Cinco intention
The dance work ‘Cinco’ is a contemporary piece choreographed by Raphael Bonachela for dancer Charmene Yap. The intention of the dance work is to communicate the idea of rebellion and resistance as well as the numerical concept of five. These contrasting ideas are communicated through the idea of 3 pentagons surrounding the dancer’s body as they use interchanging body parts to initiate movement to reach points of the five-sided shape. This improvisation task is where the entirety of the choreography is derived from, aiding in the communication of the intention of the numerical concept of five.
Cinco form
Follows the form of theme and variation. 5 sections, reinforces the intention.
A1 – Moving away from the group, rebelling, using the head to initiate the movement
A2 – Using the legs as the initiating body part, facing resistance
A3 – Arm as the initiating body part
A4 – Moving away from the group diagonally, low level
A5 – Returning to the group, head is initiating the movement again, no longer able to rebel against the group
Movement Phrase 1 - Physical Skills + Elements of Movement
0:42 – 0:50
During section A1 of the dance work, the dancer begins by gesturing her left arm upwards with a percussive, bound quality, utilising coordination. She then elevates as she rises onto demi point, demonstrating balance as she holds this position whilst her right arm comes to meet her left. She then uses transference as her right foot comes to relevé before she falls to the right, taking long strides as her arms trace above her. The use of contrast of falling and bound movement in the phrase conveys the intention resisting another force as the dancer begins to move away from the group.
Movement Phrase 2 - Physical Skills + Elements of Movement
1:18 – 1:25
During section A3, the dancer begins by gesturing her left arm upwards, utilising control in the rest of the body as she remains in a plie in second position. She then brings her right arm upwards before using transference of weight to travel quickly across the stage, away from the group. She then demonstrates coordination as she turns around herself. This phrase communicates the intention of the dancer exploring the space in her own personal pentagon. Her travelling movements away from the group also convey the intention of rebellion.
Movement Phrase 3 - Physical Skills + Elements of Movement
1:41 – 1:46
During section A5, the dancer begins the phrase by flexing her foot and elevating her arms above her, following this movement with her head, demonstrating coordination. Her arms come into her chest before she falls to the floor leading the movement with her head, showing control as she lands smoothly. She rolls onto her stomach before gesturing both her arms, legs, and head off the ground, using strength in her abdominal muscles. The intention of exploring space through her own personal pentagon is conveyed through the varied movement vocabulary of the phrase. The use of the head as the initiating body part of the movement communicates the intention of the dancer losing the ability to rebel against the group.
Choreographic Device Paragraph 1 - Retrograde
During section A1, the dancer begins the phrase by performing a body roll starting from the top of her head. She repeats this movement several times as momentum moves her in a backwards direction, away from the group. Later in the dance, during section A5, the dancer demonstrates retrograde as she reverses the movement, completing the same body roll facing towards the other direction, now moving towards the group and initiating the body roll from the torso. The intention is also conveyed through the consequent change in direction because of the reversed movement, communicating both the dancer’s venture to rebel against the group and her eventually finding harmony through conflict as she returns to the group.
Choreographic Device Paragraph 2 - Motif
Throughout the dance work, a motif is repeated and developed by the dancer grabbing her head/chin. The movement is first seen during section A1, as the dancer begins at a high level, on demi-pointe with her arms outstretched above her. Her eyeline follows her arms as she falls to a lower level, her right hand coming to grab her chin as she travels towards the group. The motif is seen again during section A4 as the dancer begins at a low level in a crouched position before her hand gestures to grab her head, moving it upwards direction with a percussive quality. The development of the motif between section A1 and A3 reflects the development of the intention, first conveying the dancer’s struggle with rebellion as she travels towards the group and then conveying her finding harmony in conflict as the motif does not change her direction in the space.
Choreographic Device Paragraph 3 - Embellishment
During section A2, the dancer performs a slow developé to second at 90 degrees with her left leg. Her right arm is bent and comes to shoulder height before unfolding at the same time as her leg. Later in the same section, the dancer completes the same movement, however her leg lifts higher and opposite arm extends fully before completing several percussive gestures with her wrist. These added details to the movement demonstrate the choreographic device of embellishment. By using embellishment, the movement vocabulary is highlighted, communicating the intention of the dancer exploring the space in her own personal pentagon, further conveying the intention of exploring the number five.
Elements of Movement Paragraph 1
0:42 – 0:50
During section A1, the dancer begins the phrase at a medium level, standing with her legs bent as her left hand gestures up and down in an angular shape with a percussive quality. This is completed with a fast tempo. She then utilises a sustained quality as her arm extends upward, creating a large dimension as she rises on to demi pointe. Her right arm then lifts from her side and extends upwards, the dancer then demonstrating a pause in this position. Utilising a suspended quality her right leg lifts to passé before she falls to a lower level, her arm gesturing to hold her head as she travels towards the group over a long duration. The contrast between percussive and sustained qualities in the phrase communicates the intention of the dancer resisting an external force.
