WRITING: Using the Tools of Story

June 25th, 2008 by Susan


A lyrical hip hop performed by Chelsie and Mark on So You Think You Can Dance was not only beautifully done, it was specifically noted to be telling a story and I was thrilled to see that point brought up.  These dancers know that each step, each gesture, is story, but the audience doesn’t always think of it that way.

I brought this up as a starting point in my workshop presentation at Hypertext 2008, the concept of all art as interpretation of narrative event, and the opportunity of Hypertext being yet another tool for the artist/writer to experiment with and use an extension of their perception. In this dance performance, the story of a workaholic and the woman who felt a resulting loneliness was poignant and dramatic.  It was obvious from movement and facial expression and tempo that the choreographers had something to say and knew how to convey the message.

Beautiful.

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