The dance “The Lion King - Circle of Life” performed at the Music Award Gala was a a masterfully composed piece that was not only emotionally moving but also specific to The Lion King narrative. In a bid to understand the level of artistic prowess and the mannerism in which the dance portrays the underlying thematic concerns in the movie “The Lion King” this paper seeks to analyze the dancing style employed in the musical critically.
Show Information
The show is called The Lion King and the song in the show is “The Circle of Life.”
Choreographers
Garth Fagan choreographed the dance . I found the dance to be amazing and intriguing because of all the moves were deliberate and capable of evoking the desired emotional response. The slow movement of the head and the hands were critical in demystifying the African culture — also, the costumes impeccable mirrored African traditions and heritage. Ultimately, watching the show was like a teleportation experience that took me to ancient Africa.
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Dance Influences
Garth Fagan choreographed the piece. It is imperative to note that choreographing a dance piece where all the dancers are portrayed as animals is a particularly challenging task. Other than the fantastic dance styles integrated into the pieces, it is crucial note that the show was cleverly staged. The show captures epic moments that are crucial in creating an emotion similar to the one that movie enthusiasts derive from watching the movie The Lion King . The piece also features and captures the beauty of a desert sky, a magnificent night sky, grass growing and moving across the stage, and the shifting light of dusk is also demonstrated in the piece. The staggering movements made by Rafiki on the stage depicted an image of vulnerability and innocence.
The show The Lion King is similar to Aladdin because both dances encompass a mash of different dance styles perfectly integrated to create an epic show. Just like Aladdin , aspects of ballet and a bit of hip-hop could be noticed, even though the balance is tailored to mirror the African traditions and customers.
Numerous dance influences are conspicuous in the piece. The first noticeable dance style in the video is ballet. The gazelles are introduced by persons that are dancing ballet. Instead of jumps alone which may be somewhat ambiguous, the dancers undertake both jumps and turns in the routine as can be seen when the baby lion is presented to the jungle by its parents. The jumps and turns introduce energy and versatility to the piece.
Modern dance has also been integrated into the piece. The slow movement of the body and the arms represents the Morden dance, which is a contradiction ballet. The integration of both dance styles, which are somewhat contradictory in one piece denotes the versatility of the piece and the willingness of the choreographer to take massive risks on the production.
Jazz steps are also evident in the piece. Jazz steps usually encompass turning humps, piques, basic turns, chains, and the jazz walk. In the piece, Jazz steps are demonstrated by dancers that are introducing gazelles into the show. The entrance of the gazelles onto the stage is done in a manner that mirrors turning jumps.
Although the piece does not integrate complicated hip-hop dance, influences of the genre are noticeable on the piece. The lead characters move the hands and the arms in the early segments of the show to mirror waves, a technique that is usually common in hip-hop dances. Also, what is known about the African heritage and traditional dances is evident in the show, noted by the stamping of feed and traditional costumes.
References
Avrotros. (2018). The Lion King - Circle of Life | Musical Awards Gala 2018. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewOAsUWQJvo .
