Paint it Black Flashcards
What are the actions used?
Soloist:
> walking backwards leading with head
> arm gesture, back of head to temple, pushing head to side
> looping/thrown actions of the arms
> large convulsive actions in response to whips
Trio:
> mechanistic arm gestures reminiscent of social pop dancing
> stroking actions up in the arms in 2nd plie
>overhead clasps of hands
Spacial content
> trio of women - in a line, and in a circular turning motion
soloist - serpentine gestures weave/curve
contrasts in levels
linear pathway
women approach man
soloist mainly downstage
Dynamic content
> sinuous quality
energetic / erratic / explosive
use of pulse meticulously (speed manipulation)
fast phrases but with moments of suspension
Relationship content
> in quartet, women tip the man forwards off balance and throw aggressively towards the third women who catches him
moments of aggressive interaction
women use scarfs as a whips at the end, showing status
mainly perform in 2 separate groupings
Interpretation
> depressive mood / link to song suggested in opening - “maybe then, I’ll fade away”
women have strong energy / uniformity - Act like backing dancers (link to rolling stones)
repetition in male solo suggestive of self-obsession
crawls after them at the end as if longingly desired contact. Recovers with grooming actions from LRR
Aural Setting?
Composer - by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Tempo/Time Signature - 4/4 , slow sitar phrase opens the track , very fast drums , slow lyrics begin each verse then the 2nd half is fast.
Volume/Rhythm - double time drum rhythm comes in for the 2nd half of each verse and it continues at the end of the track , volume changes within each verse.
Instruments - drums , acoustic guitar , electric guitar , dulcimer , bass guitar
Lighting?
Direction - wash light , spot light , cyclorama , side lights
Colour - blue fades out , red tinge starts , purple/blue tinge
Intensity - increased , high , decrease , bright at front + back
Effects - bright/intense light brings out red shirt. lady’s in shadow at back, shows lone body and curves, male is in darkness but face is lit as he watches them walk off.
Costume?
Male dance - no jacket worn by male so intensity of red shirt is seen
Female dancer - 3 women change into plain black dress which cut off mid/upper thigh high neck, but no pleats so fits slightly tighter. Also add a red scarf which they tie around neck
Describe the spatial features in Paint it Black. Discuss how this links to the 1960’s.
Throughout the section, the male soloist dominates the stage, but in a frightful, captured way. At the beginning his backwards walks show his disorientation which is shown throughout. He performs sharp, intricate direction changes across the stage which show his fear. The women in this section take control in the dance and manipulate his movement, towards the end of the section as they pass him in between the trio. This links to the key themes of the 1960s as it shows the idea of women challenging men’s dominance and power - shown in this idea of the torment of the bull.
Explain how the movement material in the dance ‘paint it black’ references the 60s
The movement material in section 5 Paint it black references the swinging sixties era, particularly the sexual revolution. The female dancers are portrayed lustful through very slow gestures such as - 3 female dancers DS with bodies facing a diagonal towards downstage right, they wipe their right hand slowly up their left arm like gloves whilst in a wide 2nd grand plie. In contrast, the 3 female dancers also perform energetic movements, such as, they perform 3 steps backwards in a linear formation, moving towards upstage, simultaneously at each step their arms are upraised and perform 2 pulsing actions. This was a time when women rebelled and challenged traditional tropes of behaviour. The energetic movement was also a typical dance movement that was seen throughout the 60s in a party culture.
