Rooster and Bruce's other works <3

Question 1

When was Swansong created

Answer 1

1987 - London Festival Ballet
1995 - Rambert

Question 2

Influences and origins of Swansong

Answer 2

—> Collaboration between Bruce and Chambon
—> Commedia Dell’Arte - use of comedy to explore tropical issues
—> Subject matter - human rights, prisoner conscience - unfair imprisonment

Question 3

What’s Bruce’s dance / choreographic style

Answer 3

—> Vaudeville
—> Jazz
—> Tap
—> Contemporary - Graham based technique
—> Gestural
—> Theatrical/dramatic
—> Classical ballet technique
—> Episodic structure

Question 4

What’s the impact of this work

Answer 4

—> Bruce was Artistic director when he revived this work for Rambert in 1995
—> Highlights human rights being abused within a prisoner, guard relationship
—> Positive links between Amnesty International and human rights
—> Accessible to audiences and was popular to watch

Question 5

What’s a basic overview of the storyline of Swansong

Answer 5

Swansong is about the emotional torment of a prisone abused by an authority figure due to the inequality within power

Question 6

What does the subject matter of a dance include

Answer 6

The overall narrative of the piece and themes

Question 7

What are some key themes within Swansong

Answer 7

—> Unfair entrapment
—> Mental exhaustion wearing down ones soul
—> Bruces final gesture before retirement - swansong is the final song a swan sings before death
—> Prisoner conscience
—> Human rights

Question 8

What are some key points about the aural setting of Swansong

Answer 8

—> by Philip Chambon
—> Unaccompanied interludes enabling up to hear the tapping of the feet by the guards

Question 9

What were some key points about the lighting within Swansong

Answer 9

—> Atmospheric
—> Diagonal shaft of light from upstage left - reflects the light to heaven at the end, a window within the prison cell, symbolism of an escape ect
—> overhead lighting

Question 10

What were the set and props used within Swansong

Answer 10

—> Chair - used as a weapon, shield, shackles, window, safe place and defense
—> Canes, red nose (degrades victim)
—> Bare stage except chair

Question 11

The interrogators always exit stage right, how is this significant within the work Swansong

Answer 11

Open to interpretation however some examples :
—> Moving away from the shaft of light may reflect how they feel they don’t need this symbolisation of hope since they have higher authority
—> Disgust with the prisoners association with the ‘window’ and inability to understand his fixation, so trying to stay away

Question 12

What are some key motifs using the chair within the work of Swansong

Answer 12

—> The male performer holds the chair behind his back with his arms reaching up over his head, and takes some wide steps in a laboured manner, reflecting this mental fatigue and constant beliteration
—> The dancer holds the chair up to eye level and looks through the back of the chair facing the front, reflecting the bars on a prion window
—> He places his feet into the gaps within the chair and takes 2 steps with this restriction caused by the chair towards the shaft of light

Question 13

What’s the prisoners main motif facing the shaft of light from the upstage left diagonal within Bruce’s work Swansong

Answer 13

—> The performer (prisoner) faces the upstage left diagonal towards the light in arabesque (with downstage leg up extended) lifting the front arm up
—> This is done in a controlled manner with an underlying sense of desperation and tiredness from the constant beliteration from the guards

Question 14

When was Ghost Dancers created

Answer 14

Premiere 1981

Question 15

What were the influences and origins of Ghost Dancers

Answer 15

—> The political oppression in Chile under the dictatorship of the Pinochet
—> Pinochet’s regime was responsible for the murders of innocent people and protesters
—> Draws on political themes
—> Joan Jara - met after her husband was tortured and eventually machine gunned to death due to creating protest songs
—> Human rights - this was his first dance dealing with political oppression

Question 16

What are some key gestures present within this piece showing the subject matter

Answer 16

—> Surrender position - lady in the red dress, representing her surrendering to the government
—> Hugs - also seen in lady in the red dress in section 3, shows this thought of their unsurity of whether or not their loves one may return - shows Joan Jara’s influence

Question 17

What’s the narrative of Ghost Dancers

Answer 17

Ghost dancers is about people caught in political oppression : innocent people who died, disappeared or were murdered.
The ghosts represent death. The dead represent the millions of everyday people around the world who died at the hands of political dictatorships and war.

