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on in the background. The result will be the creation ofa short phrase of movement from a natural everydayaction, which becomes choreographic in its repetitionand stylization.Share the phrases with each other in a circle.Extension task: A technique the company uses whendeveloping gestural movement further is the WHISPERand SHOUT exercise. Split your group into two, oneline facing the other so each student has an oppositepartner. Using the six movements from the task above,one line needs to WHISPER their phrase to their partneropposite. The quality and intention of the originalmovement needs to be maintained but expressed on amuch <strong>small</strong>er scale. The other line then whispers theirmovement to their opposite partner.Repeat this as a SHOUT. Again the quality and detail ofmovement needs to be kept but the scale is big, as ifshouting the movement to their opposite partner on adistant mountain top.Now each student has three sets of six movements: 1.original; 2. whisper; 3. shout phrases. These can then bemixed up into a different order and repeated to createlonger phrases. Levels and travelling can be introduced,along with music to add another layer. This can be doneas an individual, pair or group exercise. Again share thiswork and discuss.EXERCISE 3NameAgeParentsSiblings (if any)FriendsFavourite filmFavourite band/songProfessionDo you know anyone at the Soho Club? (this may becomeclearer in the following exercise). Explain the connection ifyes.Once students have created a character profile youcan hot seat them as a group. Either a selection or allstudents take it in turns to answer questions abouttheir character. Another technique Bourne uses in therehearsal room in developing character is allowing thedancers to spend time in character and interacting witheach other, everyone meets everyone else during thisexercise. Some characters might/might not know eachother, some might/might not like each other. Think aboutthe setting these characters are meeting in.Bourne also looks at film and music while researchinghis productions. Below are some of the film referencesBourne gave his dancers to develop their characters inthe Soho Club scene. Your students can research a list fortheir own character and share with the group.Beryl Reid – June Buckridge in The Killing of Sister GeorgeJohn Hurt – Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil ServantSOHO CLUB – CHARACTER WORK ANDCHOREOGRAPHIC TOOLSLook at the nightclub material from the Soho Club sceneas a starting point to develop your own nightclub style.Social dances form part of the choreography in all ofBourne’s work. Discuss what social dances your studentsknow about. You can give them the task of researchingsocial dances from different periods of time to bringback together and share as group.Create a CharacterEach student creates a character profile. They needto include the following information (these are justsuggestions, you can make up your own list or add to this):A Seedy Bar. Photo by Bill CooperMATTHEW BOURNE’S SWAN LAKE RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS 28
EXERCISE 4EXERCISE 5Gary Oldman – Joe Orton in Prick Up Your EarsGary and Martin Kemp – Ronnie and Reggie Kray inThe KraysGROUP WORK – ADAPTING A NARRATIVEIn groups of four or five the students can be given or askedto select a fairy story or a short folk tale. Once the grouphave familiarised themselves with the narrative line theyneed to divide the storyline up into a maximum of fivechapters.• Create a tableau for each of the images selected,ensuring that each performer is involved and there is aclear sense that there is characterisation, a connectionbetween the different roles. If there are not enoughroles then the performers have to consider how theymight become objects or help establish the location.• After performing the still images, as if a pop-up book,performing one after another, then the group must addtransitional material between five freeze frames, workingto make it a smooth and clean move from one to another.• Now in their devising groups, they have to alter thenarrative to give it some contemporary relevance.Students can either develop a theme that is relevantto the original narrative or move the time period,the location or alter the characters to provide a newperspective on a familiar narrative.• Devise a performance piece that presents thealternative narrative, incorporates dance moves anddrama skills in the form of gesture work and a strongsense of characterisation.Extension Task: Explore the term pastiche as used in theballet within Act One: Scene Three and get the studentsto improvise and then devise an alternative version ofthe same or a different fairy story narrative. Dependingon the level of the students this could be a fun activity oran extended research task to research varied dance andtheatre genres and adapt the narrative and perform in thestyle of musical theatre, opera, Greek tragedy, mime etc.SOLO WORK – MOTIF DEVELOPMENTBourne has stated that images of Adam Cooper as theSwan were used for pre rehearsal and performancepublicity shots. In the photographic studio a seriesof character-based images had to be created, thesewere partly drawn from Bourne’s research into Nijinskyand his two-dimensional performance style and whatthe imagined characteristics of the Swan would be inmovement terms. Many of the images were linked to theidea of the arms representing the wings or the neck ofthe Swan and were later brought into the rehearsal studioand integrated within the choreography as key motifs. Inparticular the arm draped over the head, when flexed atthe elbow and sometimes with leg in attitude, the armscrossed at the wrist and the arms raised and behind thebody whilst the body leans forward, flexing at the hips.Jonathan Oliver and Dominic North. Production photo by Bill Cooper• Learn three motifs as used by the Swans within thechoreography.• Watch a section of Act Two: A City Park and identifyhow Bourne has developed or varied the taught motifs.Now encourage students to develop each motif inturn by adding their own movement material and thendevelop each extended motif further by using some ofthe methods listed.MATTHEW BOURNE’S SWAN LAKE RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS 29
Page 1 and 2: RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
Page 3 and 4: 1. OUTLINE OF THE RESOURCE PACKThis
Page 5 and 6: noted that in his research he happe
Page 7 and 8: IDENTITYThe theme of identity conne
Page 9 and 10: a bird. The first obstacle came whe
Page 11 and 12: 5. PRODUCTION ELEMENTSAs mentioned
Page 13 and 14: using an old box to represent a pro
Page 15 and 16: LIGHTING DESIGNRick Fisher’s atmo
Page 17 and 18: AURAL SETTINGAccompanimentPeter Ily
Page 19 and 20: what is certain is that the big Act
Page 21 and 22: Bourne’s now legendary production
Page 23 and 24: complained that it wasn’t the ‘
Page 25 and 26: STIMULUS OR STARTING POINT↓RESEAR
Page 27: 7. WORKSHEETSWORKSHEET A: CREATING
Page 31 and 32: Act Two: The Cygnets - the opening
Page 33 and 34: • Provide a short piece of music
Page 35 and 36: 9. FURTHER WORKESSAY QUESTIONS1. Ho

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