1. CONSTITUENT FEATURES FOR DANCE
Set Design
Professional Dance Work Examples

2. PHYSICAL SETTING Set design
Types of set design are…
Cyclorama
Realistic
Site Specific
Abstract

3. PHYSICAL SETTING Cyclorama Set design
It is a traditional stage setting with the audience in front and a backdrop that can be changed
Professional Dance Work Example
Ghost Dances By Christopher Bruce
Ghost Dances uses a traditional stage setting with a back drop showing the mountainous scenes from South America. It also has some stage rocks either side of the back drop.

4. How does the set design add to the dance idea?
Ghost Dances By Christopher Bruce
The back drop shows the mountainous region from south America.
There are 3 dimensional objects, which look like rocks, on the stages too which give it a rural feeling.
The Dancers have plenty of space to dance in.
The dancers can hide behind the rocks.

5. PHYSICAL SETTING Realistic Set design
This is much like a cyclorama space except the stage has been made to look like a real place.
Still Life at the Penguin Café By David Bintley
To the left side of the stage a Café has been set up including tables and chairs.
The Dancers sit at the tables and the waiters, used in the penguin section serve drinks.

6. How does the set design add to the dance idea?
Still Life At The Penguin Café By David Bintley
The Café gives a sense of the rich living in luxury at the expense of endangered species.
Often penguin characters are given a dinner suit and waiter image, due to their characteristic balck and white bodies.

7. PHYSICAL SETTING Site Specific Set design
A site specific set design is one where the choreographer chooses a specific place/building and uses that space.
Cross Channel By Lea Anderson
This particular dance used several different places, for example, Victoria train station, Dover to Calais ferry, a beach, a hotel and a beach hut.

8. How does the set design add to the dance idea?
Cross Channel By Lea Anderson
The whole Dance was created for film and the variety of sites used in Cross Channel help to tell the story.
The site-specific setting helps add to the pedestrian style of the dance, which very much uses everyday movements.

9. PHYSICAL SETTING Abstract Set design
This type of set design could literally be anything unusual.
Soda Lake By Richard Alston
Soda Lake uses a sculpture
which also inspired the
movement content for the
solo. The sculpture was by an
artist who studied images from
the Nevada dessert and
specifically Soda Lake.

10. How does the set design add to the dance idea?
Soda Lake By Richard Alston
The dancer interacts with the sculpture.
The Dancer also mimics the visual images created by the sculpture.