Ghost Dancers (1981)

Ghost Dancers (1981)

1. Costume Design

   • The Ghost Dancers
     • Black, matted, dread locked hair attached to a Bolivian mask.
       • The way that the hair moves through out the choreography creates the impression that the dancers are lifeless and limp.
     • White body paint across the whole body and black body paint that is painted across the muscular lines of the body.
       • The white paint creates the impression of a ghostly character and the black paint highlights the masculinity and the strength of the dancers.
     • Tassels hanging from the waist made out of feathers.
       • The tassles look like flesh dripping of the body.
       • Creates an animalistic quality.
     • Muscular, tall, male dancers.
   • The Villagers
     • Petite, slender, female dancer.
       • May represent the wife of Victor Jara.
     • Ankle length red dress.
       • The red shade may be representative of the characters blood loss.

2. Set Design

   • Proscenium Arch Theatre.
   • Different sized rocks scattered across the back of the stage.
   • Opening to a cave at the back of the stage.
     • Suggests that Pinochet's army live like savages and have no humanistic qualities.
   • Blue sky that contrasts with the dark cave.
     • Could suggest the contrast in environments before and after Pinochet took after.

3. Aural Accompaniment Design

   • Haunting chilean pan pipes.
     • Suggests the location of the piece.
   • The repetitive water droplets at the end of each section.
     • May be used to sound like droplets of blood after the Ghost Dancers have killed their next victim.
   • The dancers move on the beat of the snare drum.
     • May suggest the unity behind Pinochet's Army.
     • It may indicate that Pinochet's army are always near by.

4. Movement

   • Section 1
     • One dancer lies on his left side facing upstage and he kicks his right leg up sideways aggressively.
     • The Ghost Dancers are all stood in a horizontal line. From stage left to right the dancers turn towards the back with their knees towards their chest. They perform the motif in canon.
     • The dancers are stood in a line from stage left to right with their arms stretched out touching each others shoulders. Then they all turn to face stage right. They then slowly bend o the floor with their legs bent at a right angle
   • Section 2
     • The dancers repeat the triple runs around the space inhabiting different areas and path ways.

5. Structure

   • Episodic: Non chronological order, different accompaniment for each section.
   • Rondo: At the end of each section it returns to the ghosts and dripping of water.
   • Cyclical: It returns to the ghosts at the end of the piece similar to the beginning of the piece.