Section 8- Sympathy for the devil

Question 1

What is the aural setting for this section?

Answer 1

• sympathy for the devil

- by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

Question 2

Who are the dancers in this section?

Answer 2

All 10 dancers, 5 males and 5 females

Question 3

What is the physical setting for this section?

Answer 3

• Set: bare stage, black backdrop and floor
• Lighting: A lot more complex then compared to other sections
• Male costumes: All have no jackets, allowing for brightly coloured shirts and pattered ties to be seen = less formal, more celebratory and fun
• Female costumes: Black sleeveless shift dresses, with red box pleat inserts

Question 4

What makes this dance a fitting climax to the work?

Answer 4

-It feels celebratory and joyous to watch, celebrating the 1960s, and the freedom so many people gained in their lives. It includes a reprise from each section, many highlights that peak the audiences attention, societal themes and issues, and also direct links to lyrics. It is a much faster pace, and contains many elevated explosive movements.

Question 5

1. Describe the bow that is used in this section

Give the interpretation

Answer 5

Movement: The male dancers do the elaborate courtly bow from Section 2, Lady Jane. They stand on a bent supporting leg, with the other foot on Demi point, and they lower their chest forwards, hinging from the waist, whilst elaborately circling the wrist

On lyric: ‘I’m a man of will and taste”

Interpretation: is one of many greeting gestures, he’s a man of good character and is appearing charming, when really their intentions are disingenuous. Repeated to remind audience of significance

Question 6

2. Describe a moment of elevation by the male dancers

Give the interpretation

Answer 6

Movement: As the male in red enters stage right, him and another male do a step ball change and an explosive side leap with their arms in a high v. Then they spring from one foot to the other, moving towards each other with their hands in the devil position on the head.

Interpretation: shows jazz movement influence, elevation is a highlight, celebratory, exciting, motif development of incorporation devil horns

Question 7

3. Describe a lift that the males do together

Give the interpretation

Answer 7

Movement: Male in purple runs on and lifts the male in red in an overhead lift, sweeping his legs around through second in a horizontal plane

Interpretation: Elevation shows celebration, climax, male lift reinforced they’re a pack, raising each other up

Question 8

4. Describe a gestural movement

Give the interpretation

Answer 8

Movement: 2 of the males are facing US, with 1 knee lifted and bent in parallel, they sweep both arms up and over their head, ending with fingers pointing out

Interpretation: Devil horn motif position, males could represent devils although never sang in lyrics. Repeated and developed to reinforce significance

Question 9

5. Describe a second gestural movement

Give the interpretation

Answer 9

Movement: 2 of the male dancers are holding hands facing each other, and together ripple the arms up and down 3 times, moving towards DSR

Interpretation: Another greeting gesture, stylised pedestrian handshake, showing male pack and unity, eclectic style range

Question 10

6. Describe a third gestural movement

Give the interpretation

Answer 10

Movement: male in red makes a gun shape with his hands and pretends to shoot each of the other males, who react by erratically falling onto the floor, last one doing an erratic jump. Then slides the ‘guns’ down the fronts of his hips in his satchel

On lyric: “I rode a tank, held a generals rank”

Interpretation: movement and lyrics is a reference to war in Vietnam which took place throughout the 60s

Question 11

7. Describe a fourth gestural movement

Give the interpretation

Answer 11

Movement: 2 of the females positioned US facing DS step forwards onto their heels into a wide second with straight legs, whilst circling their arms over forwards, ending in a parallel point at the audience

On lyric: “I shouted out who killed the Kennedy’s but after all it was you and me”

Interpretation: breaking the fourth wall, directing and accusing this lyric and movement to members of the audience. shows the societal pressure and how there is an obsession with people in the public eye. Socio political

Question 12

8. Describe the movement which is repeated from section 1

Give the interpretation

Answer 12

Movement: Contact work with the female and 2 males, does a round kick and is lowered onto the floor, then in a lift into knee turn. Female crosses one leg over the other leg, whilst hugging her chest

Interpretation: key theme of male chauvinism shown, with female being viewed as inferior

Question 13

9. Describe the movement which is repeated from section 2

Give the interpretation

Answer 13

Movement: all do rocking in towards each other then back out again in male female partnering. Lady Jane does an assisted grande jete towards US, male does balletic sequence and goes to kiss her hand, to which she runs away

Interpretation: Show’s Lady Jane’s rejection of the male, showing the female to have the upper hand and control

Question 14

10. Describe the movement which is repeated from section 3

Give the interpretation

Answer 14

Movement: In unison male and female both do step ball change to SR, wrapping the arms around the body, then a turn into scooping the hand up, leaving the heel placed out, then do rapid ballroom turns towards DSL

Interpretation: Shows the harmony and balance between them, and how now they could live for the moment, and adopted her fun, fast and freeing attitude to life

Question 15

11. Describe the movement which is repeated from section 4

Give the interpretation

Answer 15

Movement: Only repeat the slap, where the outsider female slaps the outsider male across the face, which can be heard by the audience, and the male wobbles off

