Revelations (1960) Flashcards
What were the starting points of ‘Revelations’?
- The blood memories of the inequality and segregation of society in Texas
- The one constant in his life was the church and sense of community
- Gospel and spiritual music with a new modern European style
- Escape from the oppressive situation he’s in
- Autobiographical
- Creating an opportunity for African American dancers to perform serious modern dance
What are the styles of dance that can be seen in ‘Revelations’?
- Jack Cole- theatrical influences and jazz
- Martha Graham- contractions and pleads
- Katherine Dunham- undulations of the spine
- Lester Horton- coccyx balance, lateral T’s
Describe the music used in ‘Revelations’
African American Religious music- Spirituals (songs of sorrow or yearning) and Gospel (songs of uplifting fortitude)
What is the subject matter of ‘I been ‘Buked’?
This section is about the strugle that the African American people faced and yet the way in which they hoped for salvation and prayed to God to help them through this hardship.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘I been ‘Buked’
The opening tableu shows a group of nine dancers stood centre stage in a wedge shape. They are bend forwards at the hips with arms in Lester Horton ‘bird arms’. This is an upturned classical second position where the elbows are the highest point. The dancer at the front is at the lowest level and the level increases with each successive row. This could be interpreted to show them coming together as a community, pushed down by the weight of the racial oppression. Also demonstrates the style of Lester Horton.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘I been ‘Buked’
The dancers are still stood in their wedge shaped tableau. They reach up to a parallel high with splayed hands and their head follows their movement to finish up.
This shows the community looking to God as a way out of the racial oppression that that they are forced in to.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘I been ‘Buked’
Stood in their wedge shpae tableau, the dancers ‘peel’ their hands down fingers first. As they do so they look down.
This shows the way they are being forced in to hard labour and struck down by society.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘I been ‘Buked’
The nine dancers stand in a wedge shape centre stage, feet in a turned out second position. The dancers perform lateral flexion of the spine to the right placing their left hand on their lower back, fingers down. They then reach out to the stage right with their right arm and their head is down over their right shoulder. the movement is performed with a slow, heavy and bound dynamic.
This shows the hard agricultural work and slavery due to the physical demands as well as the low level that society has put them on. The reaching action can be interpreted as showing that life can be different.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘I been ‘Buked’
The dancers form a semi circular chain all connecting on to one another. This can be interpreted as their ancestors being bound by shackles to be taken to America to work as slaves. In the centre of the semi circle is a female dancer who performs a sequence of pleads. This demonstrates how desperate she is to escape and find a new way of living.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘I been ‘Buked’
A religious gesture. The dancers are stood in their wedge shape centre stage. They cup their hands (martha graham style) and place the fingers of the right hand in to the palm of the left. slowly they raise this up, shhowing God that they havent lost their faith and begging him to answer their prayers.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘I been ‘Buked’
In a random order, the dancers open their arms keeping them completely straight in three movements to have them resting by their sides. The male dancer leaves his arms open in a high v.
This shows the way that they are forced to accept the fate of God.
What is the subject matter of ‘Fix Me Jesus’?
The importance of religion in the lives of those suffering from racial injustice and the way that they had a belief that God would always be there to save them from times of struggle and hardship.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Fix Me Jesus’
The female dancer is stood centre stage in a pool of white light. She is crouched down facing downstage left, her right arm holding her lower back and her left stretched out to downstage left. She flicks the wrist of her left arm over the ground. Stood directly behind her is the male dancer who represents God. He stands facing downstage reaching out with his arms creating a disgonal line with feeling of epaulment from down stage left (with his right arm) and upstage right (with his left). Using his left arm, he also flicks his wrist but over the female dancers head.
This represents the way that the African American community believed in God to guarentee a successful crop in the agricultural work and how God is always there to bless them. This gesture is further seen in ‘Wade in the Water’ when the initiates are being baptised.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Fix Me Jesus’
The male and female dancer are both stood centre stage in a pool of white light. The female dancer stands with her feet together facing downstage and tilts her head backwards and stretches her arms out to parallel second. This creates the shape of a crucifix. The male dancer steps directly behind her and places his arms under her armpits and lifts her up, slowly turning her round in a full circle.
