Lady Jane Flashcards
Actions in lady Jane
Lady Jane Is very shy and demure , this is shown by her arms crossed over her body, she is uncomfortable by male attention
Male dancer touches the back of Anne’s neck suggesting intimacy
Male dancer tries to kiss the female dancers outstretched hand and she pulls it away - this could be seen as teasing and encourages his interests
Space in lady Jane
Main male dancer remains centre stage and each partner comes to him
Other couples are in duets behind him
Dynamics in lady Jane
Movements are slow and considered
The dancers appear to sway with the rhythm of the lyrics
Sharper footwork is used by bruce to fit the quicker beats of the instrumental music
Positions are held in a similar way to how the notes of the singers voice are held
Relationships in lady Jane
A formal but sexualised quality to the partnering
Courting actions such as bowing
The male dancer is very suggestive in his actions towards jane and she appears anxious/ unsure about his advances in the beginning of their duet
When the other couples are not dancing they stand she pulls it away - this could be teasing and encourages his interest - it also implies she is move comfortable with his attention
as they seem to only be dancing with each other
with the female facing the audience , male facing her with her hand on his shoulder , his hand on her waist
Set , costume , props , lighting in lady Jane
● The backdrop is black with a blue/purple hue from the lighting which creates a romantic mood
● Centre stage is lit with a large spot light
● The female dancers are wearing black knee length dresses with no sleeves and red pleats. The have black flat shoes on
● The male dancers are wearing different coloured blazers, shirts and ties with black trousers and shoes. This gives them a sense of individuality
● The female dancers only distinguishing feature is their hair style
● The male dancers have their hair slicked back in a 1960s style
Aural setting in lady Jane
Bruce uses the words of the song to characterise his dance
● At the beginning of the song the singer is talking about lady jane. Bruce has choreographed it so that the lead male dancer is doing a duet with a female dancer
● When the singer changes to speak about lady anne and lady marie the male dancers partner also changes
Dance and choreographic style in lady Jane
Cannon is used in the other couples movements
Choreographic style - Bruce has an eclectic style of graeham technique , ballet , lyrical and pedestrian movements. He also uses minimal physical setting to allow the dancers to tell the story for the audience to interpret
● Dance style - this dance is very balletic during the duets with carefully placed footwork and elevation. Partner work is also used to show intimacy and connection. Pedestrian gestures are also used to tell the story of each couples relationship
Themes in lady Jane
Formal courtly theme that is overly sexualised
Male dancers exert their dominance on their partners by controlling their movements
Male dancers have misogynistic confidence which they force themselves onto their partner even when she is uncomfortable
Key motifs in lady Jane
Balance in arabesque - each duet has a variation of this step
● An assisted lyrical leap in a circle is used in each duet - could symbolise the building of trust within their
relationships
● Courting gesture - the female and male dancers hold their right hands and step onto their right leg, throwing their
right arms above them. They use a waltzing step in and out with a slight upper back bend - it is a greeting which
is link to the aristocracy suggested in the music
● Grooming gestures - at the beginning of the dance the dancers transition from their positions at the end of little
red rooster into their places for lady jane. The gestures are used to show the personality of each dancer. For instance the male dancers adjust their ties to show their chauvinistic, self centred attitude whilst the female dancers appear more demure with their arms crossed over their body ad if trying not to be noticed
