Used As Barriers As The Dancers Fight example essay topic

Review on Faking It by Motionhouse. Motionhouse created a seductive world of theatrical illusion and deceitful magic, where nothing is quite what it seems, in their production Faking It. The theme of the piece is supported primarily by the lighting, costume, and accompaniment but exceptionally by the movement and the set. The piece is very unique, because of this. All the above factors give me the impression that the theme is that of breaking away from evil, braking away from an intimidation to be sure they can express there on beliefs. This is shown to me threw symbolism, in the movement and the use of the set.

The use of set is brilliant and very intelligent. The production begins with the use of flats. They dancers make walls with the flats and begin to move around them and all movement is then focused on the flats. They use the scenery to stand behind it, and on it, and then to build and create something becoming quite frustrated as they do so. The flats are used as barriers, as the dancers fight with each other. This could be done to symbolise good against evil and when they hide behind them the barriers become a safe place for them to hide behind.

The dancers use the sets in many ways but predominantly to battle with each other, in one particular scene the dancers use the scenery to move round the stage, to a piece of rocking set which the two confront and battle on. I particularly liked this part of the piece because, it was like the final good battling with evil and the rocking piece of set showed this battle very auspiciously and made the fight more intense. The movement of the dancers was quite peculiar but with a remarkable outcome. The dancers seem to work together but against each other in the fighting with each other, and are very manipulative towards each other. The piece is very gestured and the dance itself is greatly dramatic. The use of facial expressions gives the sense they are fighting, frustrated, wearied and striving for something.

The use of levels is eminently different and makes the piece very interesting, and this interest is added more by the movement being quite child like in some places, i.e. when the two dancers were fighting to stay on the spinning piece of set on the floor. The scenery is also used to move up and down it again enhancing the use of levels. The movement is very physical this is characteristically clear when the rocking set is used. The movements hear symbolise Good and Evil once again, it begins with just the two dancers representing good and evil, battling but evil becomes the victorious contestant with the result being good falling to the floor. But them Good comes fighting back joined with another dancer, which I feel represents good being the stronger force. The lighting in the production emphasises the use of the set in a very apt way.

The use of different coloured spotlight lighting on dancers, with the dark background highlights the mood and movement of the dancers. This lighting then becomes very light white but then quickly changes to a dark yellow to create a mellow cold feeling, perhaps to represent the presence of evil. This use of contrasting light is very effective in grabbing the audience's attention. The main use of light is the use of spotlight on the dancers as they move, sometimes in unison but very effective when used in a cannon fashion.

The costume the dancers wear is very basic, plain trousers not patterned and plain t - shirts. This takes away the usual attention given to sensational, striking costumes, and so the audience concentrates more on the dancers movements. It could also symbolise the dancers as being ordinary people, in ordinary lives fighting the everyday good and evil inside themselves away. The music is very simple but yet extremely rhythmic and up - beat but also very repetitive and distinctive.

This is because the use of sounds are used as well as music such as the sound of wind, and the clanging of metal and bottles in the form of bells and drums. There are sections where no music is used at all, this sets a very clear mood, making the atmosphere very tense this is followed by a slow sound every so often giving the piece an eerie feel to represent the presence of evil. This is then followed by very fast music. This contrast of slow to fast excites the piece, and makes it very powerful, highlighting and supporting the dance to a higher extent.

The piece ends with the music, lighting, set, costume and movement becoming still. This could represent the feeling of the good winning over evil, or the fear good had of evil being let go. The way Motionhouse have used the five factors being music, lighting, set, costume and movement to support each other and how each factor emphasise the dance is phenomenal. The piece is very unique as it gives the audience a chance to interpret their own meaning of the dance, because the dancers have created a seductive world of theatrical illusion and deceitful magic, where nothing is quite what it seems.