This movement done by the female dancer looks quite vulnerable as she is completely exposed and open to attack, either physical or emotional from the racial injustice. It could also show the way that she opens up to God and places her trust in him, he supports her in her times of need.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Fix Me Jesus’
The female dancer stands centre stage with her arms in an open fifth position. She then kicks her right legto second. As she does this, she falls to the left and the male dancer, standing behind her, lunges to the left to catch her before she gets to the ground. They then slowly return to standing.
This is representative of her faith in God. Fall and recover is used a lot in this section to show how in times of doubt and hardship (the falls) their faith is able to save them (the recover) and help them to continue.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Fix Me Jesus’
The two dancers stand side by side facing upstage right. They turn to face downstage left and the male dancer steps in to a deep lunge with the right leg forwards. The female dancer then steps frowards on to her right leg and places her left handon to his right thigh. The female dancer then lifts her left leg in to a penche whilst en fondu. Both dancersopen their arms to make a diagonal line and they look up at their top arm.
This shows them looking towards where God is showing how they look to him for advice.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Fix Me Jesus’
The male dancer is sat on the floor, feet bent up towards stage left. The female dancer is stood on her right leg, extending her left in to a high extension to second with her arms in classical fourth. The male dancer supports the waist of the female dancer as she pivots in to an arabesque, arms in open fifth. She rises up before falling forwards, gently lowered by the male dancer. He then pushes the female up using his feet to support her legs.
This agian represents how to triumph the African American community relied on the support of the church and how in times of difficulty, they could rely on the community and religion to help them to triumph.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Fix Me Jesus’
Standing downstage right facing downstage left, the female dancer holds the left arm of the male dancer and performs a demi grande rond de jamb with her right leg to an extension in second facing downstage right. She then performs a rond de jamb en l’air in to an extention devant and slowly leans back in to a layout.
This is a hugely technical sequence demanding immence balletic training, control and flexibility. It can be used to show the way Ailey wanted to show his dancers off as well as the influence of ballet. The way the male supports the female with only one hand also shows the respect for women.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Fix Me Jesus’
This is the final moment of the duet. The male dancer stands in a plie in second position. The female dancer stands on his right thigh on her left leg and extends her right in to an arabesque. She holds both arms in an upturned curve towards stage left.
He supports her under her skirt which demonstrates the respect Ailey had for women and the concealed level of help from God.
Recall as many features of the physical setting of ‘Processional (Honor Honor)’ as you can
In ‘Wade in the Water’, give an example of how all the constituent features work together to communicate the choreographers intentions.
The material is being waved along the back at medium level and the front at low level. The Lyrics say “Wade in the water” and the dancers facing the audience perform three steps, right left right, on relaxed legs towards stage right. They place their left hands on to their hips and with the right, push up on the diagonal, bring in and then push again. The torso performs undulations.
This helps to communicate the subject matter of the water.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Wade in the Water’
The two initiates and the deaconess are stood behind the ‘alter’ created by a sheet of cloth and held by the two acolytes. The deaconess holds the umbrella in her right hand and forms a right angle with the other. the fingers pointing up. The two initiates hold their arms in ethnic arms, inspired by Katherine Dunham. They slowly perform flexion of the upper back, bending their arms and head forwards over the alter and recover again. This represents the initiates bowing with respect over the alter. The way that the deaconess is doing the same behind the initiates shows her guiding and helping the initiates.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Wade in the Water’
dance
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Wade in the Water’
The dancers are stood in between the strips of cloth. The female initiate is in a deep plie in a turned out second position, the body relaxed all the way over with her arms holding out her dress. The deaconess holds the umbrella in her left hand and reaches forwards with the right over the dancer. She then flicks her wrist sharply and as she does, the dancer rolls up slowly through the spine. This shows the moment that the initiate has been baptised and th enlightenment after. the bowing of the head is a sign of respect.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Wade in the Water’
Chaine turns with use of ethnic armline influenced by Katherine Dunham.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Wade in the Water’
This final moment shows the procession moving on again out of the river. The female initiate is being carried by the male initiate as an acknowledgement of Ailey’s memory of the snakes and crocodiles in the river and the way that the community respected and tried to protect the women.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Sinner Man’
This is from the first of three male solos. The dancer travels from upstage left to downstage right performing a repeating sequence. He performs a parallel attitude and a chasse ball change in to a lateral T and repeats. After three repeats, he performs a double attitude turn in to a completely horizontal lateral T.
