Section 8- Forest Flashcards
Who emerges from USL at the start of this section?
-the 3 aggressor monks ,who are now wearing a dark coloured t shirt, and they slowly walk out holding a sword (Pu Dao), warning the monks who are in the boat
How does the aural setting change in this section?
-changes by speeding up of tempo and has a full, harsh sounding texture to it. You can hear the percussion and the deep string instruments which creates intensity and a feeling of danger. You can also hear the blade of the staff which adds to the severity of the section as you hear how fast the staff is being moved, emphasising the monks aggression
Describe and interpret a movement that the monks do when on stage all together
-4 dancers are stood facing one direction towards downstage with their staff held vertically, whilst another monk is stood opposite them holding his Pu Dao horizontally. The 4 monks press down on the one monk forcing him into a crouch before he pushes them up and backwards
-shows the use of the staff to defend themselves from attackers
-aural setting is very fast tempo and can hear the found sound of monks shouting and sticks banging together
Describe another movement that shows an interaction between 2 monks when they’re all on stage together, giving the interpretation
-one monk is holding the Pu Dao and he lunges towards another monk and he pushes the metal blade underneath his arm appearing as though he has been stabbed, and he falls to the ground, joining the other monks who are all lay down spread out across the stage
-the music suddenly stops and goes to complete silence from being a fast tempo and intense, showing the fighting is over
What is the most dramatic highlight of this section?
-the rest of the monks all walk out in a darker coloured costume all holding a staff from behind the boxes, and they form a horizontal line facing downstage with the 3 aggressor monks facing them in the other direction spread across the stage. In unison all of the monks bang their sticks on the stage giving out a shout
-shows how the monks have to work together to defend the temple
What effect is created by Larbi walking across from USL to DSR? Describe this movement
-it creates contrast because Larbi didn’t get involved with or even witness the fighting as he was off stage, therefore when he appears the music goes silent and he walks through the monks that are all lay down across the stage
-he enters holding a different staff to the ones the monks were using as it is aluminium and a bit longer, and drops it centre stage as he continues walking to his box DSR as the light dims. It reminds us that he is a foreigner, east vs west, shows how he is trying to integrate himself within the monks practices. Also due to the next section after solo being monkey the pole must have to be able to physically withstand the monkey Kung Fu movement
Describe the physical setting for this section including the arrangement of boxes, costume, props and lighting
-boxes are positioned in the USL corner stood vertically in a few layers = creates appearance of dense forest in the background but also practically allows the dancers the space to move in this section
-costume changes to the aggressor costume, with all the monks keeping their training trousers on but now wearing a dark burgundy top instead = this adds to the increased intensity of this section
-props used by the 3 aggressor monks is the Pu Dao sword which are metal and have a blade at the end of them. The other monks just have wooden sticks called gunshus
-lighting is a bright wash across the whole stage as this section is quite intense and busy so is reflected in the lighting
What are the main themes seen explored in this section?
-east vs west AND Larbi’s spiritual journey as a foreigner to the temple = at the end of he dance when Larbi slowly walks through the monks holding a metal pole, now wearing a black jacket. Shows he’s trying to integrate himself with the monks and their practices but will always be different to them
What is the main source of movement for this section and why?
-Traditional shaolin Kung fu using the staff and sword fighting forms.
-it was important for both Larbi and the monks that original Kung Fu movement was included as it made the work original and different for Larbi as hadn’t been used on this large a scale before, but also gave the monks confidence as they could feel familiar with some of the movement they were performing on stage