Question 18

What were the costumes of the Ghost dancers and Villagers

Answer 18

The Ghost Dancers : they have skull masks with matted hair and near naked bodies. Their bodies are painted in black body paint which outlined their muscles and bone structure. They have black rags around their waists, upper arms, wrists and below their knees.
The dead (villagers) : they have a dishevelled appearance and suggest ordinary people who have been through trauma. They are half complete and half ragged. They are in everyday clothing and allow for freedom of movement.

Question 19

What was the impact of Ghost Dances

Answer 19

—> drawing upon political themes which engages audiences and promotes awareness
—> Showcases the dancers’ ability to perform in the blending of ballet and contemporary technique
—> Revived many times for Rambert - demonstrating the key ethos of Rambert, preserving old works

Question 20

What are some key themes within Ghost Dancers

Answer 20

–> Abuse of power
–> Death
–> Grief
–> Loss of a loved one
–> Lack of control
–> Unity (chain during Ghost Dancers section)

Question 21

How are the rocks used within the work

Answer 21

—> Ghost dancers sit on them as if they’re watching over their prey
—> Villagers hide behind the rocks to shield away from ‘death’

Question 22

What does the raggedness of the villagers outfits convey

Answer 22

Shows that they have been through torture and a lower class

Question 23

Who was the lady in the red dress influenced by and what was the section called (what does it stand for)

Answer 23

—> Influenced by Joan Jara
—> Dolencias - to get hurt in Spanish

Question 24

What is Commedia dell rate within swansong, and how is it shown

Answer 24

—> Glen Tetley and Bruce draw upon the human condition (way we behave) and draw upon its characters
—> Exaggerated character of the guards/interrogators are enhanced to make them more stereotypical

Question 25

Why were Rooster, swansong and ghost dancers performed the times they were (what were the dates)

Answer 25

Both works presented after one another to really convey how Bruce wanted the company to look like after and during his time as artistic director
—> Rooster (1994 Rambert)
—> Swansong and ghost dancers (1995 Rambert)

Question 26

What’s the costuming like in Swansong

Answer 26

Prisoner - Blue jeans, orange shirt
Guard - beige uniform (sense of hierarchy

Question 27

What are the dynamics like in relation to the music with the prisoners present and without in swansong

Answer 27

Guards present :
Fast pace, sense of panic and fear of what’s to come, music progressively builds as sections continue

Guards not there :
More controlled and relaxed in a way, sense of peace in ones own company, releif with them gone

Question 28

What can the ‘banging’ type beats resemble within the aural setting in swansong

Answer 28

—> Banging on the window to try escape
—> Shutting of the door
—> His inner conscience desperate to be let free
—> Emphasis of the small enclosed space of the prison cell

Question 29

Why may the prison guards always take away his chair or drive him away from it in swansong

Answer 29

—> Dehumanisation - taking away his safe space and using it against him - torture

Question 30

What may the screams in the aural setting resemble during the prisoners solo in Swansong

Answer 30

Screams - swan sound potentially, screaming for help internally

Question 31

Why may the solo be directed towards the shaft of white light in swansong

Answer 31

Constant pull back to the light - something is trying to call him
Escapism

Question 32

How does the first solo end in swansong

Answer 32

Cyclical structure to first solo - consistent plea for help to no evail

Question 33

How does the work of Swansong end

Answer 33

Ends with the stage jump (taking flight and being freed from his misery through death) because he has been interrogated and tortured so much it has resulted in his eventual death, before walking offstage through the gates of heaven