Timeline and explanation

Explaining certain sections of my dance that I feel need some explanation

Recurring actions : 
- From tall and high positions, falling over / Leaning off balance --> this represents the two towers of the World Trade Centre collapsing after the attack.
- While rolling, hands are often stretched to the side --> this represents the wings of the plane.
- The covering of faces --> this quite obviously simply represents the immediate reaction many incidents when the natural reaction of people would be to protect the most important part of the body - their heads. This would be the exact case in the 9/11 attacks as many people would have been trying to prevent their heads from being hit by any falling debris.

1) The dance starts out with Dancer 1 walking out from the side, followed by Dancer 2 who walks out in the same way. The dancers walk out for 3 steps whilst swinging their arms before turning on one leg and swinging their arms over their heads
--> As my dance is episodic, I think thought that this represented the everyday routine of the victims of the attacks. The entrance of the people is shown throw the miming of a person walking to work on the streets, holding a briefcase perhaps.

2) The dancers both alternately wait in a position where they stick their arms out in front of them in a strong and rigid way.
--> This action shows a person trying to flag down a taxi or a bus, as one would expect in the busy city of New York.

3) Dancer 2 runs towards Dancer 1 who is 'flagging a taxi' and hits her, before sticking her arm out to flag the taxi as well.
--> In my opinion, it was important to illustrate how busy the location of the attack was, as this led to the increased impact on the attack afterwards. By rushing to try and flag a taxi down for herself, Dancer 2 has accidentally hit Dancer 1. This shows the true hustle and bustle of a city.

4) Next comes a section which foreshadows the nature and following happenings of the dance. Dancer 1 turns to face the front and her arms stretch out to the side, resembling the wings of a plane and Dancer 2 stretches her leg 180 degrees backwards. Dancer 1 pushes Dancer 2, who falls over. Then, both dancers jerkily break and get to the floor.
--> Here, I intended to make a little flash to foreshadow the events that would take place later on the day of the attack. Dancer 2, as a perpendicular shape, represents the two buildings that were attacked that day as Dancer 1 obviously represents the hijacked plane that crashed into the building. The fall of Dancer 2 shows the collapse of the towers and the breaks of the dancers before getting to the floor also represent how in the process of crashing into the tower, the plane was also completely destroyed.

5) After the crash, both dancers 1 and 2 return to the side. Dancer 1 emerges again, rolling on the floor before looking left and right and pointing at her 'watch'.
--> This once again depicts the busy and rushing scenes of a typical city, where the attacks took place.

6) Dancer 2 also walks out from the sides in the same way as before in Part 1.

7) Whilst Dancer 2 is walking, Dancer 1 stretches her hands out to the side before bringing her arms to roll her head.
--> I imagined the stretching of arms to the side to be linked to someone trying to stop something, almost as if the Dancer was trying to stop what was about to happen. And I thought the head roll represented a disastrous and frustrating nature.

8) At the same time, both dancers fall backwards into a fish roll. Then roll onto their backs and stretch their hands on top of their heads and bring themselves to a sitting position. In the sitting position, covering their heads.
--> The fall from a standing position onto the floor represents the buildings of the World Trade Centre collapsing after the plane had crashed into it.
--> It is obvious that in the sitting position, the dancers are showing the fear and desire for protection the victims in the building at that point of the attack.

9) Dancers step forwards and do an illusion, where legs stretch 360 degrees before they stand up facing opposite directions away from each other. Then, as if someone had called for help, they turn to face each other.
--> The illusion once again shows the buildings reaching the highest point before they collapse.

10) To contrast each other, Dancer 1 falls to the floor with her left leg stretched to the side. Simultaneously, Dancer 2 jumps upwards. Both dancers rise up from the ground to a standing position with heads down and arms stretched to the side. Then they lean off balance into 3 steps ending with the back foot on demi-pointe and arms covering face.
--> The rising from the ground into the position with their arms at their side represents how the planes rose among the buildings and at that moment in time, no one could have done anything to stop the attack thus the plane was almost gradually rising to power.
--> The covering of the face with both hands represents the want to protect themselves from injury.

11) In canon, the dancers turn around to a crouched position with their hands clutching their stomach. Then, with their arms at the side, they roll to the floor ending in a position where their head is down and their right arm is stretched above their heads.
--> The fact that the two dancers perform this in canon represents how the attacks were on the two towers, one after the other.
--> The crouching position is the common image of pain and the crouched position represents the aftermath of the attack when all the people who had were not immediately killed were trapped and caught under all the debris.
--> The hand stretching upwards shows how it was when all these people were trapped that they hoped to be saved and stretch their hands up as if someone could have been there to help them up.

12) Dancer 1 breathes in deeply and Dancer 2 kicks her legs 3 times before breathing in deeply as well.
--> I thought it would be nice to portray the deep breaths, even possibly the final breaths of some people trapped in the wreckage.

13) Dancer 2 goes into a bridge and stretches her arm upwards, Dancer 1 stretches her arm in front of her towards the audience.
--> This symbolises the people who were trapped and at that point in time could not help themselves. Thus, they were reaching out in all sorts of directions in the hope that they will receive the help they need to be freed.

14) Dancer 2 lays on the floor and Dancer 1 gets up off the floor before pulling Dancer 2 off the floor as well.
--> The simple action of Dancer 1 helping Dancer 2 off the floor is a summary of the people who helped the victims of the 9/11 attacks in anyway. Many risked their own lives to save that of others, many people helped the victims' families financially and basically it was a time where many helped the victims.

15) Dancer 1 supports Dancer 2 in a lift where Dancer 2 is on top of Dancer 1's back. After a pause, Dancer 2 kicks her leg 3 times upwards.
--> The lift shows the literal support of the people who helped out, and was a time where many saw how interdependent humans were.
--> The 3 kicks showed the desire to break free but being held down by something.

16) Dancer 1 and 2 separate as Dancer 1 jumps to the side and Dancer 2 moves backstage. Dancer 2 performs a motif 1 development with very quick hand gestures covering her face in protection while Dancer 1 crouches over jerkily. Together, Dancers 1 and 2 perform motif 1's development 1, consisting of the covering of face as well as the leaning off balance.
--> The quick hand gestures (motif 1) represent the fear in the people as they cover their heads in protection.
--> the leaning off balance links to the falling over of the two tall buildings.

17) Alternately, Dancer 1 and 2 perform Motif 3 in at different timings and with different dynamics as they travel in different directions.

18) At the same time, Dancers 1 and 2 perform Motif 1, development 2.

19) Dancer 2 begins to run in a circle as Dancer 2 chases her. Then, Dancer 1 falls in the process.
--> represents how many people were willing to go through hardships in order to save others, even if it meant that they would fall in the process.

20) The second crash happens and Dancer 1 and 2 do a jump, before Dancer 2 lies on the floor without moving, and Dancer 1 falls onto the floor as well. Dancer 1 rolls away from Dancer 2, stretching her arm towards Dancer 2 in a desperate attempt to help her in any way.
--> After the second explosion, it can be assumed that Dancer 2 dies.
--> Dancer 1 tries and stretches out her arms to try and save Dancer 2.

21) Dancer 1 walks to the centre of the stage, salutes the audience before kneeling on the floor in a bow.
--> This represents the salute to the victims, as President George Bush says in his speech - 'thank you, goodnight, and God bless America'.
--> Afterall, the piece is meant to be reflective and to remind the audience of the tragedy that struck New York.