8. Continuation of Choreography

As the date of assessment comes closer, our group has been allocating extra attention to working on the final section of our piece and the impact we want to leave our audience with. This last section begins with a 'mind/body duet' between Naomi and Mia. Like the previous duet, this sequence starts with a scene of one dancer being consumed and manipulated by the other but newly with an underlying melancholy tone. However, as the duet goes on, a sense of surrender develops. The two performers transition from power struggles, such as pushing each other down or grabbing the other's head as a reference to the disease gaining control, to leaning on each other as equals with many elements of high release. There is a strong sense of tranquillity as Charnley gives in, accepting the disease. The section continues with fluid and calm movements while still implementing motifs from throughout the piece and occasional sharp dynamics that contrast the music.


Originally the ending to the piece was to be Olivia being carried off stage in 'christ position' lying on her back to symbolize the end of Brian Charnley. However, we decided to alter this as some dancers were developing back issues, and we felt it best to remove the lift. Instead, the piece ends with reference to Eabha and Olivia's ' mind, body duet'. Olivia is dragged to centre stage, where Eabha lowers her to the ground while the remaining dancers line the back of the stage, staring intentionally at the duo. This ending ties better to the themes of isolation recurring throughout the piece, with Olivia being left alone on stage to end the work.


The music chosen to back the ending section is 'Lights are on' by Tom Rosenthal, as we felt it enhanced what should be a sombre and melancholic atmosphere. The song's lyrics speak of feeling abandoned, with the words "God stood me up" repeated throughout the song. The lyric "Lights are on, but no one is home" also has a strong link to our stimuli, as while Charnley might have been physically present, he felt as if his mind was no longer his own due to the invasive nature of the disease.  Overall the music assists the message we want to send the audience with the calm but downcast melody insinuating Charnley is at peace with his decision.

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