sarah
who is ghost dances choreographed by?
Christopher Bruce
what is the dance about?
ghost dances is a powerful dance that explores themes of loss and rememberance. Inspired by the political turmoil in south America
how many sections is there and what is the structure?
there are 7 sections throughout ghost dances and the structure is called cyclical
what does cyclical structure mean?
cyclical structure also known as episodic means that every section is a cycle
what does palindome mean
palindome is in 7 sections which means it works forwards and backwards
what is mood and atmosphere?
Music and set - what does the music sound like, what does the background look like
what is the background/set design look like in the opening of ghost dances?
the opening of a cave, its dark with bushes and rocks
when was the chilean coup?
1973
when was the premiere
1981
what are 2 main theater arts in ghost dances?
1. costume
2. set design
in section 1 of ghost dances what is the key motif?
The chain dance
what devices are used in section 1
cannon, repetition, unison, contact work
what music is played at the beginning of section 1
None. there is no music. there is silence as a drip falls as creepy like skeletons dance using mainly floor work
after the silence in section 1 what kind of music begins to play and what instruments are used?
Happy and cheerful music is played. instruments such as pan pipes and the guitar.
why does happy music play in section 1
This means the dead are arriving
in section 2 what is the two main movements that are repeated
Spins and Bold plié
in section 2 what happens to the mood and atmosphere once the people die
lighting changes to a yellow/green colour - shows the women being hung.
what happens to the man in section 3 as he is being killed?
he is held in the air, kicking his legs like he is cycling/jolting his legs forward which shows he is struggling - brutal death
after each death what happens?
the music fades, it goes silent, dark and the drip from the beginning appears
what movement is seen in section 4?
tripplet step
what prop is used in section 5
A tie
what step is repeated in section 5
The lama step
what key movement is copied in section 7
The chain dance but slower
what happens at the end of section 7
ghost dancers hide behind the rocks and wait for their next pray (the dead) to pass through like the beginning
If the dance was to continue what would happen?
the cycle would repeat (cyclical structure) the same thing would happen all over again
when was it choreographed
In 1981 in support of the oppression of the south american people
what does his theme relate to
the brutal killings of the innocent including victor jara, during the chilean coup of 1973
when was the chilean coup?
1973
what were the ghost dancers wearing - costume
small skirts (leafs) - cavemen
black and white face pain to represent creepy like skeletons
masks
what were the dead (pray) wearing (women and man)
women- colourful dresses
men- some in suits, peasants, regular clothes.