Comprehensive Study Notes: Rambert Dance Company and Associated Works

Artistic Policy of Rambert Dance Company

• Foundational Philosophy: The future of the ballet company is viewed as depending partly on its past and partly on its present.
• Preservation of Heritage: Despite being "new in form" at various stages, the company strives to preserve works from the past that constitute its artistic heritage.
• Encouraging New Creations: The policy explicitly encourages the creation and presentation of works by both established and apprenticeship choreographers, composers, and designers.
• Exploration of Movement: It is intended that the group serves as a vehicle for choreographers to explore the classical tradition of ballet alongside other techniques of movement considered relevant to the present and future development of dance in theatre.
• Adaptability: The policy states that a company cannot stand still if it is to safeguard its past labors and present efforts, aiming to reach any audience willing to share "the act of theatre known to the world as ballet."

Characteristic Features of Rambert Dance Company

• Education and Outreach: A primary focus is placed on dance education and outreach specifically for young people.
• Three-Strand Collaborative Approach: Choreography is approached through the integration of three strands: Dance, Design, and Music (utilizing a live orchestra where possible).
• Bridging Genres: The company acts as a bridge between the worlds of ballet and contemporary dance.
• Evolutionary Nature: The company aims to remain at the forefront of contemporary dance in Britain by evolving and treating all dance styles with equal importance.
• Organizational Equality: There is no hierarchy within the company; each dancer is considered equal.
• International Outlook: The company works with international choreographers such as Glen Tetley, Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, and Trisha Brown.
• Internal Development: The company actively encourages choreographers to emerge from within its own ranks, with Christopher Bruce cited as a key example.

Influences on Marie Rambert

• Eurythmics: Marie Rambert studied eurythmics with Emile Jaques-Dalcroze for $3$ years. This discipline uses bodily movements to represent musical rhythms.
• Ballets Russes: Invited by Sergei Diaghilev to assist Vaslav Nijinsky and his dancers with the complex rhythms of Stravinsky’s music. This period fostered her love for classical ballet. She worked with them for one season and left following Nijinsky’s dismissal.
• Isadora Duncan: After seeing her perform in $1904$, Duncan inspired Marie to dance professionally. Duncan’s influence involved breaking away from conventional classical ballet techniques to explore new movement possibilities.

Movement Techniques and Principles

• Graham Technique:     * Principles: Contraction, Release, and Spirals.     * Core Belief: The torso is the seat of all emotion.     * Style: Expressionist (designed to show emotion).
• Post-Modern Dance:     * Context: A reaction against the compositional and presentational constraints of previous modern dance generations.     * Key Features: Hails everyday movement as valid performance art, advocates for unconventional composition, and is highly experimental.     * Attitude: Rejects conventional attitudes about choreography.
• Cunningham Technique:     * Principles: Strengthening, flexibility, spatial awareness, and rhythmic accuracy.     * Music-Dance Relationship: Music and dance are not in direct correlation; they mutually co-exist.     * Philosophy: "Dance for dance's sake."     * Movement Focus: Tilts, curves, and twists of the torso.

Key Historical Timeline (Pre-1966)

• $1888$: Marie Rambert born in Warsaw, Poland.
• $1904$: Saw a performance by Isadora Duncan.
• $1909$: Studies eurythmics/dance in Paris.
• $1912$: Assisted Vaslav Nijinsky for "Le Sacre du Printemps."
• $1912$--$1914$: Worked with the Ballets Russes.
• $1914$: Moved to London, working as a tutor and soloist.
• $1920$: Opened a school of dancing in Bedford Gardens.
• $1923$: Invited Frederick Ashton to train with her.
• $1926$: Performed in "A Tragedy of Fashion" (Ashton's first work), marking the birth of the company.
• $1930$: Company known as "The Ballet Club"; became a full-time touring company.
• $1931$: The Ballet Club performed regularly at the Mercury Theatre.
• $1935$: First performances under the name Ballet Rambert.
• $1939$--$1945$: War changed tastes; performances at Mercury Theatre moved more toward ballet.
• $1946$: Performances at Sadler’s Wells Theatre.
• $1958$: Norman Morrice became resident choreographer and created his first work.
• $1962$: Performance of "Don Quixote" and other classical ballets; Norman Morrice went to America to study with Martha Graham.

