Political Oppression In Christopher Bruce's Ghost Dances

Christopher Bruce, a famous contemporary choreographer, is known for his human rights themes in his dances, which emerge naturally as a reflection of his own concerns. ‘Ghost Dances’, one of his most well-known pieces, is a response to the political oppression in South America, specifically the reign of Chilean dictator Pinochet. Bruce said of his dance that; “I made this ballet for the innocent people of South America, who from the time of the Spanish Conquests have been continuously devastated by political oppression… I want people to be moved and feel something for these people. They may not be able to do much, but public opinion in the end means something, and that is a way that I, as an artist, can do my bit for humanity.” (Programme Notes, 1981) Christopher Bruce achieved his aim through “Ghost Dances” by moving and affecting the audiences, changing and altering public opinion. His research into the South American political oppressions enables him to effectively portray the devastation surrounding the issue and the culture it occurs in.
“Ghost Dances” is inspired by Augusto

Pinochet’s 17 year reign over the Chilean people, and was created when Christopher Bruce was asked by the Chilean Human Rights Committee to create a work, as Bruce sympathised with the cause of the Committee. (Ghost Dances Background Information, 2015) It was also inspired by the life and works of Victor Jara, who was a well-known figure in Chile, executed by the government during Pinochet’s reign. Bruce also drew inspiration from South American culture, particularly the celebrations of the Day of the Dead, and other representations of death in surrounding cultures. These influences can be seen throughout ‘Ghost Dances’ in multiple sections. The skeletal Ghost Dancers represent the forces of dictatorship, murderers, oppressors, and death itself. This is symbolised through the skull masks and tangled masks, as well as the artwork on the dancers, representing bones and muscles. The Dead also represent a different aspect of Chilean culture, the trauma that the Chilean people have experienced. This is represented through use of costuming, with ripped and unkempt clothing, as well as many different styles of clothing from many different classes of people, symbolising the fact that all Chileans were affected by these tragedies, not just the poor, or a particular set of people.
The opening sequence of ‘Ghost Dances’ is titled Ojos Azules, which is Spanish for Blue Eyes. The Ghost Dancers enter, accompanied by the sound of dripping blood. The sequence affects the audience by setting a mood of chilling silence, accompanied by a feeling of foreboding. During Ojos Azules, the Ghost Dancers perform for the first time their key movement phrase, where they form a line, linking arms and performing the same movement in unison, for example, going down onto one knee, then switching sides. Another movement they perform in this position is a series of steps with legs crossing over each other, which is repeated by the Dead later in the performance, linking these two sets of characters. This phrase is demonstrative of the fact that these dancers collectively represent the idea of death and oppression, and are not individual. This is also shown in the contact and partner work throughout this section, which Ghost Dancers are using in conjunction with deep plies, swinging movements and percussive head accents towards the audience. All these movement elements of dance combine to influence the audience to be afraid of these Ghost Dancers and what they represent, Death. The non-movement components of this section are equally as effective, with the aural accompaniment, dark lighting and costuming of the dancers combining to create a tension filled sequence that is intense and uncomfortable for the audience, engaging them in the message Christopher Bruce is conveying.
Dolencias, meaning ailments, the third section of ‘Ghost Dances’, is based on the lives of Victor Jara, the composer and performer of the music, and his wife during the turmoil in Chile. The sequence starts with a woman who is part of the Dead searching frantically for something, shown through her facing the audience and bringing her hands towards them, then breaking down sorrowfully. A man from the Dead then joins her and they embrace, performing a series of lifts. This symbolises the bond between the characters and the emotional connection they share. The dance then turns into hiding and ducking movements as the couple tries to escape from an unseen force. Accompanied again by the dripping sound, the Dead perform reaching, circular movements, as if attempting to escape. The woman performs her movements with a Christopher Bruce, a famous contemporary choreographer, is known for his human rights themes in his dances, which emerge naturally as a reflection of his own concerns. ‘Ghost Dances’, one of his most well-known pieces, is a response to the political oppression in South America, specifically the reign of Chilean dictator Pinochet. Bruce said of his dance that; “I made this ballet for the innocent people of South America, who from the time of the Spanish Conquests have been continuously devastated by political oppression… I want people to be moved and feel something for these people. They may not be able to do much, but public opinion in the end means something, and that is a way that I, as an artist, can do my bit for humanity.” (Programme Notes, 1981) Christopher Bruce achieved his aim through “Ghost Dances” by moving and affecting the audiences, changing and altering public opinion. His research into the South American political oppressions enables him to effectively portray the devastation surrounding the issue and the culture it occurs in.
“Ghost Dances” is inspired by Augusto Pinochet’s 17 year reign over the Chilean people, and was created when Christopher Bruce was asked by the Chilean Human Rights Committee to create a work, as Bruce sympathised with the cause of the Committee. (Ghost Dances Background Information, 2015) It was also inspired by the life and works of Victor Jara, who was a well-known figure in Chile, executed by the government during Pinochet’s reign. Bruce also drew inspiration from South American culture, particularly the celebrations of the Day of the Dead, and other representations of death in surrounding cultures. These influences can be seen throughout ‘Ghost Dances’ in multiple sections. The skeletal Ghost Dancers represent the forces of dictatorship, murderers, oppressors, and death itself. This is symbolised through the skull masks and tangled masks, as well as the artwork on the dancers, representing bones and muscles. The Dead also represent a different aspect of Chilean culture, the trauma that the Chilean people have experienced. This is represented through use of costuming, with ripped and unkempt clothing, as well as many different styles of clothing from many different classes of people, symbolising the fact that all Chileans were affected by these tragedies, not just the poor, or a particular set of people.
The opening sequence of ‘Ghost Dances’ is titled Ojos Azules, which is Spanish for Blue Eyes. The Ghost Dancers enter, accompanied by the sound of dripping blood. The sequence affects the audience by setting a mood of chilling silence, accompanied by a feeling of foreboding. During Ojos Azules, the Ghost Dancers perform for the first time their key movement phrase, where they form a line, linking arms and performing the same movement in unison, for example, going down onto one knee, then switching sides. Another movement they perform in this position is a series of steps with legs crossing over each other, which is repeated by the Dead later in the performance, linking these two sets of characters. This phrase is demonstrative of the fact that these dancers collectively represent the idea of death and oppression, and are not individual. This is also shown in the contact and partner work throughout this section, which Ghost Dancers are using in conjunction with deep plies, swinging movements and percussive head accents towards the audience. All these movement elements of dance combine to influence the audience to be afraid of these Ghost Dancers and what they represent, Death. The non-movement components of this section are equally as effective, with the aural accompaniment, dark lighting and costuming of the dancers combining to create a tension filled sequence that is intense and uncomfortable for the audience, engaging them in the message Christopher Bruce is conveying.
Dolencias, meaning ailments, the third section of ‘Ghost Dances’, is based on the lives of Victor Jara, the composer and performer of the music, and his wife during the turmoil in Chile.

The sequence starts with a woman who is part of the Dead searching frantically for something, shown through her facing the audience and bringing her hands towards them, then breaking down sorrowfully. A man from the Dead then joins her and they embrace, performing a series of lifts. This symbolises the bond between the characters and the emotional connection they share. The dance then turns into hiding and ducking movements as the couple tries to escape from an unseen force. Accompanied again by the dripping sound, the Dead perform reaching, circular movements, as if attempting to escape. The woman performs her movements with a sense of sorrow, focussed on the man, as if she knows he is going to be

taken
of sorrow, focussed on the man, as if she knows he is going to be taken