Egg Dances

Notes on Egg Dances

Choreographed by Rosemary Lee

Video making by Peter Anderson

·         Originally performed in 1988 with 13 dancers, aging from 9 to 70+.

·         It was titled Egg Dance for VHS but renamed Egg Dances for DVD to save confusion.

·         Set in an ancient tithe barn.

·         Dancers wearing pale coloured costumes.

·         Camera angles are constantly changing.

·         Example of cross- generational work, site specific dance and a production developed for camera.

·         Music and the eggs are introduced after the duet when the cast come in.

·         Intermittent music.

·         Classical music, mainly string instruments.

·         Birds singing, church bells ringing and animals in the background.

·         Starts with three children playing, it then develops into a duet with two adults. After this, the whole cast come together.

·         The cast are depending on each other- lifting.

·         Old helping the young and the young helping the old.

·         Walking with the feet but being carried by another.

·         Coming out of the barn into the sun.

·         Jumping into someone’s arms out of the barn door.

·         Working in duets simultaneously.

·         Man and a boy = Father and child

·         All the cast follow the young boy.

·         Lots of spinning and turning.

·         Dancing becomes faster paced.

·         Travelling across through the barn and out the doors.

·         Child playing with a single egg.

·         Nesting houses in the walls and dancers using the ladders.

·         Adults carrying the children on their shoulders.

·         Moving the egg baskets and placing the eggs around the floor.

·         Adults walking carefully through the eggs with their eyes closed.

Rosemary Lee in conversation with Valerie Bringinshaw.

·         Spiritual rituals

·         New springs from old winters

·         Passing of dark and the coming of light, like night into day, life to death.

·         Used intense music to get the balance right between the dance and the music.

·         Lee’s intension was to have a mixed age cast because they all have different experiences to bring to the piece.

·         What connects us as humans, regardless of age.

·         Each dancer has their own individuality.

·         Lifting was really important to Rosemary Lee because it represented helping, catching and sharing.

·         Helping those who are vulnerable.

·         Following and listening image in the duets. One dancer dances and the other one follows and listens to the other. Almost like a guardian angel watching over their shoulder.

·         Fragility and strength.

·         Cathedral like barn, big inside, historic and has character.