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LONELY TOWN LONELY STREET (1981) - ROBERT NORTH - Coggle Diagram
LONELY TOWN LONELY STREET (1981) - ROBERT NORTH
KEY FACTS
Episodic, jazz influenced work that paints a passionate portrait of a lonely person in the big city.
Composer: Bill Withers
Stage designer: Andrew Storer
Lighting designer: John B Reed
Rambert Premiere: 1981
Key themes: isolation, loneliness, drug abuse, rejection, betrayal.
CONSTITUENT FEATURES
SET DESIGN
Represents a rundown neighbourhood in a North American metropolis, with fire escapes and flooring that resembles a concrete road with metal grids. This leads to high-rise buildings complete with doors, windows and metal staircases on the outside.
COSTUME DESIGN
One female dancer has a short hair style, wearing a red bomber jacket and chewing gum. She stands out as an androgynous, punk character from the 1970s.
DANCERS
7 young dancers, male and female.
AURAL ACCOMPANIMENT
The work takes its title from and utilises the popular music of Bill Withers, the titles of the compositions giving an indication of the stage action and aiding the episodic structure.
MOVEMENT EXAMPLES
Section ?: I don't want you on my mind.
MOVEMENT EG.1
The three male dancers stand in a triangular formation and perform a step turn to stage right, drawing their right legs up into retire. Gradually, they raise their arms above their heads and rise onto releve, before dropping onto the right leg and throwing their torsos to the side in a weighted manner, along with their heads. This movement is performed to the lyric 'I don't want you on my mind.'
ANALYSIS
By drawing their arms from their heads the movement directly correlates to the lyric 'I don't want you on my mind' and shows them releasing the burden of betrayal from their minds. The weighted quality to their movement alludes to this immense burden of betrayal and rejection.
MOVEMENT EG.2
The male dancers carry the female dancers on their backs, who are laying on their sides with their knees to their chests. In a diagonal line, the male dancers take three slow steps forward in unison, from upstage right. As they do this, their torsos are contracted forward and the ste[S are weighted and downtrodden. The three dancers pivot to face downstage right and complete four fast paced steps, before the female dancers rolled of their backs to standing.
ANALYSIS
The female dancers on the male dancer's backs and the consequently weighted effect of the movement is emblematic of the heavy impact of rejection on the male characters.
Section 5: Ain't no sunshine.
The soloist performs a jazz pirouette, with his legs in a parallel retire position and his arms in a jazz first against his chest, which he jumps out of facing downstage right. He lands on his left leg with the right leg extended towards the corner, his torso contracted with an angular, expressive reach of his arms in the same direction. The weight of his hips then pulls him in the opposite direction and falls out of the Graham-esque suspension.
ANALYSIS
This movement exemplifies the expression and dramatic quality that North utilises and exhibits technically challenging choreography which is entertaining for audiences. Moreover, it showcases North's eclectic range of styles with the jazz influenced and Graham technique.