Character Research
Name: Jamie
Age: 20
Purpose of fighting: To protect my loved ones and to defend the pride of this nation.
I am scared as I am leaving my pregnant wife, mother and a younger sister behind, while I will serve in the army in order to protect this nation.
I am willing to give up my life to protect my country however, I want to see my baby boy/girl grow up in a safe environment where they do not have to live in underground stations and can roam around London freely without having to be scared about being bombed. I want to come back to my wife, mother and sister and lead a happy, peaceful life with them.
World War 2
World War 2 was fought from September 1, 1939 to September 2, 1945 in Europe and much of 1930s and 1940s in Asia. It was fought between the Allied powers of United States of America, United Kingdom and Soviet Union against Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. World war 2 started by Hitler invading Poland and Britain & France declared war on Germany. Russians reach Berlin: Hitler committed suicide and Germany surrendered on May 7, afterwhich, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered. With more than 72 million people killed, it is by far the deadliest conflict in human history. World war 2 was arguably the most significant period of the 20th century. It brought major leaps in technology and laid the groundwork that permitted post-war social changes including the end of European colonialism, the civil rights movement in the USA and the mordern women's rights movement, as well as the programs for exploring outer space. The war concluded with the Allies victorous. Two superpowers, the USA and USSR, emerged from WW2 to begin a Cold War with each other that would define the rest of the century.
British Home Front
In May 1940, Winston Churchill entered Downing Street convinced that the war could only be won through the complete mobilisation of Britian's civilian population. the British civilian population during the WW2 was mobilised in a way never seen before, living in a heavily regulated society and coming under sustained attack from enemy.
'Local Defense Volunteers' was formed in May 1940, a response to the Secretary of State of War's call for 'men of all ages who wish to do something for the defence of their country'. 1.5 million men rushed to join, convinced by the bleak international picture that a German invasion was on its way.
Women played an important role on the home front, fighting a daily battle of rationing, recycling, rusting and cultivating food in allotments and gardens. From 1941, women were called up for a war work, such as mechanics, air raid wardens, fire engine drivers, engineers and munitions workers. More than 80,000 women joined the Women's Land Army, enduring tough conditions and long hours in isolated rural outposts in order to prevent Britian from being 'Starved OUT'. In cities, Women's Voluntary Service prided itself on doing 'whatever was needed', mainly providing support to victims of the Blitz and those sheltering in underground stations.
The Home Front meant that daily life was dirupted and inconvenienced to an extraordinary degree, but life did go on. Majority of the nation pulled together in its hour of need, however, during blackouts, crime rates rose significantly and the black market thrived.
The end of the war wa\s celebrated jubiliantly, many partied and danced on the streets, celebrating their freedom.
The Blitz Hits
Blitz is short for Blitzkrieg, which means lightning war. The Blitz during World War 2 totally decimated parts of the capital. It started in an earnest on the afternoon of 7th September when the German Luftwaffe filled skies over London. Nearly 350 German Bombers dropped explosives on East London, targeting the docks in particular. Around 450 people died and 1300 were seriously injured in the initial attack. Night after night, from September 1940 to May 1941, German bombers attacked British cities, ports and industrial areas. One thrid of London was destroyed. The Strand, West-End and Piccadilly were all attacked. St Thomas's Hospital, St Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Lambeth Palace and House of Commons were all hit. Between September and November, almost 30,000 bombs were dropped on London. In the first 30 days, almost 6000 people were killed and twice as many injured.
Other cities and towns were also heavily bombed, Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol, Southampton, Plymouth, Birmingham, Coventry and Liverpool were amongst them. One devastating raid on Coventry in November 1940 was the biggest air-raid the world had ever seen. 4,330 homes were destroyed and 554 people killed, at one point during the night 200 separate fires burned in the city.
During the Blitz, 32,000 civilians were killed and 87,000 were seriously injured. Two million houses were destroyed.
While the Blitz spread fear, it also engendered a strong feeling of community and collective stoicism, through urban populations. As gas masks, air raid sirens and blackouts became part of daily life for many Britons, 3.5 million children were evacuated. A telegram from the war office - which carried the news of the death/capture of soldiers-became a universally feared symbol of the tragedy and arbitrariness of the war. The Blitz ended in mid-May 1941, when much of the German air force was sent east to prepare for the invasion of Russia.
Pina Bausch
In January 1980, Pina Bausch's long - term life partner Rolf Borzik died. His stage sets and costumes had largely shaped the appearance of dance theatre that Bausch had created. The space created were poetic, often with the outside brought in, the stage expanded into a landscape. The spaces are physical, affecting the dancer's movement, such as, the suitcases used in our piece.
Water and rain allow the body to be seen through the clothes; earth makes every movement a feat of strength; the dancer's steps are traced in a layer of fallen leaves. The space's variety ranges from nineteenth century interiors to bare wooden boards of Japanese minimalism. In our performance, there was not stage set present, however, the visual effects were present through an audio - visual presentation.
The costumes, can be elegant and absurd at the same time. From the refinement of evening dresses to the childish delight of dressing up. The army shirts used in our piece was a part of the performance as it reflected upon us having a transformation from civilians to army men.
Like the pieces themselves, stage sets and costume reflect everyday life yet continually exceed it, ascending into a dream - like beauty and weightlessness. The humour and beauty, often overlooked at the beginning, even when they lay in the apparent ugly, were gradually understood over the years. Slowly and steadily, it became clear what dance theatre was about; not provocation, but, in Pina Bausch's own words, ' a space where we can encounter each other'.
ZooNation
ZooNation believes in promoting the positive, life affirming community spirit of Hip Hop dance and works hard to undo the negative stereotypes to it. They originated to provide a place where a community of dancers meet, train and enjoy their shared passion for dance.
ZooNation's vision has always been to create innovative, entertaining and accessible pieces of narrative Hip Hop Dance Theatre, to bring a new audience and to inspire a whole new generations of dancers. They believe that investing time and energy into young people and their futures is a responsibility that goes hand in hand with being a successful, professional performing arts company.
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One important part of ZooNation dance company's performances is the narrative storyline they produce and showcase through dance. This has inspired me into developing a clear narrative for our piece, Together we Stand; Divided we Fall. We started the piece with us civilians going to fight the war in order to fight for our country, after which we became soldiers through the strenuous training and then after the war, I died and we celebrated the deaths of those warriors who have relentlessly fought for our country and sacrificed their lives in order to do so.
This is Pina Bausch's Rite of Spring. It is performed on orchestral work of a Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky.
The movement is so expressive and in rhythm, sonority and volume so it seems as if the music and movement are great powerful partners.
Although it seemed so much like ‘pure dance’, the dancers’ gasps, sighs, and other ‘verbal’ outpourings of exhaustion, panic and fear, were given a place in the work. They were never intrusive. They were gut wrenching and such an essential part of the overpowering drama of the situation.
Into the Hoods: Remixed explores the interwoven lives of an array of (alternative) fairy tale characters.
There’s Spinderella, who longs to DJ at the ball, and Lil Red who’s tricked by Wolf into signing a less than favourable music deal. Jaxx is struggling to pay his rent, and Rap-on-Zel is hoping a D-list celebrity will climb her hair and rescue her. There’s Giant, Fairy Gee, Ugly Sisters and Prince too — and they all live in Beanstalk Towers, a block of flats in the Ruff Endz Estate.