Consider how physical setting can be used to communicate successfully the dance idea - Give examples from Still Life and four other professional dance works.

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In Still Life At The Penguin Café physical setting is

 an important part of the whole dance. 

Consider how physical setting can be used to communicate successfully the dance idea. Give examples from Still Life and four other professional dance works.

 In Still Life At The Penguin Café physical setting is important to help the audience get an understanding of what is happening in the dance. Physical setting needs to communicate successfully to the audience so needs to be clear and obvious to them.

In a dance props are also a useful way of conveying a dance idea, they create realism and therefore the dance becomes clearer to the audience.

When first introduced to the penguins in section one, The Great Auk the set design is a mountainous flat with an ice and sea scene on it in the centre of the stage. This sets the scene of the penguins’ habitat so the audience get a better feel for the dance. The lighting is important because it is used to focus the attention of the audience on a particular character and in section one, white spotlights are used so they focus on the three penguins. In the next section of the dance, The Utah Longhorn Ram, the ram dances in front of the café from the second part of the Great Auk. This is shown as her entertaining the audience at the café and then the set design of a red rock on a yellow sky background is introduced to represent the ram’s natural habitat. In  Still Life At The Penguin Café Hayden Griffin has used the animals’ natural habitats to show the fact that that is where they belong. For example in section four, Humboldts Hog Nosed Skunk Flea, the flea dances in front of a skunks furs background as this where fleas would obviously be found. I feel that this is an excellent way to help the audience understand the dance. The yellow colour wash lighting creates the colour of the skunk’s fur and the white spotlight on the flea focuses on the flea’s movement only.

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The Southern Cape Zebra is being hunted by women for its fur and is set in the distant hills with delicate trees conveying the idea that the zebra is a calm creature and should not be hunted. The reds, purples and lilacs used in this section represent the heat and expansion of African land where the zebra roams. The lighting is dim creating a nighttime effect and the red strip of light across the back of the stage may have been used to represent blood from the zebra.

In Swansong, choreographed by Christopher Bruce, the set design is cyclorama. This ...

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