Created by bella.mort
over 9 years ago
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Question | Answer |
Choreographer | Christopher Bruce |
Date first premiered/performed | 3rd July 1981 |
Number of dancers | 5 women, 6 men |
Lighting Designer | Nick Chelton |
Composer/sound | Inti-illamani (arranged by Nicholas Mojsiejento) |
Set Designer | Christopher Bruce |
Costumer Designer | Belinda Scarlett |
Starting point/stimulus | 1. The inti-illamani music 2. Meeting with the dancer Joan Jara whose husband Victor Jara was murdered. 3. Researching the South American and Hispanic Culture |
Theme | Political oppression in Chile |
Style | Folk dance combined with vocabulary derived from Bruce's own training of classical ballet and Graham-based modern dance |
Reasons for the styles | It enables the audience to fully appreciate where the piece is set, due to the elements of folk dance. This style of dance also enables 'The Dead' to communicate a sense of community due to the use of lines and chains. Contemporary dance enables the dancers to create character and emotion with their performance yet to use of spine and contractions |
Features of the style | Contemporary: grounded movements, working in parallel, contractions, arches, flexed feet, jumps with curved spine, the use of twist and spiral in the back Folk: pivots, flexed feet, chains |
Key motif | The Ghost Dancers's line-dances. For this the 'Ghost Dancers' form a chain, each with his outstretched arms linked by their hands place on one another's' upper arms. With legs apart, feet firmly on the ground, they swivel into profile facing stage right. They bend slowly so the left knee almost touches the ground, feet demi-pointe, they then change the direction of their profile to look stage left, briefly kneeling on the right knee. The Ghost Dances move forward smoothly, breaking away from the line, which soon reforms. |
How does the motif communicate the intent | This motif performed by the Ghost Dancers represent unity and strength as they are linked together creating a sense of force. The lowering to the floor gives them an animalistic edge as if they are hunting for their prey, smooth, slow and eerie. It draws the audience into a hypnotising moment, before it is broken with the dancers performing a canon action, which helps builds the piece to a climax. |
Description of the stage set | A single set is used for the production. The sombre set was designed for a proscenium arched stage and consists of a skilfully painted backcloth suggesting and arid landscape with clear sky, which appears to be the view from the mouth of a cave. On the stage are 7 rock like structures at the back of the stage. It t has a surprising realism for an essential symbolic production |
How does the set complement on communicate the intention. | The dark mouth f the case suggests an entry in to the Underworld. The stony landscape is like the valley of the shadows of death where the rocks look like the shape of skulls or coffins. The rocks also provide changes of levels for the Ghost Dancers and places for the Dead to observe, sit or relcline |
Description of the accompaniment | Christopher Bruce uses South American Folk Tunes. The production begins with wind effects that fade out one the music begins. Odious Azules begins very quietly as it is coming from a distance, this creates an eerie mood and enables the intensity of the characters to build with the build of the music. It is played on the sikus, charango, bombo and side drum. |
How does the accompaniment compliment on communicate the intent. | Odious Azules begins very quietly as it is coming from a distance, this creates an eerie mood and enables the intensity of the characters to build with the build of the music. The music additional reinforces the culture and the setting of the production. |
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