Key Historical Timeline (Post-1966 Reform)

• $1966$: Reorganization led by Norman Morrice as Associate Artistic Director.     * The company was reduced to $18$ dancers.     * Dancers were trained in both classical and contemporary (Graham-based) techniques.     * Hierarchical structure was abolished; no principal dancers, only soloists of equal status.     * Three Aims Created (May $1966$):         1. Encourage new works by new and established choreographers.         2. Preserve master works constituting the artistic heritage.         3. Give regular seasons in London and tour the provinces and abroad.     * Timebase premiered (Chesworth's first work).
• $1967$: American choreographers (Anna Sokolow, Glen Tetley) invited. The "Tetley Season" was held due to high popularity.
• $1968$: Premiere of Norman Morrice’s 1-2-3 (designs by Nadine Baylis).
• $1969$: Christopher Bruce created George Frideric; Morrice premiered Blindsight.
• $1970$: Norman Morrice became Artistic Director; John Chesworth became Associate Artistic Director. Premiere of Bertram Batell’s Side Show for young people.
• $1971$: Premiere of Morrice’s That is the Show.
• $1974$: John Chesworth appointed Artistic Director; created Project 6354/9116 Mk2.
• $1975$: Prue Skene became Associate Director; Robert North’s Running Figures premiered.
• $1977$: Premiere of Cruel Garden (directed by Christopher Bruce and Lindsay Kemp). Bertram Batell’s Side Show aired on BBC2.
• $1978$: Chesworth directed experimental film Dancers (collaboration with Derek Hart and Yutaka Yamazaki).
• $1980$: Christopher Bruce appointed Associate Choreographer; Richard Alston appointed Resident Choreographer (Bell High premiered).
• $1981$: Robert North appointed Artistic Director; promote diversity, musicality, and dramatic quality.
• $1986$: Richard Alston appointed Artistic Director; company became more formalist.
• $1987$: Name changed to Rambert Dance Company.
• $1992$: Alston left due to recession; company returned to more accessible works.
• $1994$: Christopher Bruce appointed Artistic Director; "relaunched" the company with $25$ dancers.
• $2002$: Mark Baldwin appointed Artistic Director.

Artistic Directors and Leadership Profiles

Norman Morrice ($1966$--$1974$)

• Instigated the transition to a modern dance company.
• Introduced equal status for all dancers.
• Brought in Glen Tetley to shape the repertoire toward abstract expressionism.
• Incorporated Graham technique into the training program.
• Reconstructed historical master works while embracing new movement trends.
• Started choreographic workshops to nurture internal talent.

John Chesworth ($1974$--$1980$)

• Continued Morrice’s policies but focused on increased theatricality and expressionist works with dramatic undertones.
• Forged links with the Central School of Art for stage designs.
• Instrumental in developing educational outreach in schools.

Robert North ($1981$--$1986$)

• Encouraged "cross-fertilization" with the London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS).
• Introduced eclectic styles including populist jazz and Tai-chi.
• Focused heavily on the direct link between music and dance.

Richard Alston ($1986$--$1992$)

• Consolidated Cunningham influence and prioritized abstract, formalist works.
• Removed Graham training in favor of pure Cunningham technique.
• Collaborated with post-modern creators like Lucinda Childs and Siobhan Davies.

Christopher Bruce ($1994$--$2002$)

• Revitalized the company after a period of decline and unrest.
• Hired a mix of $25$ dancers from classical and contemporary backgrounds.
• Balanced experimental new works with company classics.
• Oversaw the creation of $50$ new works, with $40$ premiered at Rambert.

Robert North: Biography and Artistic Context

• Training: Studied architecture at Central School of Art ($1963$); Ballet at Royal Ballet School ($1965$--$67$); Contemporary/Jazz at London Contemporary Dance Theatre ($1966$).
• Career Highlights: Founding member of LCDS ($1967$); studied with Martha Graham and Cunningham in America ($1968$--$69$).
• Key Works: Running Figures ($1975$), Lonely Town Lonely Street ($1981$), Pribaoutki ($1982$), Scriabin Preludes ($1982$), Death and the Maiden ($1984$), Entre Dos Aguas ($1984$).
• Influences: Martha Graham, Classical Ballet, Jazz (Matt Mattox), Art, and Music.

