Swan Lake vs
Swan Lake vs. RevelationsAlvin Ailey�s Revelations and Tchaikovsky�s Swan Lake are two different styles of dance from very different points in history. Revelations is a contemporary dance and Swan Lake is a classical dance. Each dance has certain points that have made it critically acclaimed. They both incorporate different styles of dance but they do share a few characteristics.
The stage props and the lighting seemed to be different in each performance. Swan Lake had a backdrop of a lake. This was key for this dance. When the girls would turn back and forth from swans they would show a group of swans swim across the lake. This was very important for the audience to understand this very important transformation. The lighting in Swan Lake was a little bit brighter because it had more scenes where the entire stage needed to be illuminated. When the soloists were dancing they did not have a particular spotlight on them. Revelations had a very plain set. This seemed to put more of a focus on the dancers instead of the atmosphere on stage. The backdrop was just a dark cloth with no pattern or picture. The lighting covered the entire stage when many dancers were performing at the same time. When soloists performed, a spotlight was focused on them to draw all the attention to the dance.
The choreography in Ailey�s dance was very interesting. The dancers used the floor much more than Swan Lake. Swan Lake�s dance movements seemed to be very apart from the floor. The females were always on their toes up off of the floor. The males were always leaping up off of the floor. Revelations used the floor very much. It almost acted as an extension of the dancer.
The costumes in Revelations were one of the most unique parts. The dresses that the females wore were very important to their part in the dance. They would make the long leg movements seem more graceful. The fabric of the skirt would follow the leg. This action made the dance a lot different than Swan Lake. The females in Swan Lake wore tutus that exposed every leg movement.
The relationship between the music and the dance was very different in the two performances. Swan Lake seemed to...
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