Interpretation: Shows the female with the upperhand and rejecting the male

Question 16

12. Describe the movement which is repeated from section 5

Give the interpretation

Answer 16

Movement: All 5 females are stood in a horizontal line and throw arms forwards and back, then do the swim, and circle their hips. The male does his erratic sequence travelling laterally across the stage which includes a jete, the pony social dance and his salient position of the off balance tricep stretch

Interpretation: Females are reference to Pan’s people back in dancers to the lead male, and use of social dance

Question 17

13. Describe the movement which is repeated from section 6

Give the interpretation

Answer 17

Movement: Ruby Tuesday comes forwards twiddling her hair and repeats the entire climax from section 6, and all the lifts which follow afterwards

Interpretation: Most exciting, celebratory, catches attention and is memorable, female under spotlight whilst males parade her

Question 18

14. Describe the movement which is repeated from section 7

Give the interpretation

Answer 18

Movement: Male and female are in ballroom hold, then move to stand side by side, and they spin out and in, touch hands and flick kick the leg outwards across the body. Female then falls back onto the floor, holding the males hand who is supporting her

Interpretation: Social dance, male trying to regain control over the female and warning her of what shed have without her wealth

Question 19

15. Describe and explain the final moments of this dance

Answer 19

Movement: The males and females have split across the stage, with the females SL and males SR. The females repeat the movement motifs from section 1 very slowly, whilst the males do various preening gestures. They all stop still in these various gestures, and the alpha male rooster struts back towards CS, he circles his leg outwards, stares looking at the audience, holds his tie and does 1 final sharp head jut to the audience, and the lights go off.

Interpretation: Cyclic end to dance, showing that ultimately the alpha got the last say. It is the final moment of humour, and Bruce makes the male look a bit silly by mocking their sense of authority they thought they had over females in the 1960s.

Question 20

16. Describe how the devil horn motif is developed throughout the section

Give the interpretations

Answer 20

• Development: incorporation
• Movement: After the step ball change side leap onto stage, arms in high v, the 2 males spring from one foot to the other towards each other, with the hands in the devil position
• Interpretation: shows jazz influence, significant repetition
• Development: addition and incorporation
• Movement: When the females are in the horseshoe shape around the alpha male, they swish the skirt from side to side, then slide the foot extended along the floor, then step on it flicking the leg behind them doing the devil horn position above their heads
• Interpretation: They are all mimicking the alpha male, showing they find him attractive, or could be Bruce suggesting the females are the devils an have the upper hand over the male, tormenting and tempting him
• Development: Fragmentation
• Movement: Males twirl the finger around lifting 1 finger up into devil position
• Development: Levels
• Movement: They are on their knees on the floor, and repeat swish of arms into devil position
• Development: Inversion
• Movement: repeat devil fingers with one leg in parallel at the knee, but to the other side

INTERPRETATION: All of the developments are to highlight the importance to the audience so that is remembered and becomes significant

Question 21

17. Describe the movement by the males that is repeated on the chorus to the lyrics “please to meet you, hope you guess my name”

Give the interpretation

Answer 21

Movement: stood in a v shape formation, with the alpha male as the point. They all flick their leg into fifth, perform the elaborate bow gesture, then do 2 walks on straight legs crossing over each other, with arms out to the side. They then turn to the back and and do devil horn position, flicking the leg behind them.

Interpretation: reinforces male gender pack and solidarity, v is quite powerful formation and could show direct narrow social attitudes.

Question 22

18. Describe a movement performed by the alpha male which shows the battle of the sexes

Give the interpretation

Answer 22

Movement: alpha male does a deep plie in second facing US, then he contracts everything in, knocking his knees, his shoulder blades and his elbows, lifting his head backwards. He then skips towards US, and he calls the females onto stage from both sides, beckoning his finger

Interpretation: Male looks bird like and quite silly, Bruce redressing gender balance for males social attitudes. male has the control also, calling the females onto stage.

Question 23

19. Describe an interaction between a male and female

Give the interpretation

Answer 23

Movement: one of the females runs on from sl, and she turns into him, they do rocking in and out movement, and she spins underneath his arm, then they do a lift where the male is leant forwards, holding the females hands, and she leans sideways over his back and clips her legs together before opening them out into a vertical split

On lyric: As every cop is a criminal”

Interpretation: male is still the controlling and manipulative one to the females. Lyric referring to the hypocritical views people have on groups and stereotypes. This phrase is repeated with another male/female partner in a canon a few counts later.

Question 24

20. Describe a movement where the females could be considered to have the upper hand

Give the interpretation

Answer 24

Movement:The females have entered and stood in a little tableau in casual positions watching the males antics. One of the males slides down onto the floor in a jazz split, then pencil rolls on the floor as another male does a parallel pas de chat galloping over male with hands in devil horn position

Interpretation: Females although in the background are looking down on the males and their silly behaviour, as they tussle like animals