Fact Sheet – Bird Song
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Choreographed by Siobhan Davies in 2004

Choreographed to be performed ‘in the round’ with the audience sat on all sides,
close to the space and level with the action

Performed by 8 dancers: 5 female and 3 male

16 sections of varying lengths, with section 9 being the pivotal solo with the bird
song as an accompaniment

Whole work lasts approximately 56 minutes

It is not about birds or songs but instead it is the result of exploration about
bird song, sound, movement and space
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Sound and score design by Andy Pink

Music – an electric mix
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Production design by Sam Collins

Lighting design by Adrian Plaut
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Costume design by Genevieve Bennet

Costumes – trousers and tank tops, white, pale blue, yellow, dark blue, denim,
royal blue and different combinations are seen throughout the cast

Lighting effects and changes in the accompaniment help to structure the work
visually and aurally, along with the different use of the dancers in solos, duets,
quartets and ensemble work for all 8 dancers

Structure of Bird Song – image of a stone in to water and waves (of sound, of
movement) spreading out concentrically from that centre point. The centre piece
of the dance is ‘Bird Song’ section (the first section to be choreographed) and
the other sections ripple out from it. So Bird Song consists of a sequence of
distinct sections leading up to the central section, following which those sections
appear again in reverse order but the symmetry is not exact.
Beginning
6a
5a
4a
3a
2a
1a
Improvisation
1
Bird
Song
Improvisation
2
1b
2b
3b
4b
6b
End