The recent use of contemporary dance within commercial music has been effectively used by artists to gain more streams, views and profit from their audiences. To promote her song “Ocean Eyes”, Billie Eilish made a video utilising contemporary dance. The use of contemporary is particularly effective for this song as it helps Billie tell the story of how scared she is to be falling in love with someone. There is a series of isolated hand/arm movements at the beginning of the video (Billie Eilish, (2016), 0:13-0:27). Isolations require moving a singular part of the body whilst keeping the rest of the body still. With precise isolations, dancers create visually captivating movements for the audience (Blume, 2023). This captivation is seen in this video and is very effective as it shows that Billie feels trapped.
Fall and recovery is used by Billie to portray passion and distress. (Billie Eilish, (2016), 2:34-2:40). Contemporary pioneer Doris Humphrey created fall and recovery. She understood that every movement a dancer makes away from the centre of gravity must be followed by a movement to restore balance and prevent uncontrolled falling. Displaying the human desire for security (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023). Showing that even though the weight of the mans gaze is pulling her down, Billie tries to stay upright. This is seen throughout the video and gives the dance a natural quality. Contemporary compliments this effortless movement whereas a full out commercial routine would not capture the sincerity of Billie’s emotions.
The costuming of this video fits the contemporary style of being non-restrictive and is effective for showing that Billie, although she is a celebrity, is human. Everybody is in grey loose fitted shirts/shorts except for Billie who is wearing white, insinuating that she is naive in her relationship. The women also have their hair down and are wearing minimal makeup. This stripped back image shows Billie’s vulnerability with the audience. Making the viewers feel like they are really getting to Know Billie and influencing them to stream the song.
Kenzie, also known as Mackenzie Ziegler, is another artist that has utilised contemporary in her commercial work. She released the song “Anatomy, describing her feelings towards her father who left her family when she was a child. Kenzie using contemporary dance in this video is extremely effective for gaining social media attention as she is well known for being a dancer on Dance Moms. Raising the views and money made from the video.
Gestural movements of shaking her hands and covering her mouth are used which the audience can recognise, and it makes them feel like they are having a conversation with her. When talking about having no closure, she performs a huge circle of the arms and then contracts to stroke her face (Kenzie, (2023), 0:28-0:34). Contraction and release comes from Graham technique and refers to the action of the body at the moment of exhalation (the contraction) and the moment of inhalation (the release) (Oxford University Press, n.d). This move is particularly striking as we see a physical shift from Kenzie’s posture being open to being closed off. Which relates to the emotional shift that she went through with her father. This free movement of the spine is continued when she does a drag turn with an arched back (Kenzie, (2023), 2:01-2:04). This contemporary style turn fits the song better than a classical ballet turn as Kenzie is trying to convey the message that she feels frustrated that she still thinks about him. By releasing her posture, Kenzie displays this sense of recklessness and letting go of the anger she once held on to.
Transfer of weight it used in this video to further show how unsteady Kenzie felt when she couldn’t rely on her father. Weight exploration has been used by contemporary pioneers like José Limón whose technique requires a strong understanding of breath and momentum to create transfers of weight (Blume, 2023). Kenzie can be seen leaning to one side and extending her leg, as she falls onto it and holds her head in disarray (Kenzie, (2023), 1:57-2:01). This dramatic weight change makes Kenzie go off balance and appear confused. Confusion is a theme throughout this song and during this move Kenzie sings “guess I meant less than I thought”. Therefore, the shift of weight in these movements supports the message of the chorus, to make it memorable.
The costuming of this music video suits the contemporary style as both older and younger Kenzie wear flowy dresses that are ripped. However, young Kenzie’s dress is white to display that she always had pure intentions and just wanted her father around. Kenzie’s dress is mauve, and she wears her hair down which looks effortless, mimicking the effortless quality that she has in her movements. Contemporary will continue to expand throughout the commercial industry as other artists notice how effectively it has enhanced the popularity of people’s music. The style is forever evolving with current trends, as is commercial music. Meaning that the two will grow together.
Bibliography:
Blume, J. (2023) 5 must-know contemporary dance techniques, LiveTheDance is a dance blog - Guides, Reviews, Tips for Dancers. Available at: https://livethedance.com/contemporary-dance-techniques-2/#:~:text=Isolations%20are%20a%20fundamental%20technique%20in%20contemporary%20dance,used%20to%20express%20a%20wide%20range%20of%20emotions. (Accessed: 20 November 2023).
Doris Humphrey (2023) Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Doris-Humphrey (Accessed: 20 November 2023).
Oxford University Press (no date) Contraction and release, Oxford Reference. Available at: https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095635472#:~:text=Key%20elements%20in%20the%20Martha,The%20Oxford%20Dictionary%20of%20Dance%20%C2%BB (Accessed: 20 November 2023).
Blume, J. (2023a) Different techniques used in contemporary dance, LiveTheDance is a dance blog - Guides, Reviews, Tips for Dancers. Available at: https://livethedance.com/contemporary-dance-techniques/ (Accessed: 20 November 2023).
Billie Eilish, (2016), Billie Eilish- Ocean Eyes (Dance Performance Video) 22 November. Available at: Billie Eilish - Ocean Eyes (Dance Performance Video) - YouTube (Accessed: 20 November 2023)
Kenzie, (2023), Kenzie - anatomy (Official Music Video) 21 July. Available at: kenzie - anatomy (Official Music Video) - YouTube (Accessed: 20 November 2023)
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