Compare and Contrast “Hobson’s Choice” with “Still life at the Penguin Café”.
David Bintley choreographed ‘Hobson’s choice’ in 1989. It is set in Salford in the 1880s and it tells the story of a boot maker, Henry Hobson, and the unlikely marriage of his eldest daughter Maggie to a poor boot maker, Will Mossop. It is a narrative ballet and is purely for entertainment.
‘Still Life at the Penguin Café’ was also choreographed by David Bintley. Instead of telling a story, it shows snapshot images of extinct and endangered animal species. There are a number of symbolic and moral themes to it. These include the use of hybrid animals to make the audience realise that it is humans that are to blame for endangering these species. It was choreographed not only for entertainment, but also to encourage the audience to think about their moral values and the way they think of the world.
