Alston dance movement examples - Wildlife and Roughcut

Question 1

Roughcut (1990)

Answer 1

-Start the dance with a movement which is very light, and they travel fleetingly across the floor (using the music as a springboard) - they jump travelling towards SL lifting the right leg towards shoulder height with the right arm extended at shoulder level and the left arm flexed in front of the neck - clarinet melody playing - 2 pools of light across the grey stage
-Males turn and land in a lunge facing DSL and they have their left arm in a third position with their right arm opened out at shoulder height and the spine is curved over - balletic and Cunningham curve through torso
-One of the males lifts the female dancer, he’s holding her underneath her shoulders and she kicks extending the gesture leg up towards her head in a diagonal position

Question 2

Wildlife (1984)

Answer 2

-Influence of Cunningham technique of the tilt of the spine and the balletic leg work - the male travels to CS and performs a tilt of the torso towards SR and his right leg is extended to the side at 45 degrees with a flexed foot and the arms mirror the line of the leg while the arms are extended into a diagonal with flexed palms and the focus is down towards the right hand - reflects the positions of the kites - quite angular
-The kites rotate (red and green ones) - lighting has a red pool of light DS and a green pool of light US - referencing the colours of the kites which are suspended over the space - the males exit SR and the female is in the pink and white and she runs in urgently from SR, trumpet fan fairs return, she stands in a twisted position towards the audience with one arm raised up over the head with a flex elbow and a flattened palm