Ghost Dances
Need to know:
Choreographer: Christopher Bruce
Music produced by: Inti Illimani, South American Folk Music
Music arranged by:
Set Design: Christopher Bruce
Costume: Belinda Scarlett
Lighting: Nick Chelton
Premiere: 3rd July 1981, performed by Ballet Rambert, Bristol Theatre Royal
Sections
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Opening and Ojos Azules
Huajra
Dolencias
Papel de Plata
Mis Llamitas
Sicuriadas
Ojos Azules
Style – Lyrical/Narrative
A one act dance in which 3 skeletal ghosts await a group of dead who reenact moments from their lives , before passing onto the underworld
(heaven or hell)
Dance styles – Folk, contemporary, ballet
Folk-linking chain movements and small neat stepping patterns
Contemporary – bold plies, rolls, tumbles
Ballet – whirling, circling movements, arabesques
Inspirations/Starting Points
Bruce was asked to choreograph a work for the Chilean Human Rights
Committee
Victor Jara’s (South American folk artist) wife Joan. Victor Jara was murdered
in the coup in 1973. Bruce used stories heard first hand from Jara’s wife to
create a dance suggesting the suffering and defiance of the people yet reflect
their dignity and determination to continue despite tragedy during their
struggle for freedom.
Masked dances – Bolivia
South American culture
Music – Inti Illimani
Overall Structure
Cyclical form – the ending echoes and to some extent repeats the opening section
This could suggest that we are watching a memory, scenes from the past
There is a climax in the 6th section
It is a palindrome of seven sections – they work the same forwards or backwards
(ANNA)
The dead pass diagonally across the stage, which could suggest they are in
‘transiiton’ or on a journey passing from life to death
The Ghosts also create this diagonal during the piece
Set Design
Designed for a proscenium arch stage
We see a rocky plain with mountain peaks and an opening to a cave – this could
suggest entry to the underworld
There are several rock like structures
It could be interpreted as the valley of the shadow of death
Do the rocks look like skulls/coffins?
Lighting
Enhances the action by highlighting specific details
We are given an impression of a shadowy place through atmospheric lighting
This is made gloomier by a green light when the ghosts are active
A sculptured appearance of the Ghost Dancers is emphasised by side lighting, which
also casts shadows
When the dead are performing the lighting is generally brighter which reflects their
character and mood of the piece
Once the dead have entered the stage, the lighting is the one changing feature
There are sudden changes at moments of dramatic deaths
Other lighting changes/alterations happen so the audience is not necessarily aware of
them or how their viewing is being manipulated
A cold blue light overhead focuses on the deaths at the ends of the duets
Props
No props used really
The rocks are used by the Ghosts and the dead to either hide behind or rest on
In section 5 the colourful tie of a male dancer is used playfully