Key assessment 1 redo

1.1 Describe the group position at the end of the second dance Lady Jane [2 marks]

Lady Jane is stood in the middle of the female dancers, who are in various crouched positions with their arms out surrounding Lady Jane, making a sort of star shape. The male dancers are stood around this shape, and they complete the bowing motif.Lady Jane is stood with her arms up in a sort of open fifth position.

1.2 Describe the transition from the group positions at the end of the second dance Not Fade Away [2 marks]

Lady Jane claps three times on the beat of the music. After the last clap, the dancers split off, with the female dancers going to the left and the male dancers going to the right. They move backwards, almost completing a moonwalk, in time with the music, and the male and female soloist in Not Fade Away break off of the group, moving towards the centre of the stage as the rest of the dancers are almost in the wings.

2 Explain how the character of Lady Jane is reflected in the choreography of the second dance Lady Jane [5 marks]

One element of the character of Lady Jane is that she is flirtatious. This can be seen when the male soloist is dancing with Lady Anne, and Lady Jane is stood with another male dancer. She sticks out her hip towards the male soloist, and the male dancer that she is stood with hits her hip, telling her to stop flirting with him. This can be seen as flirtatious as she knows that he is dancing with another woman, and yet she still tempts him to come back to her and is trying to distract him from her.

Another element of the character of Lady Jane is that she is superior to the others. This can be seen through the lyrics of the song, as he says “I pledge my self to Lady Jane” and “life is secure with Lady Jane”. He keeps mentioning her, even when singing about other women, and he believes that she is better than them as life would be good (secure) with her, and the other women “I must take my leave for promised I am”. This is again highlighted in the final position, as the dancers all surround her, and the men bow down to her, giving her a sense of authority.

3 Explain how the choreographic use of the dancers in the fourth dance As Tears Go By communicates the themes of this dance [5 marks]

In the fourth dance As Tears Go By, the dance focuses on themes of social exclusion and childish behaviour. The theme of social exclusion can be seen when the group of three female dancers are stood in a line, with their arms outstretched, connected to each other. The female soloist attempts to copy them and connect, but instead she drops down to the floor, and the groups moves away from her. This shows rejection as her attempt to “connect” was rejected and she is sad about it.

Another theme shown in this section is childish behaviour. This can be seen both when the male dancers are playfighting, pulling each others ties and pushing them over, as well as when the female soloist spins round with her head back and arms outstretched, moving across the space. This shows the themes of children on a playground as the dancers are acting in a very youthful and carefree way, reminiscent of little children and the spontaneous and impulsive way they would act.

4 Explain how the movement content of the male dancers in the seventh dance Play With Fire communicates features of his personality

In the seventh dance Play With Fire, the main character is shown to be dominant. This can be seen in the motif on the lyric ‘play with fire’, in which he poses with both of his arms bent, flexing his muscles. This suggests that he is strong and powerful, as well as the lyric suggesting that he is dangerous and agressive. Therefore, this displays the male dancer as dominant as he is stronger than the female dancer, who is displayed to be weaker than him.

Another example of how the male dancers personality is shown is that he is shown to be insensitive when he mocks the female. This can be seen when he takes her red feather boa and wraps it round his neck in a self-absorbed manner, and also when he throws it back at her. This is almost done without a second thought, as if he doesn’t really care about the female and just sees her as a person with no thoughts or feelings. She reluctantly takes the boa after and wraps it back round her neck, seeming offended by the male dancers attitude

5 Discuss the similarities and/or differences between the choice of costumes in Rooster and the choice of costumes in one work by a named practitioner from the Rambert Dance Company (formerly Ballet Rambert) 1966-2002 [6 marks]

One example of costumes that are similar to that in Rooster is in Lonely Town, Lonely Street (LTLS) by Robert North. The costumes used int his piece are bright, somewhat casual clothes that were designed to represent people that would live in a run down American town. Some examples of this are a red t shirt and blue denim overalls worn by a male dancer and a bright blue sleeveless dress worn by a female dancer. These are similar to the costumes worn in Rooster due to their colourful and similar to ordinary clothes nature- the men in Rooster wear brightly coloured shirts, suits and ties, and the women mostly wear a black dress with red box pleats (however this changes to a black dress with a red scarf in Paint It Black and a long red flowy dress in Ruby Tuesday). This is reminiscent of clothes that ordinary people would wear, which helps to display the chatracter that the dancers are playing as regular people- in LTLS as regular people in a big city in America and in Rooster as people in the 60s in the UK.

