Swansong (1987) By Christopher Bruce Flashcards
When was this dance first made and who for?
1987 for English National Ballet
When was this first performed by Rambert?
1995 under Bruce’s own directorship
Who was the music composer?
Philip Chambon
Who was the lighting director?
David Mohr
Who was the set and costume designer?
Christopher Bruce himself
What is the costume?
-the prisoner is dressed in blue jeans and a red t-shirt
-the guards are dressed in khaki coloured trousers and shirts. They have no insignia so that the theme of the dance can be applied to any political situation in any place/era
-the costumes don’t denote gender as remain the same when roles are played with women and men
-costume also reveals status as guards are dressed in a uniform showing their authority
What is the lighting?
-there are 2 lighting states used: 1. A blue wash which lights the trio sections 2. A tunnel of light from USL, possibly a prison window,shining diagonally DS creating a path for the victim to travel along and often focuses towards on the chair
-this lighting sets the mood of the prison giving a dark un-inviting claustrophobic feel
What is the set design?
-set used throughout the entire piece is a black box, creating a prison cell
-only element of set is the 1 ladder back chair, which remains on stage the whole time. The chair is of great significance to the victim and his ever changing relationship to it, reflecting his state of mind
-guards always enter and exit from stage right suggesting this is where the door is
What is the aural setting?
-music was composed for this dance after the choreography instead of it already existing and being chosen
-it’s an eclectic score which included digitally reproduced sounds from original sound scores like metal pans, and wind instruments
What is the subject matter?
-About a prisoner of conscience, who is anyone imprisoned because of their race, orientation, religion or political view
-it’s a universal theme alllowing it to be interpreted anywhere, anytime, and can infer own meaning to it
-one of the sources for the theme was the novel ‘A Man’ by Oriana Fallaci, describing torture and interrogation
Why was this an appropriate last dance for Bruce during this time period?
A swan song is your last thing/ act before death, but for Bruce this is was his death as a dancer making the decision to fully pursue choreographing
Give a movement which shows interrogation, give the interpretation
-From section 1, the guards interrogate the prisoner in several ways, first with their tap sound doing a shuffle dig crossing the foot over. Then the eclectic blend of styles like vaudeville where they do ball heel walks with the hands out in front of them, prisoner does a acrobatic cartwheel over the chair then lifting it up and spins towards the guards to defend himself.
-interpretation: this eclectic range of styles just in section 1 shows he is being interrogated from all angles and develops in severity. Although the interrogation is intense the vaudeville movement is quite humorous
Give a movement example which shows imprisonment and freedom, give the interpretation
-in section 7 the guards realised they killed the prisoner but feel no sad emotions towards this, just annoyance and inconvenience. They remain looking down at the chair where the prisoner died, but his spirit is shown. He does a big hop with his legs bent in attitude circling his arms, travelling up towards the light coming from USL
-he looks like a bird or angel, implying the prisoner is now free and not in pain, and has reached heaven
Give a movement example which shows the use of physical setting and how this is apart of Bruce’s choreographic style
-in section 5 the prisoner stands on the single ladder back chair trying to find freedom, then traps his feet in the bars like it’s shackles, he carries is on his back like it’s his burden, and he holds the ladder back in front of his face so it looks like prison bars, with his focus always directed up to the light
-this empty bare stage and symbolic use of a prop is Bruce’s choreographic style and emphasise how little the prisoner has
Give a movement which shows the commedia dell’arte
-in section 2 the 2 guards put a red nose on the prisoner sat on the chair, humiliating him, whilst the guards put caps on showing their authority. Whilst he’s sat with the nose on the guards get into a ballroom hold and spin towards the prisoner, the one lies across the others back
-they are embarrassing him, making fun of his sexuality potentially
