Section One Flashcards
Name?
Little Red Rooster
Movement on ‘I am the little red rooster’ - what does it show?
He flaps his arms whilst holding onto his jacket, on the second flap releases his leg into an attitude, splaying arms out in a circle. His mouth is open as if crowing.
- misogyny and peacocking men of the 60s.
Movement on ‘Hounds begin to howl’ - what does it show?
Lifts his arms up slowly to the side until above head in a V. On ‘begin’ he drops his left knee in an Elvis fashion.
- pop culture
- the beginning of questioning the morality and politics of post war America
- musical tastes began to reflect this unrest.
How is male chauvinism shown in this section?
Centre stage slides to the floor ending on the stomach. He circles his left leg towards his body and looks at it mimicking a dog.
- animalistic nature of male chauvinism.
How is space used in this section?
Beginning performed in the bottom right quarter of the stage, inside an arc of roosters. Second motif is slightly closer to the arc of the roosters. Towards the end of the dance the woman enters from USL through the rooster wall and initiates an exit stage right for roosters
(women intruding into the men’s space - gender war).
Why does only one rooster start the dance?
The fact that only the main dancer dances at the beginning references the technological revolution as they are observing similarly to how they would watch a famous person e.g. elvis.
Describe the rooster strut:
sharp deliberate movements. A stylised walk for the men in which the toes of one foot slide along the floor, the head and neck jutting forward, and the rest of the dancer’s body is pulled towards the outstretched extremities.
What does the rooster strut show? What else can it link too within the constituent features?
- Shows aggression towards women and mirrors how peacocks move.
- This also links to costume as they were velvet jackets and clashing colourful shirts/ties.
- shows individuality, vibrant/psychedelic prints as hippie movement gathers pace (60s dandy).
Describe an interaction between the male and female dancers.
Female dancers grabs hold of his left leg with both hands (begging position), he then knees her and she rolls away. He rooster struts aways and fixes ties. As he fixes his tie and looks at her she walks past him calmly. This could suggest the resilience of women in a man’s world/ empowerment. He walks briskly away seemingly irritated with a lethargic quality, suggesting the male frustration of women’s denial of subordination.
What is the female costume? What context can it link to?
sleeveless black dresses, skirt falls above knee, box pleats red inserts, high neckline and jazz shoes. Shows lack of identity and freedom. Contraceptive pill was only for married people, creating lack of autonomy for unmarried women whereas Mary Quant popularised the miniskirt which was designed to be free and liberating. Gave them more playful and youthful clothes to wear.
How is the aural setting?
- Little Red Rooster by the Rolling Stones
- Blues style
- Electric Guitar and Harmonica
- Opening takes place in silence
- The follows flow of music using direct correlation
How does the music correlate to movement? Give an example.
As the male dancer enters sliding forward step by step on a lunge, with arms placed hanging in front of the dancer whilst creating a jolting movement with his head, the guitar cues in and the dancer falls back onto the foot behind him
How does the lighting change in this section?
Lighting changes when first female dancers walk on to a yellow wash which contrasts original more harsh white wash linking to elvis.
