1. Key Facts: ‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café.
Choreographer
David Bintley
Composer
Simon Jeffes
Lighting Design
John B Read
Set Design
Hayden Griffin
Premier date
March 1988
Company
Royal Ballet
Costume Design
Dance styles
Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Hoe down, African, Morris dance and ballroom
Accompaniment 1
Orchestral 2
Natural sounds: body percussion (rat), Squeak (flea), hitting sticks (Morris men), gunshot (zebra), tree falling (rainforest), wind, rain and thunderclaps (storm) 3
Each section of music links to the geographical location of the character or dance style selected. 4
Unaccompanied interludes (silence) are used in between each section 5
Vocal text is used at the beginning and end (read by Jeremy Irons) 6
The choreography mirrors the infectious rhythms of the music.
Design 1
Staging: Proscenium 2
Painted backdrop/cyclorama is used. Each backdrop links to the geographical location of the animal/character and also can link to the size and climate. 3
A café with tables and chairs is located at the sides of the stage (promotes the idea of a show within a show and how we use animals as a form of entertainment) 4
Lighting: Lights dim and rise to indicate the beginning and ending of each section. White spotlights are placed on the main characters/ dancers. Symbolic blue lighting is used in the storm to represent the rising water. Lighting effects are used to show lightening, Colours reflect the climate/habitat. 5
Props: Trays and glasses, switches and sticks. 6
Costume: Anthropomorphic (Hybrid of human and animal characteristics). The costumes are designed to pick up particular characteristics of each creature or a cultural location. Head-dresses and masks are a feature in each section 7
Projections: Tree falling down (Rainforest) and Rain (storm).
Themes and Stimuli 1
Doomsday book of animals 2
The music of the Penguin Café Orchestra 3
The paintings by Emily Young (Album sleeve) 4
Endangered animals/ Extinction of animals 5
Mans destruction of the environment 6
Images of Noah’s Ark 7
Animals used as a form of entertainment (Café at the sides)