Richard Alston | Named Practitioner Flashcards
Name and Date Soda Lake
Richard Alston, 1981
how many dancers are there in Soda Lake
1 male - can be female but has to be selected by alston
Has to be trained in Cunningham Technqiue - abstract
Describe the aural setting in Soda Lake
Silence - Nigel Osborne created music but then Alston and Osborne colaborativly decided that the music would retract from the movment
Audible sound of dance - loud stamp of left foot, people would be able to here the animals in the vast desert and scurry sounds
Describe the set in Soda Lake
Suspended virtical of the floor black think pole
Diagonal thin role attached to elipse
Contribution
Ocassional Markets
Contrasts the white back drop
dancers able to show the shape of set through the movement and audience see the connection
Describe the costume in Soda Lake
Form fitted trousers with a slight flair
black vest top
barefoot
Women = long sleve top style
Contribution
Ease of movement
can see clear lines
contrast the backdrop
Describe the lighting in Soda Lake
Bright White Wash - so can see dancers
White Backdrop
What is the Performace envirment in Soda Lake
White Box
What is the starting points for Soda Lake
- Sculpture, Soda Lake, Nigel Hall of the statue in 1968
- Soda Lake meaning dry lake in mojave desert in Nevada
Name and Date Wildlife
Richard Alston, 1984
What was the starting point for Wildlife
- The colaboration with music, design in Dance
Nigel Osbourne - Music
Richard Alston - Dance
Richard Smith - Art - very contempory modern art, music and movement - whcih was important for the devlopment and change for audience and dancers
What is the set in Wildlife
Has big suspended kites in the air that are angular and geometric
the kites are moved around but doesnt always go in the same place so dancers had to adapt to the new location of kites
The Kites go up, down and rotate
What inspires the movement in Wildlife
Angular ideas
What colour are the kites in Wildlife
Red and White
What are the costume
in Wildlife
a tight lycra long sleave unitard with patterns of blue, yellow white and geometric shapes
Describe the music in Wildlife?
layers of music
loud
birds chirping
Car horns
sterophonic sounds
Describe some of the movement components in Wildlife
In Phrase 1 - uses 5th position, arabesque
Name and Date Roughcut
Richard Alston, 1990
Name the stimulus for Roughcut
The music by Steve Reich
- New York Counterpoint 1985
- Electric Counterpoint 1987
How many dancers does Roughcut have
10 dancers - 5 male, 5 female
trained in Cunningham technique, Graham + Ballet
strong and muscular physical strength
What is the Performance Environment for Roughcut
Proscenium Arch
Analyse the Aural Setting in Roughcut
clear beats, repeated melody, Steve Reich:
New York Counterpoint 1985
Electric Counterpoint 1887
complex overlapping rhythems
allows for music vicualisation, allows the movement to be complemented by music using the high notes, helps to identify the stimulus of the peice
Analyse the movement in Roughcut
from stage right quick jump on the left foot and cut left elbow to the side with right arm horizontal to the side. 3 little steps across each other and raise up both arms horizontally body, twisiting in another direction
*shows the uses Cunnigham technique of clean lines which Alston is influenced by in training, Shows alstons styliscic feature of creating an abstarct theme *
Analyse the Set in Roughcut
plain stage
set of metal pipes from the cealing
helps to convay simple minimalistic and focus on the movement itself
Analyse the Costume in Roughcut
Men - black trousers, braces + bare chest
Female - white blouse with sleaves rolled up white lose trousers
ease of movement, abstract and minamalistic
Analyse the Lighting in Roughcut
start in darkeness, the duet + brighten up
bright white wash - S1
S2 - darker blue wash
dynamics + aural setting changes
Sudden, identifys new section
Describe the costume interpretation in Soda Lake
the use of the form fitting clothing helps to see the clean lines of the dancer for example clear contractions.
ease of movement
the contrast created as the set is white with slight black accents ( the sculpture and vertical thin pole) the costume is in all black helping to highlight the main points of focus showing the starting point.
Describe the set interpretation in Soda Lake
helps to communicate occassoinal markers
the black sculptures helps to contrast the white back drop
the dancer is able to show the shape through the movement because the audience can visually see the shape physically portrayed.
Describe the aural setting interpretation in Soda Lake
the collaboration decided would take away from the focus upon the music so there was a clear decision upon why Nigel Osborne and Alston decided music would not suit this peice
audial - vast desert, surry sounds = animal
Describe the lighting interpretation in Soda Lake
dancers can easily been seen so movement is clear.
light, light within a desert within hot country?
Describe some Key Motifs in Soda Lake
Sentinal - to the front on the front of knees hands flat infront with slow and control raise right arm to slowly rise up to reach forward upon a low level
Pitch over attitude @ end - In a turn out in a tilit arms in 2nd and slowly tilt towards right side with left leg slowly reaching attitude behind.
Big Bird - In a turn out facing forward weight on right foot, left leg slowly go back into arabesque with arm infront curved and hand infront
Stillness - lying straight with knees tucked behind in straight line.
**Trace Elipse ** in a parallel with weight on right foot infront with left on point right arm straight infront then circle around in shape of elipse having weight on front right foot.
Describe the Costume interpretation in Wildlife
the shapes are very angular which complements the movement.
Describe a key motif
starting on stage right left using left leg swipe to right on low level then twist to the right diagonal shaply left leg in Forward attitude with arms in attitude then 2 quick step to a hop on left leg then right Sharly flicks up to hit bumb wh right arm Up left horizontauy behind then Step into right leg
Straight Infront medium level with back curved over right arm honzontaly infront directly like foot. then Jump feet to 5th position in Feet to the corner then Jump to an arabesque to Face the SL corner to shift weight to face the front with right arm straight up then left amm out to side to plié on left Foot with right foot in flexed around knee of supporting foot, on right foot on a piche wch right arm cuved down waras, other arm behund stright to step unfrot on left leg then run to right split leap.
Describe the aural setting interpretation in Wildlife
develops genre of moden by having some varity within theme of abrstact
music inspired by kites
made specifically for the peice
