This essay will study and design an exploration of Matthew Bourne's play Swan Lake. Explore notions of gender identity and how society has constructed specific norms of behavior for that particular sex. Discussing the views of Susan L. Foster (2009) and how she states: "The performance of strongly gendered actions by male and female bodies offers a powerful representation of the feminine as a gendered construct." Foster exclaims that gender roles in performance are socially constructed. I will challenge this perspective when analyzing Bourne's Piece. Throughout my essay I will examine this statement, but through masculinity within performances, for example how Bourne transformed what was considered something feminine into something masculine. Adshead's dance model analysis examines the performances in an "in-depth and informative" way to understand how the dance was constructed. This analytical model interprets dance through stages consisting of dance description, discerning form, interpretation, and evaluation. I will use this process to study Matthew Bourne's pas de duex in act two of Swan Lake. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay considering the movements of both dancers in order to understand why each movement was created and how the performance of the pas de deux differs from what would be considered a "standard" male and female duet that you might see in a traditional ballet . According to one networking forum, gender identity is recognized as “a personal conception of oneself as a man or woman.” Gender identity is how a person describes themselves as male or female and differs from their gender type. This means that, from birth, your gender identity is assigned to you based on your biological sex. A person's specification can be divided into two main characteristics, namely binary (male or female) and non-binary (a person who chooses not to associate with traditional identity roles). Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake indirectly relates to non-binary identification when it comes to gender roles. Bourne selecting all male dancers for roles that would traditionally be performed by women challenges gender identities within what was once considered "traditional." Bourne's interpretation of Swan Lake differs from the traditional production composed by Pyotr IIitch Tchaikovsky. The original depiction of Swan Lake consists of a prince, Siegfried, who begins a hunt one evening and follows a congregation of swans. Throughout the performance, we see one of the swans transform into a woman, Odette, exclaiming that she and the other swans were being transformed by Baron von Rothbart who is the typical "evil" character. The love story between Siegfried and Odette begins to blossom, but the spell Odette finds herself under can only be broken by someone who has never loved before and must confess his undying love for her. The story continues to unfold and ends in tragedy as the prince and Odette commit suicide together. This is an example of what is commonly considered a traditional ballet storyline, demonstrating two main characters with higher authority (the prince and princess) and involving them romantically with each other, so that the production results in some form of devastation, thus leaving the audience. with a feeling of remorse. In contrast, Bournedecides to move away from the dominant narrative and creates a modernized concoction of Swan Lake. Its tale consists of a prince who is overshadowed by his controlling mother figure and finds himself in awe of a swan, as he sees the swan as something he never had and desires and must not only to be considered a royal figure. and as someone “who needs, in the most basic and simplest way, to be detained.” The main element of Bourne that stands out from Tchaikovsky's version is the cast of all-male swans who would traditionally be played by women. Speculation was made when this production was announced, some "couldn't accept the concept of male swans" and most "thought it would be a send-up, with men in drag". Opinions began to broaden within the theatrical society and "when people heard that the swans in Bourne's version were all men, the immediate connotation was that they must be homosexual." Many could not accept the idea that men could play female characters. For the most part, the new interpretation of what was called a "classical" ballet agitated viewers because it was a controversial storyline. Back in the day in 1995, it wasn't common to see men playing female roles. Most people associate the swan with a delicate figure, for example Bourne states that he had "dreamed through many depictions of Swan Lake, thinking that the dancing tutus conveyed only one aspect of the swans", namely their finesse and grace. Society has made us believe that within ballet, certain genders must play certain roles based on their physical appearance. Society manipulates what is understood as feminine or masculine and that women should be feminine and delicate and men should be masculine and strong. Swan Lake has been labeled a "gay ballet", a statement which Bourne "continually refuted with great difficulty, due to society's definitions of masculinity". The Independent article states: “This depiction of male love, both fierce and tender, was revolutionary; Decades later, it's still quite rare to see anything other than heterosexual love on dance stages. This quote further highlights that non-normative gender configurations are always considered something "out of the ordinary" and that men should not play a "typical" female role or vice versa for women. Matthew Bourne says: “Obviously ballet is full of princes and princesses, but we were saying there's more to them than the more formal side that ballet usually shows. We say that there is another side to royalty: that there are real people beneath that ballet exterior” (Macaulay, 1999). This shows that in his piece he tried to convey a deeper message, emphasizing how traditional ballets only show the simplest forms of a person's characteristics; showing the idea that the characters played by the performers have a one-dimensional personality, so if they smile it should demonstrate to the audience that they are happy, but this is not always the case. Continuing this argument, when it comes to gender identity, what Matthew Bourne says about "royalty having another side" and "there are real people underneath that ballet-like exterior" has an indirect relationship to gender, meaning that people can be considered male or female. on the outside, but that's not necessarily what they may feel on the inside. In "The Bourne Act II pas de deux, of course, takes placerather between two men, but still obviously depicts romantic love, thus calling into question the way men relate to each other in dance.” In this section, Bourne creates a pivotal moment in the performance. Creating a pas de deux between two men was not considered the “normal” approach in a ballet performance. Her choreographic choices were of course intentional in order to “dramatically challenge the traditional gender constructs of classical ballet.” Her intentions created a distinct perspective on gender identity and how ideas surrounding what we call being feminine can go beyond and break down this barrier that many perceive as normality. Ballets began to conform to conventional norms and "now rely on what have become 'norms,' norms and traditions constitute the art form, and gender roles are a large part of it, because There are traditionally ways and roles that each gender dances. » (Golucke, 2015). Throughout my research, I studied and analyzed in detail the Pas de Deux sections between the prince and the swan. According to Brennan, “analysis is the examination of a whole to distinguish its parts” by breaking down a piece and examining it in depth to understand why it was done in a particular way. Using the Adshead model of analysis, I examined the pas de deux section in detail in order to obtain a “deep and informed response to the dance itself” (Adshead, 1988). At the beginning of the pas de duex, the comparison of levels shown by the prince and the swan indicates different roles of authority. The kneeling prince in the lower corner of the scene displays a vulnerable persona which is a comparison to the higher level of the swan in the upper corner of the scene. This leveling arrangement may imply a relationship with the way the swan exercises authority over the prince, presenting a sense of control. The vulnerability shown by the prince in the first part of the pas de deux can often be seen as linked to a feminine quality. Often we see most men playing more dominant roles. Bourne subverted this gender normality by allowing a male character to embody weakness on stage. The way the Swan uses and dominates the scene suggests that it is he who holds the power; moving with flamboyant and extravagant gestures, the swan demonstrates to the audience the idea that he is in control. This choice of levels between the two clearly highlights the different personalities of the two characters. In all aspects of the duet, the swan creates seductive movements towards the prince, demonstrating a more feminine role in many dance pieces. It is commonly known that a female character seduces a man, but in Bourne's interpretation, he asks a male figure to seduce another man. Creating dramatic effect, the swan remains constantly focused on the prince throughout his solo moment, the intense radiance he encompasses, creates superiority and demonstrates "manly" qualities that contradict the traditional angelic essence that swans usually convey. About 2 minutes 34 seconds into the duet, we begin to see more "loving" contact between the two men, as the swan gently places his arm against the prince's face in a slow gesture, thus depicting to the audience the connection that they maintain. with each other. In addition to the romantic elements we see, at 3:13 the gestures move from rapid dynamics to more calm and gentle articulations with their bodies. At 4:34, the prince holds the swan tightly around the neck and contracts his body towards the swan, the swan then cradles the.. 2019].