Numbers: A Study of Probability and Art
The relationship between random chance and choreographic techniques were experimented with in the creation of the ballet piece Numbers: A Study of Probability and Art. Research on probability theory including the law of large numbers, the binomial coefficient and the Poisson distribution as well...
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| Language: | en_US |
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The University of Arizona.
2017
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10150/624937 http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/624937 |
| Summary: | The relationship between random chance and choreographic techniques were
experimented with in the creation of the ballet piece Numbers: A Study of Probability and
Art. Research on probability theory including the law of large numbers, the binomial
coefficient and the Poisson distribution as well as certain elements of chaos theory were
used to justify the effectiveness of the compositional strategy of "chance dance." Notable
choreographer Merce Cunningham's choreographic strategies were analyzed and his
procedures were used as a model for constructing the piece. An equation was used with
discrete inputs to generate a number sequence to be interpreted by a code of ballet terms.
Ultimately, phrases were constructed in this "chance dance" way to create the
choreography of the piece. The musical choice, structure as well as performance of the
dance are discussed, followed by a reflection of the choreographic success of this
process. It is determined that using random chance to create choreography presents a
unique opportunity to construct fascinating phrases that would not have been thought of
otherwise. |
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