Detailed Analysis: Lonely Town Lonely Street (LTLS)

• Stimulus: A lonely person in a big city; music by Bill Withers; a run-down North American neighborhood.
• Themes: Isolation, rejection, drug abuse, poverty, and the search for purpose.
• Structure: $7$ episodic sections ($1$. Lonely Town Lonely Street, $2$. Another Day to Run, $3$. Let Me in Your Life, $4$. I Don’t Want You on My Mind, $5$. Who is He and What is He to You, $6$. Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone, $7$. You).
• Dancers: $8$ young people ($4$ male, $4$ female).
• Aural Setting: RnB/pop by Bill Withers (recorded). Used to attract younger audiences and unconventional for contemporary dance at the time.
• Set (Andrew Storer): Realistic imagery of an urban ghetto: fire escape, grill restaurant, broken car, concrete floor with litter, bicycle wheel, and graffiti. Scaffolding suggests an ever-changing city.
• Costumes (Andrew Storer): Worn-down $1980$s casual wear (brightly colored jumpsuits, trousers, shirts) to stand out against the dull set.
• Movement Examples and Analysis:     * Corridor Walk: Six dancers create a narrow corridor; a male and female walk through without connecting. Analysis: Represents the crowded but isolating nature of city life.     * Loneliness Motif: Female runs to a "wall" of seven dancers with backs turned. She touches them, they don't react; she performs a slow-motion run. Analysis: Suggests rejection and loss of energy to connect.     * Heart Touch: On "Please don't push me away," female touches male's heart and then rushes away. Analysis: Fear of intimacy and breaking the moment.     * Direct Correlation: Dancers walk in a grid-like formation on counts of $4$. Analysis: Represents the mundane, repetitive cycle of neighborhood life.

Detailed Analysis: Death and the Maiden (DATM)

• Stimulus: Schubert’s music and the poem Death and the Girl by Matthias Claudius.
• Themes: Death, fear, resistance, and acceptance.
• Dancers: Total of $9$ ($1$ male as Death, $1$ female as Maiden, $5$ women, and $4$ men as friends).
• Aural Setting: Schubert’s String Quartet in D Minor performed by two violins, one viola, and one cello. The minor key establishes a depressive mood.
• Set: Bare stage with a plain cyclorama to emphasize the bleakness of the afterlife.
• Lighting: Cold wash (symbolizing the coldness of death). Side lighting in duets creates shadows that "dehumanize" dancers, making them look like ghosts. A final spotlight signifies heaven or the all-encompassing nature of death.
• Costumes: Simple black and grey shades. Women in leotards and full-length skirts; floatiness represents youth and vulnerability.
• Movement Analysis (Section 1 - Premonitions):     * The Bow: Dancers bow to the back, then front, in unison. Analysis: Suggests respect for death or a somber attempt to ignore it.     * Flailing Gestures: Sharp slicing and swinging arms. Analysis: Symbolizes the sudden, sharp nature of death and the panic of the dying.     * Falling: Simultaneous collapse to the floor. Analysis: Portrays death as inevitable and sudden.     * Crescent Scythe: Females lifted by males in arched shapes. Analysis: Mirrors medieval imagery of the Grim Reaper.
• Movement Analysis (Section 2 - Conversations):     * Two-Dimensional Pose: Death stands tall; Maiden crouches in a contracted position. Analysis: Establishes the power dynamic of Death’s inevitability.     * Soothing Movement: Death sways the Maiden back and forth. Analysis: Suggests the Maiden giving in and accepting her fate; Death as a "protector" taking her into the afterlife.     * Blocking Senses: Death covers the Maiden's ears and eyes. Analysis: Represents death stripping away the senses and the unexpectedness of the end.

