PHYSICAL SETTING Revelations Cross Channel
With reference to at least two professional works, discuss the use of physical setting in communicating the themes of a dance. (20 marks)
Physical setting within a dance is extremely important and contributes in the communication of themes being portrayed. Physical setting not only includes the location or set of the dance, but the costumes, lighting, properties and how it’s presented as a whole (whether it’s a film or on stage). Two good examples that portray physical setting being used in different ways to communicate the themes are Revelations by Alvin Ailey in 1960 and Cross Channel by Lea Anderson in 1992.
The dance Revelations uses several different themes of oppression, freedom, survival and fortitude. Revelations is performed in a proscenium arch which is the area of a theatre surrounding the stage and was based on Ailey’s life as a whole. In the section Sinner Man, three men dance to a song that talks about the sins that men have made historically in the Bible, being trapped and cannot escape Sinner man is trying to hide himself, he is trying to avoid the truth, but he cannot hide, since the rock won’t help him, the river can’t help him, the sea cannot help him, Even the Lord tells him to go to the devil, who has been waiting all day. The Lord cannot help the sinner man, unless the sinner man admits his actions. The stage is bare, allowing the audience to recognize the details of the movement content and clearly see the linear formations used in the sections, which are typical of Jazz Technique. In Sinner Man, red lighting is projected onto the red backdrop to give a hot red glow, enhancing images of purgatory and hell. The floor is lit by a simple blue wash that contrasts with the red backdrop, allowing the dancers black leg lines to stand out. Side lighting is used to enhance muscular definition of the torso, most notably in numerous contractions seen, supporting the inner pain felt by all three sinners. On the simple red backdrop, there is a minimal
Physical setting within a dance is extremely important and contributes in the communication of themes being portrayed. Physical setting not only includes the location or set of the dance, but the costumes, lighting, properties and how it’s presented as a whole (whether it’s a film or on stage). Two good examples that portray physical setting being used in different ways to communicate the themes are Revelations by Alvin Ailey in 1960 and Cross Channel by Lea Anderson in 1992.
The dance Revelations uses several different themes of oppression, freedom, survival and fortitude. Revelations is performed in a proscenium arch which is the area of a theatre surrounding the stage and was based on Ailey’s life as a whole. In the section Sinner Man, three men dance to a song that talks about the sins that men have made historically in the Bible, being trapped and cannot escape Sinner man is trying to hide himself, he is trying to avoid the truth, but he cannot hide, since the rock won’t help him, the river can’t help him, the sea cannot help him, Even the Lord tells him to go to the devil, who has been waiting all day. The Lord cannot help the sinner man, unless the sinner man admits his actions. The stage is bare, allowing the audience to recognize the details of the movement content and clearly see the linear formations used in the sections, which are typical of Jazz Technique. In Sinner Man, red lighting is projected onto the red backdrop to give a hot red glow, enhancing images of purgatory and hell. The floor is lit by a simple blue wash that contrasts with the red backdrop, allowing the dancers black leg lines to stand out. Side lighting is used to enhance muscular definition of the torso, most notably in numerous contractions seen, supporting the inner pain felt by all three sinners. On the simple red backdrop, there is a minimal