Not Fade Away Flashcards
movement phrase- not fade away
With syncopated clapping that mimics the rhythm of the opening musical phrase, the
ensemble exit. A couple remain, dancing a boisterous, humorous duet that uses social
dance forms and inspiration from jive, lindy hop, and jazz actions. The playful, flirtatious
relationship between the two is indicative of a young couple courting, potentially in a
club environment. This is shown particularly in the male’s perspective reflective in his
dynamics of getting lost in the music, and slight arrogance of being wrapped up in
himself.
They appear to almost literally fade away at the end: the male dancer is carried off by a
group of male dancers, his twitches slowly subsiding; and the female’s slow motion
waving gesture symbolises this idea of ‘fading away’ as she gradually drifts down to the
floor in the fading light.
movement phrase
the female and male dancer are stood centre stage, with the male facing downstage left. the male lifts the female dancer around and over his body, sharply moving her from his right side to his left. the female dancer quickly kicks her right leg in the air, joins her left leg to meet her right in the air and then folds them in to land on the males left side.
interpretations- not fade away
Humorous duet, creating a fun atmosphere – trying to replicate fun early stages of a
relationship/dating
Social dance – a movement style of Bruce’s. Jive/Lindy/Jazz, linking to era and Bruce’s
influence
Dynamics performed by male reflect being lost in music, in a trance. Could link to
party/drug culture
Flirtatious, he is showing off/she is playing hard to get
‘Fade away’ symbolic at the end with the slow-motion wave
Ensemble ‘rescue’ male dancer
movement example 1, not fade away
the female dancer is stood upstage left, facing the audience with her right leg in a plié, her left leg extended to second with her heel fixed and torso leant forward over her legs with her arms hanging loosely towards the floor. she steps onto her right leg, her arms still hanging and her torso also pitched forward as she performs three walks, changing the bent leg each time before performing a small gallop on her left leg to finish in the same way as she started, but with her left leg in a plié, and her right leg extended.
movement example 2, not fade away
the male and female dancer are stood centre stage facing each other as the male dancer lifts her. he places his arms around her waist as she jumps towards is right side, her right leg extending first followed by her left. her legs come together with her knees bent as she jumps around his back whilst he leans to the left, his left hand still placed on her waist, whilst his right hand is wrapped around her waist that she is holding onto. he moves her around his back, twisting his torso towards the back as she lands on both feet, facing stage left whilst he is facing stage right.
movement example 3, not fade away
there is evidently a ballroom influence in this section. this can be seen as the male and female dancer are centre stage, facing each other as the female dancer places her left hand on his shoulder and clasps her right hand to his left with their arms extended to the side and his right hand placed on her waist. the female dancer steps forward onto her left leg as he steps to the side onto his right, turning them around before stepping on his left as she steps to the side onto her right. they perform this turning phrase in a ballroom hold three times, before releasing their arms as he turns the female dancer away from him.
movement example 4, not fade away
the male dancer performs a modified version of the rooster jump. this is seen as he is downstage left and steps onto his left leg. his arms come up to hold the lapels of his jacket as he lifts his right knee up to retireé and his left leg remains straight.
movement example 5, not fade away
at the end of this section, four male dancers come onto stage to lift the male dancer. the male dancer has his arms hanging loosely above his head, portraying the idea of party culture as he is stepping his feet side to side. two of the male dancers hold onto his legs, whilst the other two hold underneath his armpits to lift him to a horizontal position above their heads. as they do this, his arms and legs remain flailing as the male dancers carry him off stage right.
