Rooster Flashcards
What is the physical setting in Rooster?
Undecorated stage with areas picked in light.
Describe the costumes in Rooster
Men- velvet jackets, colourful shirts, coordinated ties, black trousers and black jazz shoes
Women- black dresses with box pleated skirts with red inserts, black tights, black jazz shoes.
PIB: M- no blazer, F- shorter black dress, no pleats, re scarf
RT: M- all black blazers, F- long, red dress, barefoot, hair down
PWF: Feather boa
What are the starting points of Rooster?
Bruce’s childhood
Pop culture of the 60s
Social dancing
Treatment of women in the 60s/ arrogance of men
Anthropomorphic gestures
Music of the rolling stones
What are the sections?
Little red rooster
Lady Jane
Not fade away
As tears go by
Paint it black
Ruby Tuesday
Play with fire
Sympathy for the devil
Little red rooster PHASED ART X2
At the very beginning, with a pugnacious expression, a male dancer stands SR while leaning forwards with “running” arms with the right arm in front and the left leg bent, and in silence slowly switches the arm/leg before the music begins where he does this once more, but with a slightly faster pace. He then stands upright and performs the rooster strut- slow, elongated walks with the head pulsing backwards and forwards and the arms held in front of the torso. These anthropomorphic gestures highlight the arrogance of men in the 60s.
While travelling from CS to SR, on the lyrics “Dogs begin to bark, hounds begin to hound” Bruce uses musical visualisation to highlight the anthropomorphic movements. The male dancer runs and does a low stag leap, with an arrogant expression and the arms relaxed, and aggressively pulses his head up and down as 5 beats can be heard in the music. He then turns to face upstage and stands in a wide second position on “hounds begin to hound”. As the volume increases his movements become more expansive. This shows the theme of male chauvinism.
Lady jane PHASED ART X2
After slowly walking to meet CS, the male dancer faces upstage and gently presents his hand to the female, who is facing downstage. Holding hands, they courtesy towards each other facing opposite directions. This minuet is performed with an arched spine and a feeling of high release by raising the focus to enhance the curve. They let go of each others hands, and the female stands with one knee bent and inverted with the arms out at the side with the hands flexed upwards. Simultaneously, the male bows towards her while circling the wrist. This could link to Bruce’s childhood as this is how couples would have met- social dancing. This is also repeated with the second couple.
Stood CS, the couple swiftly perform a classical ballet promenade with the females leg in attitude derrière. This reflects Bruce’s experience and training in ballet. The male then steps out of this and he fixes his tie (male chauvinism) while looking at the female with an arrogant, pugnacious expression. The female dancer then steps onto a bent right leg, and pushes her hands down with her fingers interlocked and a feeling of tension, allowing her head to relax and move freely with the movement.
Not fade away PHASED ART X2
Stood centre stage, the female dancer swiftly performs a grand rond de jambe into an attitude position which wraps around the male dancers waist, while holding onto the males right hand. She then lunges back on her right leg with the left leg extended in front and arms resting by her left hip. She hinges forwards at the hips and watches with an intense facial expression as the male dancer runs towards downstage right, and does a turning leap with a bouncy dynamic travelling back upstage towards the female. He is more energetic and arrogant in his dynamics where she is more quiet and reserved.
Helped up by his partner DSR, the dancers both perform two step ball changes to travel back to CS where the male dancer suddenly lifts the female into a seated Lindy-type jump around his torso to land behind him. They then stand back to back, (this use of symmetry suggests compatibility and partnership) before the female, using her pelvis, pushes the male so that he falls forwards onto the floor.
As tears go by PHASED ART X2
As the lyrics say “I sit and watch the children play” the trio of female dancers stood USL perform a graceful and controlled rond de jambe in a circular formation, holding each other by the shoulders. They look towards the leg and slightly arch their upper spine. The female soloist who has hurriedly travelled to CS from USL, stands in a wide parallel position and quickly drops into a deep plié with her focus downwards and spine contracted. She then slowly looks towards USR with a distressed expression.
