This document provides an overview and analysis of the dance piece "Swansong" choreographed by Christopher Bruce in 1997. It discusses the themes of human rights and prisoners of conscience. The work was inspired by the experiences of Chilean poet Victor Jara and novelist Oriana Fallaci. The dance uses a combination of solos, duets and trios set to an electro-acoustic score with sampled sounds. The costumes and lighting are designed to depict the weariness of the victim and the uniform dullness of the interrogators. The bare stage features only a chair to represent a prison cell.

1. Asha Carsmith
SWANSONG

2. • Choreographer: Christopher Bruce
• Original Performance: Rambert Dance Company,
November 1997

3. THEMES
• Human Rights
• Prisoner of conscience definition
• “Any person who is physically restrained (by
imprisonment or otherwise) from expressing (in any form of
words or symbols) any opinion which he honestly holds and
which does not advocate or condone personal violence." We
also exclude those people who have conspired with a foreign
government to overthrow their own.”

4. STIMULUS
• The work of Amnesty International
• Saying goodbye to a career as a dancer
• The experiences of Chilean poet Victor Jara
• The novel „A Man‟ by Oriana Fallaci

5. STRUCTURE
• Introduction followed by 7 sections.
• The victim remains on stage throughout and
performs a solo in section 3 which has motifs that are
repeated and/or developed in sections 5 and 7.
• Combination of solos, duets and trios

6. AURAL SETTING
• By Phillip Chambon
• Electro-acoustic with digitally sampled sounds, vocals, a
reed pipe and popular dance rhythms.
• Unaccompanied interludes enable us to hear the tapping
of the feet.
• Composed in collaboration with the choreographer.

7. COSTUME
• By Christopher Bruce
• Everyday clothes associated with the role
• Uniforms for the interrogators –
deindividuation, dull, nameless
• Jeans and red t-shirt for the victim – faded salmon and
blue, shows weariness and a broken spirit

8. LIGHTING
• By David Mohr
• Overhead lighting
• Diagonal shaft of light to suggest natural light from
upstage left
• Footlights create shadows
• Atmospheric

9. SET AND PROPS
• Bare stage except from chair, suggests a cell
• Interrogators always exit stage right, suggests a door?
• Props – Chair, Canes, Cigarettes and a Red Nose are used
to degrade the victim.
• The Chair has many purposes, is used symbolically as a
weapon, a shield, shackles, a window, a safe place and
defence.

10. DANCERS
• Usually all male cast
• Has been done with all female
• Can be done with mixed gender as long as the two guards
are not of one gender and the prisoner of another as “this
suggests a gender issue rather than an issue of political
oppression”