Richard Alston: Artistic Style and "Wildlife"

• Background: Heavily influenced by fine art and theatre design. Introduced Cunningham and Release techniques to Rambert.
• Wildlife ($1984$) - General Information:     * Collaboration between Alston, Nigel Osborne (Music), and Richard Smith (Design).     * Set Design: Two enormous colored fabric "kites" (mobiles) on silver rods. They move, obscure dancers, and create a "mysterious habitat."     * Costumes: Vividly colored bodysuits (pink, blue, green, yellow) with geometric markings. Dancers are described as "brightly plumed creatures of nature."     * Music: Small ensemble featuring African mbira, Inuit singing, and Western strings/brass. Includes a "shivering" flexatone sound.
• Wildlife - Movement Motifs:     * Crouch Motif: Parallel legs, upper body bent, arm pointing to floor. Analysis: Suggests unidentified creatures in a wilderness.     * Warrior Motif: Arabesque on plié with flexed overhead palm. Analysis: Conveys power and defense.     * Tribal Unison: Hip-twisting and stamping. Analysis: References African tribal dance, showing community and individuality.     * Final Tableau: Dancers interlock to form a "knot." Analysis: Inspired by a Romanesque frieze; represents species unity.

Richard Alston: "Soda Lake"

• Stimulus: Nigel Hall’s $1968$ sculpture of the Mojave Desert.
• Structure: Four sections: The Awakening, Tracing the Shapes, Major Section, and Epilogue.
• Aural Setting: Performed in total silence; only breath and footfalls are audible.
• Movement Highlights:     * Sentinel Position: Kneeling with one arm propping the torso and the other extended. Analysis: Symbolizes looking over territory; influenced by Martha Graham’s Frontiers.     * Big Swan/Bird: Side-stage lunge with arms overhead like wings. Analysis: Represents freedom within the open desert space.     * Tracing Shapes: Dancer uses an ellipse arm shape or slides down the vertical rod of the sculpture. Analysis: Merges the dancer with the landscape/art piece.

Christopher Bruce: Background and "Rooster"

• Early Training: Joined Rambert School in $1959$ at age $13$. Became Artistic Director in $1994$ to save the company from closure.
• Rooster ($1991$/$1994$) - General Information:     * Stimulus: Music by The Rolling Stones; the "Swinging Sixties"; courtship and male chauvinism.     * Structure: Eight episodic sections (Little Red Rooster, Lady Jane, Not Fade Away, As Tears Go By, Paint it Black, Ruby Tuesday, Play with Fire, Sympathy for the Devil).
• Core Motifs:     * Rooster Strut: Feet slide, head/neck jut forward. Mimics cockerels patrolling a farm.     * Grooming Gestures: Adjusting ties, slicking hair, straightening cuffs. Analysis: Shows the self-absorbed nature of the "dandy" males.     * Wing Arms: Hands on shoulders, flapping elbows.
• Costumes: Men wear colorful velvet jackets ($1960$s dandy style). Women wear black dresses with red pleats (modesty) or miniskirts (Paint it Black).
• Section Breakdown:     * Lady Jane: Uses European courtly dance (minuet). Features three duets showing the male's preference for Jane over Anne and Marie.     * Not Fade Away: Jive and Lindy Hop elements. A celebratory nightclub atmosphere.     * Paint It Black: Female empowerment; the male is outnumbered and tormented by three women in miniskirts with red scarves.     * Ruby Tuesday: Hippie era influence. Female is barefoot, reflecting a free spirit. Male quartet acts as backing dancers.     * Sympathy for the Devil: Male soloist acts as the Devil (using finger-horns). Summarizes previous themes and ends with a bow, showing the spread of "evil."

Christopher Bruce: "Ghost Dances"

• Stimulus: The $1973$ Chilean coup (Pinochet), human rights, and the music of Inti-Illimani.
• Characters:     * Ghost Dancers: Three skeleton-like figures in skull masks. They are "birds and lizards as well as men."     * The Dead: Ordinary people in diverse South American clothing representing different social classes.
• Key Sections:     * Section 1 (Opening): Ghost dancers slither and jump like vultures (condors). The Dead enter gazing blankly.     * Section 3 (Dolencias): A sorrowful duet representing the "Disappeared." Features a "searching run" and "heartbroken sob" gesture.     * Section 6 (Sicuriadas): A climax with a "farandole" chain-dance. Defines a mood of defiance and hop against oppression.     * Section 7 (Ojos Azules): The Ghost Dancers pass through the victims, who crumple. The Dead exit in a stylized, shuffling walk.
• Design Details:     * Set: Rocky cave mouth (the Styx or the valley of the shadow of death).     * Costumes: Ghost dancers wear body paint outlining bones and rags with turkey feathers. The Dead wear dishevelled suits and dresses, representing their trauma.