Musical Theatre Film and the Choreographed Dance Research Paper

Musical Theatre

Film and the Choreographed Dance Sequence

Entertainment based on film has been paramount in this country since the beginning of the motion picture in the early 20th century. The movie-going experience spread throughout the world in a few quick years, and was enhanced subsequently by technological developments. Today, movies range from action to musicals to drama and animations. One type of movie mentioned above, the musical, however involves not only talented actors and singers, but also talented dancers and choreographers to enable a musical to have all the elements necessary for a great entertainment recipe. This paper will discuss the choreographic aspect in movies how to this must be filmed by referencing previous history and work in the field.

The moving pictures were invented by Thomas Edison, and ever since, film has been utilized to capture actors, singers and dancers at work in fantastic movements. According to a short history of musicals, "early silent clips include cake walking minstrels and vaudeville 'skirt dancers,' as well as partial performances by such classical dancers as Anna Pavlova and Isadora Duncan." Music and dance clearly played a huge role in silent film industry, especially during the music-packed era of the 1920's. However, towards the end of this decade, sound became more and more popular and widely utilized, according to this history, and dance improvisation reached a peak. [1: Kenrick, J. (2004). "Dance in Screen Musicals." Retrieved May 28, 2011, . ] Soon, Hollywood became packed with talented individuals who participated in movie musicals throughout the Golden Age. Perhaps two of the most widely known individuals are Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. These two, according to history, "made little headway in Hollywood until RKO Studios cast them as supporting players in Flying Down To Rio (1933)." According to a director their energy was fantastic and he states, "I'd never seen anything like it in my life. I'm not sure I have since. It was as if something had exploded inside me. . . I was mesmerized. I could not stop watching Fred Astaire dance. I went back to the theatre every day while the picture was playing. I must've seen it at least twenty times. Fred Astaire was so graceful. It was as if her were connected to the music. He led it and he interpreted it, and he made it look so effortless. He performed as though he were absolutely without gravity." [2: Kenrick, J. (2004). "Dance in Screen Musicals." Retrieved May 28, 2011, . ] I have included this description above to state just how choreography and dance should be placed in films and how they should make a viewer feel when watching. Flying Down to Rio became quite a famous movie, but there were….....