Examples of How Set Can Communicate the Dance's Ideal Concept

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Examples of How Set Can Communicate the Dance's Ideal Concept

When a dance piece is created, it is not just the choreography of the

steps that needs to be considered. To make a successful piece, firstly

a starting point needs to be found, this can be anything ranging from

an emotion, an animal, or even someone's journey to work or school.

When this has been decided upon, there are five main areas that need

to be concentrated on. These are; costume, music, set, lighting and

choreography. These different fields of the dance cannot be considered

separate, nor is there a rank of importance; all five areas need to be

created together. They compliment each other, and grow together to

form the piece. In this essay I am going to focus on the importance of

just one of these factors, the set. Using examples from professional

dance works I am going to discuss how the set successfully

communicates the dance's ideal concept.

The first dance work I am going to use as an example, is from "Still

Life at the Penguin Café" choreographed by David Bintley and designed

by Hayden Griffin. I have chosen to discuss the set in the first scene

of the performance, "The Great Auk". There are two sections to this

scene, the first section being a representation of the Great Auk's

habitat, the second being a busy café, run by penguins as waiters and

sophisticated women as customers. The set for the first section is

simple but effective. The stage has a black backdrop, covering the

whole stage wall, and a smaller screen on wheels centre stage. This

screen is roughly 7ft tall and a vertical rectangle. On it an icy

landscape is painted. It shows ice and sea, using white and icy blue

colours. It shows an image of the penguin's habitat. It lets the

audience know a bit about the penguin's background and what it has to

deal with in life. This is very effective as it communicates the

meaning of the piece, showing that life for this creature is hard.

This piece of se is also very useful within the piece, as the dancers

use it as an added entrance. They hide behind the screen and appear at

the sides, this give added interest to the piece, and it is also

practical as it is on wheels, therefore easy to move on and off the

stage. The rest of the stage is left empty for this section, providing

space for the dance. For the second part of this scene, the icescape

is moved off stage and the backdrop is lifted to reveal a café.

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