Section 4- As Tears Go By Flashcards
Who is the aural setting by for this piece?
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Andrew Oldham
How many dancers are in this section?
8- 4 males, 4 females
What is the physical setting?
- Set: bare stage, black floor and background
- Males costume: brightly coloured velvet jackets, coloured shirts and ties, black trousers, black jazz shoes
- females costume: simple black chic sleeveless dress, with red box pleat inserts, sheer black tights, black jazz shoes
- lighting: blue hue to pool of light to create night time impression
- Describe a movement that clearly references playground behaviour
Give the interpretation
Movement: one of the males begins a play fight, and one goes up into a handstand splitting his legs and the other male catches them, then pushes him back down
Interpretation: manipulation of each others movement looks like a play fight which children do in a playground
- Describe a movement that clearly references playground behaviour
Give the interpretation
Movement: 3 female in group create a small circle formation, with their arms held out to the sides with their hands placed on each others shoulders, bending their knees with their heads down. They then perform a Ron de jambe in unison, circling their leg out.
Interpretation: looks like a tight friendship group who are gossiping and sharing secrets, which little girls do. Circle shape reinforces unbreakable and eternal bond
- Describe a movement where the theme of isolation is shown
Give the interpretation
Movement: As the in group of females form their small circular formation on stage left, the outsider female is positioned downstage centre, with her feet in a natural, parallel second and suddenly drops down to the floor into a crouch position. Her arms hang over her shins and her head Is drooped down. This movement is performed on the lyrics ‘I sit and watch the children play’
Interpretation: this is the outsider female’s salient position which is repeated several times throughout the dance (motif development) to highlight the dominant theme of isolation. She appears very child like here as children do this when they’re in a strop. Also DSC to get sympathy from audience. Lyric also shows she’s of a distance from the ingroup and she’s watching them play.
- Describe another movement where the theme of isolation is shown
Give the interpretation
Movement: The 3 female dancers do a triplet step swinging their arms in a figure of 8 across the body in a canon, to each join one of the 3 male dancers. On the 3 notes of the music they then each hit 3 different positions together. Outsider female is left in her salient position DS
Interpretation: outsider female is alone and shown to be left without a partner to dance with. This implies that in order to be apart of the ingroup, you must have a partner. Repetition of her salient position shows her continuous isolation from the group.
- Describe a movement where the theme of rejection is shown
Give the interpretation
Movement: the 3 ingroup female dancers return to their small circular formation in stage left, with their hands on each others shoulders and heads down. As the outsider female runs over to the group, the dancer furthest USL quickly extends her leg forwards through the circle, physically stopping her from joining. She holds onto her foot and crumbles to the floor, curling up on her side.
Interpretation: shows rejection as ingroup trio are physically and actively stopping the outsider female joining them, as it looks like she’s been kicked in the stomach. Shows that even though females are less boisterous , there is still an underlying element of it.
- Describe a movement where the theme of rejection is shown
Give the interpretation
Movement: the alpha male in the dark blue jacket is holding onto the hands of one of the other males and leans forwards towards the outsider male, extending his hand out like he’s inviting him to join their group, then as outsider male goes to take his hand he snatches it away at the last second.
Interpretation: outsider male has been rejected from male ingroup in a more teaseful way then the female trio. He was tricked into thinking he could join them then rejected in a be childlike way.
- Describe a movement which comes on the lyric ‘it is the evening of the day’
Give the interpretation
Movement: the outsider female enters from upstage left doing very rapid chaine turns with her feet in a tight fifth. Her arms are out in second and her head is lifted back in a high release. She turns to reach upstage centre, then stops and looks at the 3 couples performing a social dance
Interpretation: she looks like a child as children like to spin around and get dizzy as they think it is fun. This reinforces her sense of freedom and not belonging to anyone
- Describe a movement which comes on the lyric ‘Smiling faces I can see, but not for me’
Give the interpretation
Movement: outsider female stands up and on Demi pointe, she hits the males on the chest with her hands, tucking her head down too as they run up towards her. She then falls back into male with blue jackets arms, and is lifted over the back of one of the males in a very rigid position with straight legs and arms held on her thighs
Interpretation: looks like a child having a tantrum when they go stiff and heavy, trying not to be picked up
- Describe a movement which comes on the lyric ‘I sit and watch as tears go by’
Give the interpretation
Movement: the 3 males move into a diagonal line, from DSL to USR, and step forwards into a lunge, reaching their front arm out with an upturned palm in a canon, on the 3 descending notes of the music. The 3 females then fall back onto 2 hands, placing their heads in the male’s palms, then rotate over to stand up, and do 3 triplet steps swinging their arms across the body towards USR
Interpretation: female dancers shown to be subservient, and fall at the males feet. This is an example where male chauvinism is shown. Also shows isolation, as outsider female does not have a partner or ingroup to dance with
Explain the selection and use of dancers in this section.
- 3 females who are apart of ingroup are all identical in height and size= reinforces their unity, bond, connection, and criteria to be apart of group
- female outsider is significantly shorter and more petite then the other females= visually shows her as more child like due to her smaller size, and that she’ll never be apart of the ingroup because she doesn’t look like them
- outsider male is very tall= he acts as an observer so has an overview over what’s going on, and he acts like a guardian to the outsider female, checking she’s okay and helping her up
- Describe a movement where direct correlation can be seen
Give the interpretation
Movement: the ingroup of females are stood in their small circle formation stage left, with their hands on each others shoulders. On the descending scale of the music, the outsider female skips towards the group from upstage left. In unison they all sharply turn their head to look at her, and she turns back around and skips off stage
Interpretation: Clearly shows theme of rejection. skipping is what children do when they’re happy, so shows her as more child like then them
- Describe a movement where motif development is seen
Give the interpretation
Movement: the male dancers have left the stage, and the female ingroup form their small circular barrier formation, with their hands on each others shoulders stage right. They do a Ron de jambe in unison, then unfold to move into a straight horizontal line, with both arms stretched out to their sides. The outsider female joins on the end of the line, only stretching one arm out to the side. The ingroup in unison turn their heads sharply to look at her, and outsider female drops into her salient position.
Interpretation: Motif development of stage place= their bond remains present no matter where they are. Shows rejection, as she appears not the same as the rest of the females.