Elements of Movement Paragraph 2
1:04 – 1:08
During section A2, the dancer begins the phrase standing at a medium level, she uses a bound, percussive quality to gesture her right hand to her chin, and then her left arm to extend in front of her, utilising accents in the music for both movements. She then demonstrates a curved shape in her arms as she completes a double turn with a fast tempo. Using a swinging quality to gesture her right arm behind her, the dancer moves to a low level, in plié in second, moving in a diagonal direction, towards the group. Her leg goes through passé before stepping in front of her as her left arm demonstrates a free quality to extend above the dancer and circle back to her side. The phrase is completed in an uneven rhythm. The overall direction of the phrase moving towards the group communicates the intention of the dancer facing conflict within rebellion.
Elements of Movement Paragraph 3
1:41 – 1:46
During section A3, the dancer begins the phrase at a medium level, utilising a strong, sustained quality to extend both arms above her head as her right foot flexes, creating a large dimension and holding this position to demonstrate a pause. Over a slow tempo, the dancer’s focus is on her arms as they retract and roll over one another, the dancer’s level lowering before she uses a collapsing quality to roll onto her stomach. With a light, free quality, the dancer raises her right arm and leg of off the floor before utilising an accent and a percussive quality as all her limbs and her head lift of the floor. The use of arms as the initiating body part throughout the phrase communicates the intention of the dancer gaining control through resisting an external force.
Influences on Intention - Music
Raphael Bonacela identified the music of ‘Cinco’, Alberto Ginastera’s String Quartet no.2, a composition in five parts, as the leading stimulus in the dance work. He describes the music as raw, emotive, and frantic, with a sense of perpetual motion, which is sometimes smooth and connected, and other times percussive. These aspects of the composition influenced Bonacela to explore the idea of rebellion, the act of overcoming or resisting an external force. The five compositions that make up the music influenced the exploration of the mathematical concept of five. For example, the dance work follows the structure of five sections. The intention of section A1 shows the dancer rebelling to move away from the group. In section A2 the intention shows the dancer facing resistance, and in section A5, the intention shows the dancer returning to the group as she is no longer able to rebel against the group.
Influences of Intention - 50th Anniversary
In 2019, The Sydney Dance Company celebrated its 50th anniversary. Sydney Dance Company was founded 1969 and in 2009, Raphael was appointed as the 4th artistic director of the company since its foundation, meaning the year of 2019 was also Bonacela’s 10th anniversary working at the company. The creation of the dance work ‘Cinco’ was created to celebrate these anniversaries, and Raphael Bonacela was appointed as the choreographer of the piece. These anniversaries and the overall history of the Sydney Dance Company served as a key influence on Raphael Bonacela’s chosen intention. This is seen in the mathematical approach taken in the intention through the exploration of the number five. Bonacela then researched into the geometry of the number five and found an interest in the shape of the pentagon, using this as inspiration to inform choreographic tasks. For example, the intention develops over five sections. During section A3, the intention shows the dancer using her arms to initiate her movement, movement derived from choreographic tasks centred around her personal pentagon.
Influences on Intention - Raphael Bonacela’s Upbringing
Raphael Bonacela was born in 1972 and grew up in the small town of La Garriga, Spain during the reign of dictator Francisco Franco (1939-1975). Though Bonacela was born near the end of Spain’s autocratic leadership, the socio-political and cultural impacts spanned his childhood. As a result of Franco’s autocratic reign, Spain was suspended in an era of severe cultural suppression that enforced significant limitations on the development and expression of music and dance. Not only was traditional, regional dance suppressed but the regime censored all music and dance styles, especially ballet and modern dance, that could be interpreted as anti-regime or subversive. This instigated rebellion in Bonacela, as he was unable to express his passion. The socio-political aspect of Bonacela’s upbringing significantly influenced the exploration of rebelling against an external force seen in the dance work ‘Cinco’. For example, during section A1, the intention shows the dancer moving away from and rebelling against the group and in section A2, the intention shows the dancer using legs as the initiating body part, as they face resistance from on external force.
Influences on Movement Vocabulary - Raphael Bonacela’s Training and Background
Raphael Bonacela was born in Barcelona where he began his early dance training before moving to London and joining the Rambert Dance Company in 1992. He stayed with Rambert Dance Company as a dancer and associate choreographer until 2006 when he founded his own dance company (Bonacela Dance Company). Bonacela’s extensive dance training allowed him to foster a rich technical understanding of ballet and contemporary technique. This impacted the movement vocabulary of the dance work as Bonacela’s ballet and contemporary background is seen throughout the choreography of ‘Cinco’. For example, during section A2 of the dance work, dancer Charmene Yap rises to relevé before bringing her right foot to passé. The influence of ballet technique on movement vocabulary is seen again in section A3 as the dancer developées her right leg to second position.
