Abstract

This study focuses on the importance and value of directing within the contexts of the dance theatre as a total art by exploring the directing style and method of Matthew Bourne through examining his < Nutcracker! >. The specific directing features from the analysis are the following. First, he wrote a realistic scenario to achieve a dramatization by using subtext from reinterpreting the original novel and ballet. Second, he attempted to maximize the dramatic expression of non-verbal performance by using logical plot and creative scenes. Third, to convey some continuities from the original, he transformed the original characters into completely different modernized personals having unexpected humor. Fourth, he used original Tchaikovsky''s music as a motif that becomes the center of his dissolution and re-creation. Fifth, he used various style movements such as folk ballet, gymnastics, pair skating, headbanging, Spanish dance, fashion model movements, and the 60s’ social dance along with contemporary dance movement vocabularies. Sixth, he pursued popularity by employing homages and parodies throughout the work by adapting stylistic elements inspired by other performing arts fields such as theater, movies, and musicals. Seventh, he and his stage-art designer, Anthony Ward, create several visual metaphors symbolizing the duality and illusion that crosses reality and fantasy.

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