An example of how the costumes are different in Rooster and in LTLS is the era that the costumes are based upon. In Rooster, the costumes are based upon 60s fashions, such as the use of psychedelic colours to represent the fashions and use of psychedelic substances at the time, as well as elements such as the miniskirt, popularised by Twiggy, shown in the costumes for Paint It Black. These costumes were selected to highlight the theme of the swinging 60s. However in contrast, the costumes in LTLS are less era-specific, but can be seen to reflect clothes typical of the 1970s and 80s. An example of this is the res boiler suit worn by one of the female dancers, which was very popular at the time as a comfortable option to wear on an everyday basis.

6 Examine the stylistic features of the Rambert Dance Company (formerly Ballet Rambert) during the period 1966 to 2002 [25 marks]

Rambert Dance Company was founded in 1926 by Marie Rambert and was a cornerstone of British contemporary dance. The company is known for the use of a highly theatrical, interdisciplinary style focussed on collaboration in dance, music and design. In 1966, they had a major artistic shift under the direction of Norman Morrice, when Rambert transitioned from a classical ballet company to a modern dance company, taking strong influence from Graham technique and inviting many choreographers such as Glen Tetley and Siobhan Davies, and developing a diverse repertoire. Today, Rambert is recognised as a flagship British contemporary dance company, redefining what contemporary dance can be while honouring its historical roots.

A stylistic feature of Rambert Dance Company is a range of subject matters. One example of this is Robert North’s piece Lonely Town, Lonely street, which explores real-world themes such as loneliness, social exclusion and the struggles of life in a run down American city. In sharp contrast, Richard Alston’s piece Soda Lake focuses on themes of isolation and the vast stillness of the desert. This is partially due to the differences in stimuli- LTLS used the music and the idea of a lonely person in a big city, whereas the stimulus for Soda lake was the sculpture by Nigel Hall. LTLS was a more relatable subject matter, allowing the audience to connect with the piece, however Soda Lake is more abstract and formalist, taking a different approach to dance. This helped shape the company’s identity during 1966-2002 by creating a diverse array of pieces that showcase different themes and subject matter, creating something for every audience and exploring different facets of choreography.

Another stylistic feature of Rambert is a range of dance and movement styles. Rambert was known for the integration of classical ballet and contemporary styles, with each artistic director bringing in their own style. For example, Christopher Bruce used influences from Graham technique, ballet and pedestrian movements, as well as social dances, which can be seen in section 5 Paint it Black in Rooster, which utilised Lindy Hop and Jive to showcase the theme of the swinging 60s. Richard Alston influences the country when he came into the position of artistic Director, by removing the training of Graham technique, replacing it with Cunningham, and increasing the number of contemporary classes that the dancers took. A key example of Cunningham technique in his work was in Wildlife, which shows the curvature of the spine and use of straight arms and legs through the warrior motif and throughout the piece. This contributed to Rambert’s growth as a contemporary company as the increased amount of training in contemporary dance styles created the development of more contemporary pieces and a more cohesive repertoire.

A third stylistic feature of Rambert is diverse use of aural setting. Aural setting often acts as a key stimulus for the creation of world (such as in Ghost Dances by Christopher Bruce and Death and the Maiden by Robert North), and is very diverse across the companies repertory. For example, in some pieces like LTLS and Rooster by Christopher Bruce, pop/RnB music is used, which allows for a greater audience connection with the works, in some classical pieces are used such as in DATM by Robert North, and in some pieces like Soda Lake by Richard Alston, the aural setting consists of silence, with the only sounds being heard being the footsteps and breathing of the dancer. Each artistic director promoted collaboration with musicians, which led to the creation of music from various different styles and genres. This enabled Rambert to create a wide ranging repertoire, which allowed for greater audience connection and exploration of different genres.

A fourth stylistic feature of Rambert dance company is cross over and collaboration with different art forms. A key example of this is in Soda Lake and Wildlife, in which Richard Alston collaborates with sculptor Nigel Hall and Richard Smith respectively. The sculptures (of the kites in wildlife and the rod and hoop in Soda Lake) led to the creation of movements, such as in the section Tracing The Shapes in Soda Lake, in which the dancer traces the shape of the hoop and rod with their arms. The use of collaboration with other art forms can also be seen in the creation of music- Alston collaborated with Nigel Osbourne to create the music using recordings of traditional cultural instruments and sounds production. Another example is Ghost Dances, in which music originally by Inti-Illimani was played live. This gave an interdisciplinary aspect to the works produced, influencing the contemporary dance scene at the time.

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