GCSE Dance Swansong

First performed on 12th April 1995.

Staged in a proscenium arch theatre.

The choreography was created by Christopher Bruce.

Some of the dance styles used are contempory and tap.

The stimulus for the dance is prisoner of conscience. Which is someone who is imprisoned because of their religion, race or political views.

The dance is a trio involving a prisoner and two gards.

The music was composed by Philip Chambon.

The music was composed purely for the use of Swangsong and was digitally created.

He created it after each section had been choreographed. 

The costumes were desighned by Christopher Bruce.

The costumes are made to be timeless and universal meaning it can be shown any were at any time and the audience can connect with it. 

The prisoner is wearing blue high wated elasticated jeans, a red short sleeve T-Shirt tucked in and tap shoes on his feet. His clothes are tight enough to show the lines of the body and yet loose enough to allow ease of movement. 

The guards are wearing dark brown trousers, a browny/green short sleeve military stile shirt with two bockets eather side and tap shoes on their feet. They are figures of authority and they wear the same thing to look like a team.

The lighting was done by David Mohr.

It represents a dark, claustrophobic room. There are lights coming from the floor to make eerie shadows of the dancers. 

When the prisoner is alone there is a shaft of light coming from the the diagonal upstage left. This could prepresent freedom, hope or heaven when the prisoner dies, or even more practicall it could just be an open window. 

The set was desighned by Christopher Bruce.

The backdrop and stage is black and only visual clue is a sturdy wooden chair placed down stage right. 

The stage is always bare, interigators always entre and exit from same side of stage (right) which gives the impression a door is there. 

The chair is used as many things, a seat, a weapon and a shield. They also use other props such as a cigarette, lighter, red clown nose and canes.