Michael Bennett’s legacy as a choreographer:
A Chorus Line and Dreamgirls
Michael Bennett’s choreography in productions such as Dreamgirls and A Chorus Line dominated the Broadway stage of the 1970s and 1980s. Along with the work of other great choreographers of the era like Bob Fosse, Bennett is credited for revolutionizing Broadway theater and the role of dance in the Broadway tradition. In A Chorus Line in particular, the dance tells the story, not plot or even song. However, unlike Fosse, Bennett did not have a style that was so distinct that it overwhelmed every production in which he was involved. Bennett tailored his choreography to the needs of the show and allowed it to reveal the themes of the production unlike Fosse’s very distinctive style. Bennett’s mark upon his stage shows is more subtle, but still evident.
The premise of A Chorus Line is simple: the tale unfolds the struggles of out-of-work dancers to land coveted roles in a Broadway show: they are not stars but still want to be part of the chorus line because they need to work. The production opens up with an audition scene with seemingly infinite numbers of bodies flailing around according to the instructions of the show’s director. Although everyone is dancing the same dance, some dancers are stronger, others are not. Bennett’s choreography, although technically a uniform exercise, is unique in the manner in which every actor suddenly becomes an individual in whom the audience has a personal investment. The audience immediately finds itself cheering for the weaker dancers and celebrating the stronger ones. The dancers first have their backs to the audience as they face the rehearsal room mirror and then suddenly the perspective of the audience flips as they face forward, so the audience gets to see the dancers in the back.
Although the ostensible purpose of the dance is uniformity on the stage, Bennett carefully creates moments when the individual characters shine through with a missed step or a glance at the audience of hope and terror. Dancers sometimes break formation in a heroic effort to stand out, yet they all sing the common refrain of desperately needing the job. The audience learns about the different characters and levels of ability of the dancers through their movements even while the number is exciting and keeps the toes of the audience tapping to the beat. Of course, A Chorus Line was far from the first Broadway musical to offer a backstage plot but rather than offering a sanitized, happy ending in which a single protagonist emerges as the star, it instead portrayed a much grittier vision of what it is like to survive as a working performer.
Over the course of the show, the different dancers emerge and reveal various personal aspects about their lives. Some, like Shelia, have a more lyrical style (evidence of Shelia’s background in ballet). Others suffer mishaps like Paul, who tragically re-injures his knee. One of the most interesting stories is that of Cassie, a former soloist who struggles to blend in with the rest of the cast. Cassie also has a personal history with the director Zach, who largely stands aloof during the production, passing cold judgment on the dancers as he ruthlessly eliminates those he doesn’t approve of, one by one. Each dancer has a different physical style which then becomes subsumed in the final production number where everyone dances alike and loses their individuality in the eyes of the audience.
Bennett also tackled a show about backstage drama in the form of Dreamgirls, which tells the story of a girl group called ‘the Dreamettes.’ The Dreamettes are a girl group begun by Effie White that uses the group’s success at a local talent show to garner worldwide acclaim. As the group’s money and fame increases, so do its members’ personal conflicts. Effie’s role in the group is eclipsed by a prettier backup singer who eventually assumes her lead role. Effie is relegated to the background despite the fact she is clearly the best singer of the group. Because she is not conventionally attractive, she is cast out and replaced with another, prettier girl. Bennett uses the conventions of 1960s girl group singing, with their stylized and coordinated movements, to help reflect the conflicts going on between the Dreamettes (later renamed the Dreams) and to reflect the changing fortunes of the group. Their performances grow showier, more elaborate, and obviously sexual as Effie is gradually edged out of the group and they are put under the wing of professional management. One of the most poignant moments is when ‘the Dreams’ with their new replacement for Effie suddenly take over the stage after Effie sings her heart-wrenching solo “And I’m telling you.” The glitter, glamor, and carefully coordinated mannerisms of their slim bodies writhing under their costumes are a stark contrast to Effie’s raw power, honesty, and solidity.
A subtheme to Dreamgirls is the replacement of a traditionally ‘black’ style of R&B with a smoother, more commercial-sounding Motown quality, and this is also reflected in the dancing of the male groups and singers who are cultivated by their handlers to become more palatable to white audiences. Their dancing becomes showier, more presentational, and theatrical over the course of the show. Like A Chorus Line, once again a central theme of Bennett’s philosophy as a choreographer shines through: dance reveals character and must tell a story (particularly stories about showbiz) versus merely be entertaining in and of itself.
Works Cited
A Chorus Line. Directed by Richard Attenborough, 1985.
Dreamgirls. Directed by Bill Condon, 2006.
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
