Dance Escher's Metamorphosis 21688
Strathspey · 96 bars · 4 couples · Longwise - 4 (Progression: OnceOnly)
- Devised by
- Murrough Landon (2019)
- Intensity
- 8642/8888/8888/8888/8888/8888/8888/8888/6767/8888/8888/2468 = 92% (whole dance)
- Formations
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- Hands across - 4 (HX;4P;)
- Rights and Lefts (R&L)
- Rights and Lefts - half (R&L;HALF;)
- Weasel Reel (REEL;WEASL;)
- Hands across - 3 (HX;3P;)
- Reel of three - promenade hold - half (REEL;PRMHLD;R3;HALF;)
- Arches (ARCHES)
- Reel of four - on side (REEL;R4;SIDE;)
- Poussette - special (POUSS;SPEC;)
- Half-turn and cast away (HTCAST)
- Petronella - tandem (PET;TANDEM;)
- Note: This list may be incomplete and/or incorrect.
- Steps
-
- Strathspey setting, Strathspey travel
- Online Sources
- Extra Info
- The inspiration for this demonstration dance came while visiting an exhibition of works by M.C. Escher in Lisbon after the …
The inspiration for this demonstration dance came while visiting an exhibition of works by M.C. Escher in Lisbon after the December 2017 Curia SCD weekend in Portugal. However it was nearly two years before the idea emerged from its larval stage to become a mature dance.
My favourite Escher drawings are those that show geometrically and/or gravity defying buildings with multiple perspectives. But unlike those, or the eternally climbing monks, the three Metamorphosis woodcuts do at least have both a beginning and an end so are more amenable to representation in dance form.
This dance is a pale reflection of the complexity of Escher’s drawings, but is still difficult and suitable only for a group of mathematically and/or artistically minded expert dancers with some time on their hands. It is loosely based on Metamorphosis II, the 2nd in the series, which has roughly 12 sections that transform from one to another. The succession of figures tries, in some way, to match the images with some similar transformations between them.
Some images of the woodcut may be found at http://www.3quarks.com/en/Metamorphose/index.html or https://uploads7.wikiart.org/images/m-c-escher/metamorphosis-ii.jpg.
| Name | Artist | Album | Media | Trk | Type | Time | Pace | Clip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom's Friends | Green Ginger | 75th Anniversary of London Branch | CD | 6 | S96 1 | 3:18 | 66.0 |
Escher's Metamorphosis 4/4L · S96
- 1–
- 1c ½ turn RH twice while{4} 2c stand | ½ turn RH ;
3c ½ turn RH twice while{4} 4c stand | ½ turn RH while{4} 1c+2c RHA (1,2x,3,4x) - 9–
- 1c+2c R&L while{8} 3c+4c RHA ; ½ R&L (both R&L start on sides), 1c & 3c end in promhold facing 2W & 4W, who pull back LSh, on centre line as 2M & 4M end on sides facing clw
- 17–
- RSh Weasel reel with 1c & 3c in promhold, end in same places
- 25–
- 1c+2W & 4W+3c RHA while 2M+4M ½ turn BH & twirl away passing P RSh ;
1c+2M & 4M+3c LHA while 2W+4W ½ turn BH & twirl away, 4M+2W & 2M+4W take promhold facing out on M/W sides - 33–
- Bees of Maggieknockater reels: 4M+2W & 2M+4W ½ RSh Reel3 on M/W side ;
change to promhold with P for ½ LSh Reel3, end 4c facing 2c NHJ, 1c & 3c facing ends NHJ (1,4x,2,3x) - 41–
- 1c & 3c change sides, W under M’s arm while 2c dance up under 4c arch (1x,2,4x,3) |
1c & 3c dance down under 2c & 3c arches (2,1x,3,4x) ;
2c & 4c change sides, W under M’s arm while 3c dance up under 1c arch (2x,3,1x,4) |
all ½ turn, LH on W side, RH on M side, 2c & 1c face out and up (3,2x,4,1x) - 49–
- Mirror reels4{6}, 3c & 4c start in and down (4,3,1x,2x) |
4c & 1c dance down & join BH while{2} 3c & 2c continue the reel{1} & join BH (3,4,2x,1x) - 57–
- 3c+4c & 2c+1c ½ turn BH{1} to diag lines, then dance bars 2–6 of poussette |
½ turn BH & open out to sides next to P (M side: 4W,4M,1M,1W; W side: 3W,3M,2M,2W) - 65–
- All set | top 3 on M side cross diag RH with bottom 3 on W side ;
repeat LH & RH (M side: 2W,1W,1M,4M; W side: 2M,3M,3W,4W) - 73–
- 2c & 4c ½ turn RSh | cast away while{4} 1c+3c set | petronella in tandem (2,3,1x,4x) ;
2c & 4c set | cross LSh while{4} 3M+1M cross RSh | set facing while{4} 3W+1W set facing | cross LSh & all face up/down on sides (2x,1,3x,4) - 81–
- 1c+2c ½ R&L ; LHA while{8} 3c+4c R&L (both R&L start on sides) ending (1x,2,3x,4)
- 89–
- 1c ½ turn LH | stand while{4} 2c ½ turn LH twice while{4} 3c+4c LHA ;
3c ½ turn LH | stand while{4} 4c ½ turn LH twice (1,2,3,4)
Watch on YouTube
(YouTube must be enabled in cookie preferences to embed videos.)Kuckucksnest November course 2023.
Added on: 2023-12-02 (Murrough Landon)
Quality: Good
