GCSE Dance: Christopher Bruce's Shadows Fact File

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the key details, choreography, production elements, and context of Christopher Bruce's Shadows from the AQA GCSE Dance Anthology fact file.

Christopher Bruce

The choreographer of Shadows who trained at the Ballet Rambert School, joined Ballet Rambert in 1963, and later served as its Artistic Director from 1994 to 2002.

Phoenix Dance Theatre

A leading UK contemporary dance company from Leeds, founded in 1981, which premiered Shadows under the artistic direction of Sharon Watson.

Sharon Watson

The Artistic Director appointed to Phoenix Dance Theatre in May 2009 who re-introduced diverse mixed programmes of established and up-and-coming choreographers.

26th November 2014

The date of the premiere performance of Christopher Bruce's Shadows.

Neo-classical (Dance Style)

Christopher Bruce's signature movement style, which is grounded in modern dance techniques combined with classical and contemporary dance language.

Choreographic Approach in Shadows

Christopher Bruce's process of not preparing movement beforehand, collaborating in the studio to let dancers and the 'anxiety of the music' shape material, and using furniture as an intrinsic part of the choreography.

Fratres (Stimulus)

A musical work by Arvo Part for violin and piano that served as the starting stimulus for Shadows, evoking images of European history, suffering, and human experience.

Choreographic Intention of Shadows

To invite the audience into the world of a small family dealing with deprivation, poverty, and an unseen outside force, described as 'a darker work, with a sort-of narrative'.

Dancers in Shadows

4 dancers (2 male and 2 female) performing as a family dynamic of mother, father, son, and daughter.

Duration of Shadows

12 minutes.

Structure of Shadows

A semi-narrative structure arranged into solo, duet, trio, and quartet sections.

Aural Setting of Shadows

A pre-recorded performance of Arvo Part's Fratres (composed in 1977) for violin and piano, played in a minor key with no break in tempo, broken chords, and diatonic scales.

Costumes in Shadows

Gendered 1930s-1940s style attire with muted, worn-down colours and no costume changes, ending with the family putting on shoes and oversized coats for the son and daughter.

John B Read

The lighting designer who created the intimate feeling of 'a room' on stage and used lighting to signal the outside world the family is reluctant to step into.

Performance Environment of Shadows

End stage.

Staging and Set in Shadows

A minimal black-box theatre set representing a kitchen, featuring a drab, worn-looking table, a bench, two stools, a coat stand, and suitcases.