Influences on Movement Vocabulary - Tasked Based Movement Creation
Raphael Bonacela worked with the five dancers of Cinco to formulate the movement vocabulary seen throughout the show. One way in which he created movement was a choreographic task that tasked the dancers to imagine they were standing inside pentagons intersecting their body along the lateral plane. Each of the five angles of the pentagons was assigned a number, a number was also given to each of the dancer’s five body regions. Lastly, he provided the dancers a list of words that ended in -ive. Rafael provided the dancers with random combinations of numbers and words and asked them to generate single movements. This complex task resulted in movement vocabulary included and adapted throughout the work. For example, during section A3 as the dancer begins in a wide standing position before extending her arms upwards whilst flexing her right foot, she then retracts her arms to her chest and lowers herself to a low crouched position. This phrase demonstrates the unique movement vocabulary and variation of direction and dimension as a result of Bonacela’s choreographic task as the dancer explores the limits of her personal pentagon through the stimulus of the word ‘dive’.
Influences on Movement Vocabulary - Charmene Yap’s Training and Background
Charmene Yap graduated from Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and prior to her decade of performing with Sydney Dance Company, she danced for companies such as Chunky Move, Dance North, Tas dance and has worked with numerous choreographers. Though Raphael Bonacela was the artistic director and choreographer of ‘Cinco’, he worked constantly with the dancers of the show to generate choreography. Charmene’s unique personal style, technical facility, and training background of contemporary dance was a key influence on the movement vocabulary of the dance work. For example, during section A5, Charmene gestures her right hand to her forehead whilst her left hand cradles her elbow, she then performs a body roll, contracting her stomach and demonstrating free use of the spine. This movement is repeated throughout the section and highlights Charmene’s contemporary background as she utilises her technical facility to showcase the Martha Graham technique.
Influences on Production Aspects - Bianca Spender’s Background
Bianca Spender, the fashion designer of ‘Cinco’ has extensive experience in European fashion, having worked in both Milan and Paris before returning to Australia and launching her own line in 2009. Her experience in culturally varied fashion has allowed her to develop her own personal style and reputation as a fashion designer. Spender’s personal style includes bold colour palettes, that blend structure and fluidity, to create costumes that showcase and elongate dancers’ lines and movements. These aspects and Bianca Spender’s unique personal style as a whole influenced the costumes created for Cinco. For example, Charmene Yap’s costume is a daring, golden hue and reflects Spender’s personal style by demonstrating a blend of structure, seen through the style and fit of the costume, and fluidity, seen through the chosen silk chiffon material. The selected material also created a flexible, airy element to the costumes, allowing full mobility to the dancers and elongating their lines.
Influences on Production Aspects - Background of Damien Cooper
Damien Cooper, the lighting designer of Cinco, has designed over 600 shows and works internationally across theatre, opera, and dance. Cooper’s dance credits for Sydney Dance include: Somos, Impermanence, Ocho, Orb, and more. He has worked with numerous other dance companies including Bangarra, Tas Dance, Australian Ballet, and Chunky Move to name a few. Cooper’s extensive and varied experience in lighting design has allowed him to develop his own personal lighting style. His personal style can be defined as minimalistic with an emphasis on collaboration with other production elements. Cooper’s personal style and approach to lighting design influenced his ideas and direction taken for his work on Cinco. For example, his emphasis on collaboration with other production elements influenced his idea to use his lighting to highlight the bold colour palette of Bianca Spender’s costumes. This is seen as colour is used sparingly in the lighting throughout Charmene Yap’s solo in an effort to showcase the bright gold hue of her costume.
Influences on Production Aspects - History of Sydney Dance Company
In its 50-year history, Sydney Dance Company has produced over 250 shows, and just some of its set designers include Cyril Baldy, Ayman Harper, and Alan Macdonald. Over its rich history as a dance company, Sydney Dance Company has commissioned many set designers, however, a common aesthetic is displayed throughout the company’s set history. This includes a black box set, with a very minimalistic design, and an emphasis on highlighting other production aspects of the show. This aesthetic is specifically taken on by Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director, and choreographer of Cinco, Raphael Bonacela. Bonacela prefers a minimalistic set as it allows the storytelling of the dance work to be conveyed by the movement vocabulary and the dancers instead of the production aspects. Sydney Dance Company’s history in set design influenced Raphael Bonacela’s decision to use the minimalistic, black box set that is seen throughout the dance work of Cinco.
