Swansong

Choreographer: Christopher Bruce

Danced by: Rambert Dance Company

composer: philip chambon

the two interogators wear matching khaki outfits, smart trousers and short sleaved shirts. the matching outfits show that they are in uniform and their smart shirts and trousers show their status

the victim wears blue jean style trousers and a red t-shirt. the jeans show that he is wearing casual and show that he is inferor to the interogators. the red t-shirt also shows casual and could also symbolise anger.

the dance idea for swansong is inprisonment and the ledgend of swansong.

dance styles:

jazz dance, tap dance, soft shoe (similar to tap dance), muisc hall (19th century entertainment)

the acompaniment for swansong is a digitaly manipulated sound score, many of the sounds where origionaly birdsong that have been digitaly manipulated. sections of the dance are performed to silence or found sound (sound produced on stage, clapping or soft shoe)

part of section 1 and sections 2,6,7 where choreographed to specific counts but the others can be intepereted more freely

the set design for swansong is black box, the dance is performed on a blank stage with no scenery, the wall is plain black. this simplistic set design allows the audience to use its one imagination to place the dance. the dance could be many different situations

a chair remains on stage for the whole dance. it is used as a weapon, a seat, a phycologiac place for saftey, a shield, and for symbols such as prison bars, shackles and a burden. other props are used in the dance, in section 2, a red nose, hats and a cigarette. in the cane dance canes are used

there is one light USL, this changes brightness througout the dance, it represents freedom and could symbolise a window in a prison cell. there is low floor lighting for the whole dance

1. Questions and Answers- the interogators do a Q and A sequence, they treat the victim like a puppet, they cant get the answers out of the victim so they start to mock him. the music gets louder as the victim gets more frustrated

2. Tea for Two- the interogators put a red nose on the victim to mock him. the victim tries to get back to his chair, his safe haven. one of the interogators starts to take the victims nose off and holds it as if he is going to ping it in his face. at the end the intogtor is smoking to show that he has luxuries

3. victims first solo- the victim is dancing alone, he is drawn towards the light in the corner which is now stronger but keeps being drawn back to the chair, he doesnt know whether he would rather have freedom or safety

4. Slow Trio-the interogators are teasing the victim by not letting him have the chair, thy put the chair out for him but then take it away so that he falls on hte floor, they are trying to frustrate the victim and make fun of him

5. Victims second solo- this section uses lots of imergary which the chair such as the panels on the back of the chair as prison bars and carrying the chair on his back as if he is a slave or carrying the world on his back. there is no accompaniment so the dance seems very tense and the dance seems like a struggle and the movements are very slow

6. The cane dance- the interrogators have a weasel like quality in their movements, the seems very lsy. this section appears to be comedy because of the music, but the victim tries to defend himself, and collapses at the end as if he might be dead

7. final solo- this section is very fluid, the interogators are standing still as if time has stopped, this suggest that the dancer is now the victims spirit and at the end he exits USL where the light is