As Tears Go By Flashcards
Actions in as tears go by
When the female dancer drops to a crouch down stage right facing the audience it links to “tears” mentioned in the title of the dance. It reminds the audience of an upset child
The trio of female dancers physically prevent the lone female dancer from joining their group on multiple occasions by huddling together and using their limbs to push her away
The dancers have a slightly rounded posture and often lead a movement with the shoulders which can show the audience that they are young
Space in as tears go by
The trios are often very insular in their movements and positions on the stage, this is purposeful to exclude the other lone dancers
Dynamics in as tears go by
Soft and light movements- floaty
Movements flow into each other suggesting little thought is put into it as it simply expresses emotion
Relationships in as tears go by
Both the male and female trios appear like two friendship groups, they are often close to each other and dance in a circle
Sometimes the male and female trios dance together in partners which would imply the “popular child” dynamic where they work together to exclude the lone dancers
At the beginning the lone female dancer runs away when the lone male dancer comes on stage, this could emulate the dynamic between boys and girls at a young age
Set , props , costumes and lighting in as tears go by
Black background with no set
Spot light on the female dancer at the beginning of the section
Purple Hugh which creates a melancholy mood
Male dancers are wearing an assortment of coloured blazers, shirts and ties with black trousers and jazz shoes
The female dancers are wearing a sleeveless black high neck, knee length dress with red box pleats, black shire tights and jazz shoes
Aural setting in as tears go by
“I sit and watch the children play”
influences the narrative that Bruce is try to put across as the dancers actions reminisce of a school playground dynamic
Bruce uses cannon during the trios dancing together to hit each beat in the music
Dance style and choreographic style in as tears go by
Choreographic style: Bruce uses an eclectic combination of graham technique, ballet, jaz and pedestrian movements to portray the characters, emotions and themes in his works
Dance style: in this section pedestrian movements are used to show the audience the relationships between the children in the playground. And folk steps show as physical bond between the trio when they link arms
Themes in as tears go by
Bullying - it is gentle and humorous with childlike and simple actions which exclude the female dancer with the trio . Whilst aggressive actions are used to exclude the male dancer from the trio
Childish humour is at the expense of someone else which is represented by the exclusion of the two dancers
The song is about a man who feels excluded from the happiness around him and Bruce depicts this in a playground setting
Key motifs in as tears go by
The squat into a lift - the lone female is crouched slightly right of centre. Her head is bowed down and arms and shoulders are slumped forward. The lone male dancer walks downstage to stand on her left. He looks down at her and she slowly lifts her head to look at him. From the crouch the female dancer jumps up to be held by the male or his right side with her left arm around his shoulder and his right arm around her waist. The female dancer slowly stretches and bends her legs twice and then is lowered so that she can touch the floor
● The pick up - the lone female dancer is sat with both her legs bent towards the left and head bowed , shoulders slumped facing upstage. The lone male dancer approaches from stage right and grabs the back of her dress with his right hand. He pulls her up to put her feet on the floor and the female dancer unrolls her spine with straight legs to look at him
● A version of the bow- the male trio are in a diagonal line from downstage right to centre stage facing the audience. In cannon they lung forward onto their left leg ( low to the ground ) and extended their right arm out
