EXAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Revision – Costumes and Music (Faultline and Nutcracker!)

Revision As you know you all have mock GCSE

exams coming up before Christmas.

We are starting revision now in preparation.

Please try to answer all questions fully and when going through the paper write in anything you missed out so we can use it as revision.

The two pieces you are going to discuss are

Nutcracker! (Make sure you also use the !)

Faultline

You have watched these DVD’s so you should be aware of the work.

Spend 5 minutes working with a partner discussing both pieces - concentrating on costumes and music and accompaniment.

Costume •Is it realistic, abstract, characterised and their advantages and disadvantages. •Relationship between costume design and dance content. •What are the features: Practical aspects, allowing and restricting movement, cost, formal, line, size, weight, colour, texture, decoration.

Accompaniment• Is it – Silence, Spoken word, Spoken poetry or prose, Orchestral, Computerised Sound (natural and found/ man made) or Music in a range of styles •What is the relationship of dance to music: Correlation, visualisation, identification or enhancement of mood or character, narrative, mutual coexistence, disassociation and juxtaposition. •What are the features: Tone, texture, dynamics, style, structure, orchestration and rhythm.

Answer all questions fully

Name the two professional dance works you will refer to in this paper.

Work 1: Nutcracker! Choreographer

1: ............................................................................

Work 2: Faultline Choreographer

2: ............................................................................

Make sure you are referring to Work 1

1 (a) Describe a costume from work 1.

(2 marks)..............................................................

.........

Question 1a and 1b Answers and Help 1 (a) Describe a costume from work 1. (2

marks)1 mark for a basic description, e.g. In Nutcracker!

Clara wears a dress.2 marks for a more detailed description, e.g. In

Nutcracker! Clara wears a bright blue and white spotty dress with a white petticoat, so when she spins the dress flares and goes out, which makes it look like a Childs party dress.

Examples may refer to, for instance: colour, style, era, texture, length, design, individual features of costumes.

Complete for Nutcracker!

1 (b) How does the choreographer use this costume in work 1? (3 marks)

........................................................................

Answer and Help for Question 1b 1 (b) How does the choreographer use this costume in

work 1? (3 marks) 1 mark for a simple response, e.g. Clara’s costume shows

she is different from the others. 2 marks for a more detailed response, e.g. Bourne uses

the Clara’s costume to determine her from the other characters, the spotty dress makes her look like a young girl in a party dress which helps show her character.

3 marks for a well written thorough, coherent response, Another example could be - Bourne uses the costumes to determine the different characters, for example their wealth. The orphans wear a dull grey to show they are poor and then changes to brighter more luxurious colours for the costumes when they change into sweets. The sweets are dressed individually to show different personalities which is reflected in the music.

Examples may refer to, for instance: age, gender, context – social, geographical, historical, humour, identification of character, identification of groups of dancers, mood/atmosphere, ease of movement, sculpt body, enhance body line.

Now complete answer for Faultline

1 (c) Describe a costume from work 2. (2 marks) ....................................................................................

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......................................................................... 1 (d) How does the choreographer use this

costume in work 2? (3 marks) ....................................................................................

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Faultline Costumes Gender Specific Girls – Black, pleated satin skirt, dark grey

metallic halter neck top or see through blouse with black bra.

Boys – Black Fitted shirt with ¾ length sleeves, brightly coloured different ties and wide legged black trousers.

Could be worn today, so current costume. Boys wearing costumes for modern world, slick and confident looking. All similar colours which help to unify in ‘Gang’. Easy to move in and do not restrict movements.

Accompaniment – Copy out table below to compare music

Nutcracker!

Tchaikovsky - Classical and OrchestralComposed in 1892 for the original production

Older traditional classical music.

Faultline Sound Artist – ScannerComposer – Errolyn WallenSoprano – Partricia Rozario

Live music with recorded solo voice. Recorded sounds inspired by city life. Modern electronic sounds with eerie high pitched singing from the soprano .

Voices are distorted and muted, they sound as if they are ‘trapped’ inside something. Textures and harmonies inspired by Bach cantatas and city sounds. Patricia Rozario’s voice is stretched and amplified. Sounds metallic and scratchy. The trapped sounds create tension.

Now try to answer this question

2 (a) What type of accompaniment is used in one of the professional dance works that you have studied? (1 mark)

Name of work: ..............................................................................................................................................

Type of accompaniment: ..............................................................................................................................................

Answer for 2a

2 (a) What type of accompaniment is used in one of the professional dance works that you have studied? (1 mark)

1 mark for correct identification of e.g. orchestral, electronic, recorded found and natural sound, song, traditional, spoken word.

Try to now think about the dance and the music

2 (b) Give an example from the work that shows a relationship between the dance and the accompaniment. (2 marks)

...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Answer for Question 2b 2 (b) Give an example from the work that

shows a relationship between the dance and the accompaniment. (2 marks)

1 mark for a simple answer, e.g. In Faultline the opening trio of dancers dance over the music.

2 marks for a detailed, appropriate example from the named work.

For example, In Faultline the opening trio of dancers dance over the music, the scratchy metallic sounds create tension which is shown in the street life style of the lifts in the trio.(This example is worth two marks as it includes an appropriate example of the accompaniment and explanation of how it links with the movement).

Now give examples from the other work (remember is worth 2 marks

so make 2 different points)

Explain two ways in which the choreographer uses accompaniment in the other professional dance work that you have studied. (2 marks)

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Help for Question 2c

2 (c) Explain two ways in which the choreographer uses accompaniment in the other professional dance work that you have studied. (2 marks)

1 mark for each use of accompaniment (looking for contributions here), e.g. In Nutcracker! The musical is orchestral and classical, in the Sweetie land section Bourne uses the music to establish the different characters, for example The Knickerbocker Glory as sly and sleazy so the music is a slower pace which suits his slimy movements but the Gobstoppers is fast paced which suits there boisterous style of jumps.

Extra RevisionNutcracker! (Matthew

Bourne)Liquorice Allsorts

Think about the costumes of the Liquorice Allsorts.

Complete detailed revision of costume using points below.

Use Of CostumePossible Points for

Discussion Support/create character

Associate with theme Enhance alignment of

movement Define contrast of

groups onstage Form a relationship to

the set design Enhance the dancers’

dynamics

Link to the era of the dance

Enhance the lighting design

Link to a cultural setting

Define gender Suited to dance style Provide visual clue to

narrative Evoke a particular

mood

Additional Discussion Points

Adds realism/fantasy Enhances flow to movement Adds colour interest Indicates age Adds humour

Indicate time of day Links to geographical setting Masks support characterisation Suggests season

Nutcracker! By Matthew Bourne Costume Designer: Anthony Ward

Liquorice Allsorts Costume Details!!COPY DOWN!!

The two designs for these characters clearly separate the trio in terms of gender

Justify this point by explaining how the costume design captures this

The costume links into the cultural reference of the dance style – Spanish - and reinforces the music used for this trio

How do features of the design capture a typical Spanish flavour whilst retaining their reference to Allsorts?

Evaluate the effectiveness of either points raised or both?