This is very typical of the Horton movement vocabulary and can be used as an example of how much Ailey’s style has developed but still remained true to his dance training.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Sinner Man’
This is from the first of three male solos. The dancer is stood centre stage and performs a turning sequence that includes a triple pirrouette.
This demonstrates showcasing the talents of male dancers and showing off the fact that his compnay is as talented as any other.
Describe and interpret the following images from ‘Sinner Man’
Both are from the second of three male solos.
In the first, the male dancer crouches to the floor and stands up in a perfect vertical split. He then takes his hands off the floor and rises on to a high demi-pointe in to an attitude derriere.
In the second, the dancer enters from upstage left and performs three turning split leaps to end downstage right.
These movement shows the energy, agility and flexibility of the dancers, showing them off and proving people wrong that ballet is only for White Upper-Middle class citizens.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Sinner Man’
This movement is from the third of the three male solos. The male dancer performs a triple low level jazz pirouette in to a layout.
This movement shows amazing technical training and ability proving the fact that Ailey’s company is a serious modern dance company.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Sinner Man’
Begining in a horizontal line upstage, one by one the dancers perform a windmill with their arms from left to right down to the floor. Then then begin to ‘army crawl’ towards downstage right.
Could represent how their sins from the barrel house (Dew Drop Inn) have led them to run away and try to escape God.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Sinner Man’
This is from the trio at the end. The dancers stand in a triangular formation facing downstage left with their feet apart and fists clenched, crossed over at the wrist. They then perform a circle of the upper body with a feeling of resistance.
This can be interpreted as the men being bound to fate and the concequences of their actions which they try to escape by visiting church.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Sinner Man’
This is the final movement of the section where the dancers turn via their left shoulder and perform a jazz leg slide to the floor to end on their kneeswith their arms held in a low v, fingers splayed.
This shows the jazz influence of Jack Cole and Lester Horton.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘I wanna be ready’
This movement is called a plead and it comes from the Graham technique. Shows the influence of his other training experiences and showcases the talents of his danacers.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘I wanna be ready’
This is a coccyx balance which is a movement from the Lester Horton Dance Theatre. James Truitte (who this section was made for) Was trained as a Horton dancer.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘I wanna be ready’
The dancer slowly stretches out in to this lateral T position. He then perrforms many pivots round in this position. This movement really shows off the skills and talent of the dancer and also their fundamental training.
Describe the use of the fan in ‘The day is past and gone’ & ‘You may run on’
The fans act as a way to show the literal heat of Texas and helps us to see the way that they communicate as a group. They huddle in small groups talking in a hushed manner hidden behind the fans. Can also be seen to represent the bible when they clasp it to their chests.
Describe the use of the stool in ‘The day is past and gone’ & ‘You may run on’
The stools can represent te pews at the church. The women sit on the stools with their back to the audience and hold their lower back showing how they are the senior members of the community. At one point. the men stand up on the ground and the females stand on the stools. This shows the respect for women in the community.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham’
The dancers are in their male/female partners with the males stood up next to the females who are sat on the stools. The male dancer holds out his elbow to help the female dancer up. The female dancer places her arm to link with his and she stands up. This shows the way that men in the community respected women in society.
Describe (including choreographic device) and interpret the following image from ‘Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham’
This covement happens in a cumulative canon. The male dancers are stood in front of the females and they make an ‘M’ shape. The dancers nearest to stage right begin by doing a step out with the right and a ball change with their right arm making a lateral arm circle. The dancers then do four walks round to the right pulling their arms across their face and open on a diagonal. This then gets repeated with more dancers getting added in each time.
This shows that the dancers are all united by their faith as a community.
Describe and interpret the following image from ‘Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham’.
This is the final moment of ‘Rocka my soul’. The dancers turn with their arms in an upturned second position, they continue turning but flip the arms in to Horton bird arms. They then stop turning and drop to their knees lifting their arms to an open fifth.
This shows the influence of theatre and Jack Cole.
