Sierra Goldfarb
Jennifer Hudgens
WRD 110
11 November 2015
Dance:
Judged On and Off the Stage
For my opening scene in my
documentary I want to start with a short interview with my cousin, Devon. I
would like him to be sitting in a chair against a wall talking to me with his
focus on the camera. If I can I would like to have text at the bottom of the
screen saying, “Devon McClea” so the audience knows who he is, otherwise I will
have him say his name in the very beginning. He is a dancer and I will ask him
for a short overview introducing the problem of judgments he has received as a
male dancer. I want the judgments of male dancing and how it is not only a
sport for girls to be the main focus in my documentary and I want to inform
people that it is a relevant problem today in the dance community. In the
background of this interview I will play the instrumental version of the song,
“Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage the Elephant at a very low volume. I chose this
song because the melody is uplifting and simple. I want it to sound more
lighthearted and informative rather than dark and too serious. I will make the song sound louder after the
interview comes to a stop, and show the title screen that will read, “Dance:
Judged On and Off the Stage” over a black screen. This very first scene to my
documentary will introduce the problem in my community and will be explained
from someone who has experienced it which makes it more personal for the
audience and I think will help inform them better.
For
the next scene I will show footage from outside of the studio where Devon
dances. I want to get this footage while driving in a car past the studio with
either my voice or his voice over it telling how long he has been dancing and
information about that. Since the very first scene introduced the problem more
than Devon, this is where I will have him be introduced and tell more about his
background in dance. I want that scene
to fade out and then go into a clip of Devon dancing with the music still in
the background and text underneath explaining when this was taken and what he
is dancing to. I want this scene to last maybe close to thirty to forty seconds
at most, just so the audience can see him actually dancing and not just talking
about it. I won’t show the whole thing because I might use some of it later in
the documentary. I chose another song to play in this scene, so the song I have
playing in the first scene will fade out and into this next one. I want the
song, Brother by Mat Corby to be playing at a regular volume and then towards
the end of that clip I will soften it because my voice will come back over it. I
chose this song because the video I am showing of Devon dancing is his solo and
this is the song he dances to. I haven’t decided if I want it to be the
instrumental or the normal version yet. I’m leaning more towards the original
version because it gives more of a full effect of the song and dance together
rather than just the instrumental. This will then bring us to the next scene
which will be more of the interview with Devon face to face.
Going
into the next scene I want to return to the original interview from the opening
scene of this documentary. In the beginning, all that was brought up was the
problem itself so the audience knew what they were about to watch a documentary
on. I want to ask Devon more questions about his experiences with dealing with
stereotypes and judgment. The questions I will ask him will either be shown by
text put up on a black screen and then show him talking or just have him talk
to the camera and answer in a way that the audience will know what the question
was. I still want the interview set up like in the first scene where the camera
is just on Devon and even though I will be the one interviewing him I want his
focus to be on the camera. I want there to still be music playing in the
background of this but at a very soft volume so Devon can still be heard. The
song will still be, Brother by Mat Corby because it is the song that will be
playing in the scene before and I want it to continue for this one as well.
The
scene following this one will show photos from different dance competitions and
still shots from videos I have taken of Devon. He is playing such a big role in my
documentary because his experiences helped me decide this is the community I
wanted to choose. Not only his experiences with judgment and stereotypes but
also because 
dance is what he loves most and I know it is what he wants to do
for the rest of his life. I love supporting him through that. The
first two pictures I will show are ones that I have taken at past competitions.
Devon is in all of them along with his friends he was dancing with at the time
and coaches he has had. I want each picture to fade in and out going along with
the song, Brother that I was playing before. I want it to be the same song
because it will be familiar to the audience. I think the pictures will give the
audience a good representation of the dance community. Some of the photos are
from a few years ago, like the ones I will show first. I want to start with the
ones that are of Devon when he is younger and then finish with ones where he is
older and more experienced in his style of dance. The last few pictures I will
show are screenshots from videos I have taken from Devon’s solo performances.
Those are the most recent which are either from last year or this year. They’re
mostly just still shots of him doing his dance, so they look like different poses
he is doing from his dance.
This
next scene I will be showing my first secondary sources which will be an
article from the library’s website. This one is called, “Barre None” by Harriet
Barovick. This article was very helpful to my documentary and research process
because it is about how boys are getting more involved in dance. I want the
same song, Brother, to continue playing for this scene and the next one while I
am explaining my secondary sources. I might choose to pick a different song
because the audience will have heard a lot of this one but I will decide that
later on while editing. The way I will introduce this article is having a
little amount of text written on the screen for the audience to read, but not
too much that they are overwhelmed with reading it. And over that I will have
my voice explaining pieces from the article. For example, one of the things I
will be saying is, “One of the places this article focused on was a public
school in Pikesville, Maryland. Twice a week boys ages 7-10 take a
ballet class from a former professional dancer named, Tim Fox. He gives the
boys instructions on what to do but doesn’t inform them that they are different
ballet positions, they just see it as a fun activity” (Barovick 1). While
explaining this part of the article I will have a video of Devon showing some
of the positions the boys in the class may be doing. This way the audience can
hear but also see what I am explaining.
I
want to go right into another one of the secondary sources which is another
article. This one is called, Men in Tights Fight Stereotype by Anthony Davis. I
want the title of this article to appear on a black screen so the audience is
aware of what I will be talking about. This article is about the misconceptions
that men have about other male dancers. When the title screen fades out I want
to show a couple pictures of male dancers in a class and have my voice over it.
