The social context is shown by the costumes because ‘Late Flowering Lust’ is site specific so it is set on the grounds of a mansion which obviously would have been where upper class people lived. The costumes were very smart and upper class which fitted in with the mansion. Also in the 1930’s it was only the upper class people that played tennis. The era is also shown here because it was set in the 1930’s so all the costumes were in a 1930’s style.
Ghost Dances was set in South America in the 1980’s when there were problems with the government and people where being snatched and tortured. Christopher Bruce choreographed this piece after he met a woman called Joan Jara who was the widow of a famous Chilean Folk singer called Victor Jara. It was meant to represent the tragic history of the continent. This is why the ghosts’ costumes were so scary because it was a scary time for people who lived in South America at the time. It is also shown in the tattyness of the villagers’ costumes because they are poor and had a hard time staying away from the ghosts and the torture they had been through.
The costumes set apart different groups for example ‘Ghost Dances.’ The ghosts and villagers have clearly got different got different costumes that unite them as a group and show the boundaries between the two groups. This is also shown in ‘Swansong’ because the victim is highlighted as the main character as he is on his own with his own style of costume which makes it clear that he is different from the guards and less important than the guards because the guards are united by their uniform which doesn’t make each of them stand out as an individual person, they are almost seen as one person because they are so similar.
The flowing movements of costumes can emphasise the movements to make you really notice them. This is used in ‘Symphony Of Psalms’ by Jiri Kylian. The women’s dresses flow around them that emphasise the mood they are portraying. For example when the dancers show the mood of hope, the movements would be bigger, quicker and lighter causing the dresses to flow outwards. This is also used in ‘Ghost Dances’ with the villagers specifically the women. The dresses are also very flowing to emphasise the movement. It is very clear on the woman’s solo piece when is she is almost talking to the audience and showing her pain because the dress emphasises the important movements that show her emotions.
The ghosts from ‘Ghost Dances’ had their bodies painted to sculpt their bodies which helps show the movement and make them look scary and paler to be more ghost like to make it realistic. The villagers bright costumes add colour to the dance and lighten the mood and shoe they are the good people and they are happy. It gives a clear contrast with the ghosts who are pale, dark and scary. The dresses for the Ghost Dances women and the Symphony Of Psalms as I have already said add to the movement because the flow with the movement and add emphasis and texture to the movement.
The costumes from the ghosts in Ghost Dances match the set design because it is very dark and scary which is the same effect the ghosts give because of their costumes. Whereas, the villagers contrast with the set design because they are happy, bright and cheerful. ‘Swansong’ also matches the set design because the stage is meant to be like a prison and the guards are dressed in guards uniforms which you would expect and the victim is wearing tatty clothes which is what you would have expected because he has been treated badly and would have been quite poor. I think the women’s costumes from ‘Symphony Of Psalms’ contrast with the set design because the dresses are colourful and the background is black. However, the men wear black trousers and grey shirts which do match the set design which is very simple and dark. ‘Where Angles Fear To Tread’ also contrasts with the set design at some points because some parts of the costumes are angry with the black contrast with the cream walls that are calming and the light grey costumes that are quite calming contrast with the red carpet that represents anger. This can also be the other way round and therefore the costumes would match the set design.
The masks for ‘Ghost Dances’ make the ghosts appear scary and more ghost like whilst hiding their identity which makes them scarier. It is like they are criminals that don’t want to be seen and can also be scary to their victims. The masks set the ghosts up and portray them as they are meant to be which scary, ghost like and evil.
Overall, I think the costume helps create the mood of the dance, sets the scene for the dance, allows the character to be analysed to figure out who they are and what they could be like. It also helps show movements of the characters and emphasise the important movements which grab the audiences attention.