rolling to further develop their choreography.

4. Pair up dancers and have them work together to combine their motifs into short dance phrases that represent the symbolism they have uncovered.

5. At the conclusion of the activity, the dancers will add a structured beginning and ending to their composition, including transitions that reflect their motifs during their performance.