I will say, “In this article the author explains how since there are already so
many stereotypes on male dancers other men feel that they are all weak or gay.
However, there is a certain athleticism that is connected to ballet and that
has helped men feel more strongly about joining the sport” (Davis 1). This
article shows both an example of the stereotypes but also how people are
getting more into it and overlooking the judgments.
This
next scene will include my last secondary source which is another article
called, On Education, by Rhee Gold. I want each article I am talking about to
flow together, one right into the next since they are all pretty much talking
about the same topic. This article is about boys and girls participating in
dance and the responsibilities of the educators. I show the title of this
article and then have that fade into footage I will take of a couple people
acting like they are stretching and talking with each other. My voice will be
over this and I will say, “Research has shown that boys and girls who share the
same interest in dance and interact and talk is the best and most effective way
for them to overcome harsh stereotypes and build strong relationships within
the community” (Gold 1). I want to play the instrumental version of the song,
Better Together by Jack Johnson in the background of this scene as well. I
might start this song when I start talking about my secondary sources but I
haven’t decided yet. I think it would be a good song because its lighthearted
like the first song that will be playing and won’t be distracting while my
voice is over it.
This
next scene will be transitioning from the secondary sources back to the main
problem. I want to show an interview with one of my family members. I will ask
my aunt Judi to talk about how the bullying and stereotypes have effected Devon
in the past and tell how he has overcome them. I want this interview set up the
same as the one with Devon in the first scene. So I will have my Aunt sitting
in a chair while talking to the camera with her focus on me. I will show the
question in text before she starts answering so the audience knows what the
question is. I haven’t decided if I want music in the background of this
interview or not. I think I will choose to because that is what I have been
doing throughout the documentary so far. If I decide to I’m not sure if I want
to use the same song I’ve been using or change it to a different one. I’ll make
this decision while I am actually taking the footage and see which one fits
best with this scene. After she is done explaining how Devon has dealt with the
problems I will have her comment on how much time and hard work he puts in to
dance every week. I want to end this scene that way because for the next one I
will be talking to Devon again.
For
the next scene I want Devon to share how he recently auditioned for a dance
position at Kings Island, an amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio and for
multiple colleges for next year. I want him to share more about the job at
Kings Island because he has heard they don’t really hire males to be dancers
there. I want him to share how that made him feel before and after he
auditioned and whether it effected his thoughts of working there. I want this scene to end with the camera on
Devon and then fade out into more of the video of his solo that I shared in one
of the first couple scenes. I want to show more of it because it’s a strong
dance and really shows the audience that he loves what he does. I will have my
voice over it and say, “No matter the stereotypes or judgments he gets he
should never stop doing what he’s most passionate about. That should go for
everyone doing what they love, don’t listen to the negativity because that can
only hold you back.”
This
will be my last full scene where I will conclude my documentary. By now the
audience has a clear understanding of the problem in my community and are
informed of the things people go through. For this last scene I will conclude
the interview with Devon. Maybe ending on a question like, “Why is dance so
important to you?” or “Would you like to continue with dance as a career?” and
have him answer those. While he is answering these question I want to show a
clip that I will take of him walking along the sidewalk with headphones on
listening to music. I might have him start dancing on the sidewalk still with
his voice in the background answering the questions. I don’t think I want any
music to play, I just want his voice over it. I might change this idea as I am
recording but for now this is how I want to end my documentary. It seems like
it will be a good last scene but I will decide later on. I’ll show him dancing
on the sidewalk and have that fade out into the very last scene with the
credits. I am using Devon so much in this documentary because he has dealt with
the problem first hand and was my inspiration for this topic in my community.
For
my very last scene where I will have my credits rolling I want to show Devon
dancing in the background. I’m going to play the song, Brother again because
the beat is strong and I think it will help end my documentary on a solid note.
Plus, the song is what Devon’s solo is to so even though it’s a strong song it
also has a bit of meaning behind it. It’s Devon’s last year dancing at his
studio because he is a senior in high school. So after this dance season he
wont perform this solo again. Not only will my documentary end on a solid
strong note but so will Devon with this season. I hope that people understand
that this is a real issue today and can realize that making judgment on people
can hurt and might even stop them from doing something they love.
Works Cited
Barovick, Harriet. "Barre None." University of
Kentucky Libraries. Time International, 02 July 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
"Cigarette Daydreams (Instrumental Version)." YouTube.
YouTube, 11 Feb. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKnSADzP17E>.
Davis, Anthony. "Men in Tights Fight Stereotype." University
of Kentucky Libraries. Rogers Publishing Limited, 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 16
Nov. 2015.
Goldfarb Sierra, 25 January. 2012
Goldfarb Sierra, 12 March. 2014
Goldfarb Sierra, 23 October. 2015
Goldfarb Sierra, 23 October 2015
Lozza, Gian Paul. Barre None. 2012. Pikesville,
Maryland. TIme. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
<http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2117235,00.html>.
"Matt Corby- Brother." YouTube. YouTube, 3
Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpFG7DdjTbo>.
Warburton, Edward C. "Of Boys and Girls." University
of Kentucky Libraries. Research in Dance Education, June 2009. Web. 16 Nov.
2015.
<http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=44edae28-8328-41b5-aee1-1e0773110ac2%40sessionmgr115&vid=0&hid=111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=42868860&db=a9h>.