While three fast paced, frantic duets (as if they are children playing in the playground) are being performed at counterpoint on a diagonal line from USL to DSR, a male dancer slowly walks towards SL alone, with a reflective expression which could link to Bruce’s youth- loneliness, bullying and teasing. The female soloist then performs chainée turns with both arms extended to the side and head dropped backwards, as if she is spinning in a playground. The dark lighting in this moment reflects the lyrics “This is the evening of the day”.
Paint it black PHASED ART X2
The female dancers all enter on the beat of the music with a sharp dynamic. Stood upstage, with the right leg bent, the women circle the connected arms around their heads from right to left to frame their face, then to the right of their body. The left leg is now bent and they smoothly draw both arms back as the leg extends to the side. They then transfer their weight to the right and frame their faces again. They then bring the left knee in and out to lead into a step turn step and finish in a bent tilt position with the body in a tabletop position, arms hung low in parallel.
After slowly walking on from SR in the introduction of the music, the male dancer smoothly performs a rond de jambe with the right leg, while the right arm circles out and behind him. The left leg then draws back into an attitude position with the spine arched and the focus upwards in suspension. He then performs a full plié in fifth position facing downstage with the arms flexed at the elbows which switch down and upwards in a jerky manner. This motif is repeated with much softer and weak dynamics to show how the women are stronger than him.
Ruby tuesday PHASED ART X2
The female soloist reveals her free spirited personality by travelling towards USL while turning, allowing the arms to freely and fluidly circle around her head. She wears a deep red dress with long sleeves that reaches her ankles and also flows with her movements. With a pensive and thoughtful expression, she does a pas de valse step which travels to DSR with arms in third position. Bruce uses musical visualisation as the lyrics say “she comes and goes” and she travels away from the corner. She is barefoot and wears her hair down which highlights her free spirit and the hippie movement.
Stood CS in fifth position, the arms draw upwards with hands in a cupped position with a feeling of high release and an upwards focus. She then circles the hands around each other as her arms drop to a very loose, low parallel position and contracts her spine. This leads to her taking an expansive step towards SR and she then gently circles the right leg to the front with a bent supporting knee. This motif is developed at the end of the dance, as she drops completely forwards at the end as if dead.
Play with fire PHASED ART X2
As the lyrics say “Don’t play with me because you’re playing with fire” the male dancer, with feet planted apart and strong, looks at the female with a pugnacious expression and does a thumbs up with the right hand. He then swiftly turns to the front into “rocking the baby” arms smoothly into a bicep curl position, before the left hand points to her sharply on the lyrics “fire”. Feet are wide and the left knee is flexed with the heel lifted. This suggests male chauvinism and masculinity.
Travelling DSL, the male dancer does a parallel pas de chat with arms as if he is running when the female then abruptly entraps him with her red feather boa and pulls him to her left where he holds an arabesque with his upstage leg. The female then circles the boa expansively left to right, holding both ends (one in each hand). The lyrics say “owns a block in St Johns Wood” as they perform this, which shows how the female dancer has a more affluent background: changes to law in the 60s meant that in a divorce, wealth would be equally split between a husband and wife.
Sympathy for the devil PHASED ART X2
In a triangular formation, all of the male dancers now have their blazers off, and are stood in fifth position as the lyrics say “Pleased to meet you”. In unison they place their weight onto their right foot and bend both legs with the right foot on demi pointe. They bend towards their front leg as they circle their left hand as if bowing, and face slightly towards SL. With an arrogant expression, they then quickly step onto their right leg, crossing it over their left, with the arms extended in a jazz second position, and do the same step onto their left leg. On each step, they look along their arms (left then right).
The female dancers stand in a semi circle, with the male dancer in the middle, and they stand with their arms draped provocatively over their heads and a flirtatious expression (LRR) before they lift the hems of their skirts and wave them enticingly towards the male dancer while shifting their weight from their right leg to their left leg. This highlights the women’s sexual liberation in the 60s due to changes in laws regarding the contraceptive pill and divorce.
Context
1960s- contraceptive pill made available to unmarried women, homosexuality, and abortion were partially decriminalised, 1960s became known as the “sexual revolution”, sexual liberation, big shifts in the freedoms, that young people enjoyed
