The Last Pole Dance

THE LAST POLE DANCE

THE LAST POLE DANCE from Kirsty Baxter on Vimeo.

Exploring notions of ‘Beneath the Surface’ demonstrating it through a devised piece called The Last Pole Dance for Graduate Show. 

The story of The Last Pole Dance was derived from another - about a dancer trapped in a strip club underground after the world above her had been destroyed by an epic world disaster. The rest of the human race had been plagued by a disease that makes them turn into monsters which had entrapped the protagonist underground. This story was imagined as a piece of theatre: television images showed the audience what has happened to the world outside interjected with footage of the protagonist, Ana, getting ready down below at her dressing table applying layers of ‘wants’ (her desires post apocalypse). When Ana comes out onto the stage she takes to a dancing pole in front of an audience of mannequins that sit in traverse to the real live audience. As she dances, the mannequins gradually come to life and the ceiling above her widens and crumbles letting in light from above. Realising that the crack and mannequins only come into force when she dances, she is hesitant about whether to go on or not, and thus allow the outside world in. Eventually she decides to carry on and her dance becomes wild and eccentric as she rips layers of her ‘wants’ away from her. The mannequins become fully alive and the crack widens until a beam of sunlight pours through and into the room. Ana exits climbing upwards to what is unknown, but driven by her desire to no longer be alone.

The idea behind it being that we all need food and water to stay alive but there comes a point where we also need people too.

Into the Wild
I decided to base my play on a topic that very much affects my current generation - eating disorders. I researched anorexia, bulimia and other kinds of eating abnormalities. I discovered that many women stop getting their period as a result of lack of eating. I also found out that some women can lose their fertility altogether. This was the basis for my show.

I read victim's accounts of their illness " I wanted my body to feel like it did when I was young and care free. When I could throw on any clothes and run around without fear of wobbly bits getting in the way, and to not think or prioritise meal times". This kind of attitude made me think about athletes and dancers who have that body shape as an adult. Not only this but I was interested in the amount of control they had over their bodies. When starting research on the play, I looked at wrestlers, Cirque du Soleil performers and dancers. I became very interested in the

technique and strength that goes into pole dancing. Pole dancing has sexual and dirty connotations but as a sport it is extremely difficult, skilful and takes a hell of a lot of core strength.

  

Writing

The story myself and a writer, Fiona Law, created was about a woman who loses her fertility to anorexia. The fertility is represented by a pole dance and the protagonists power over her body through ritual. Fiona Law created the play script and a protagonist called Ana, a Doctor to represent reality outside of Ana’s head and Rex, a physical character representing her anorexia.

MODEL BOX

MODEL BOX

IDEA FOR THE FLOOR DESIGN - IMAGES OF ANOREXIA

IDEA FOR FLOOR DESIGN - DEAD FLOWER PARTS

IDEA FOR THE BLANKET TO ACCOMPANY THE BED/TABLE

IDEA FOR THE BLANKET TO ACCOMPANY THE BED/BLANKET

Direction

I used pole dancing as a metaphor for fertility. It seemed appropriate as it showed the body controlled and strong. The sensual side was also appropriate because of the attachment victims have to their disorder. And I decided to show the pole dancing through film and projection onto the stage to create the illusion of looking into the protagonists body/mind.

Anorexia, bulimia, alcoholism, drug abuse, self-harm…are all ways of controlling the body. These become the centre of our worlds and they become our rituals in life. They become rituals in the sense that they give us purpose and make us feel comforted. One thing I used to do to control my calorie intake was to measure, weigh and count food. To convey this on stage I decided that the protagonist should act out a ritual. Ana would take to the stage and present a cookery show to the audience, teaching them how to make low fat porridge.  

The Video

I decided to stage the pole dance aspect through film and projection. I got in touch with Ka Law, founder and Director of the Pole Dance Organisation in Edinburgh, and she agreed to let me use her in the film. I got the advice and help of Michael Grant when filming the dancing. We set up lights and blacked out all windows in Ka’s dance studio to create the effect of pure blackness surrounding her. I directed her dancing and requested she wear a tank top, t-shirt shorts and a cardigan which she peeled off one by one throughout the dance. Sophie Wilkinson (who would play Ana) would be wearing the same things. I filmed the actors playing Ana and Rex in a flat to gather some footage of Ana’s relationship with her anorexia. We did this by portraying Ana and Rex as lovers. It became a love story about a girl and her disorder.

I then edited the footage of Ka and the footage at the flat together to create the finished film that would be projected onto the stage behind the actors and the action. I added Madrugada’s Step into this Room and Dance for me as soundtrack. 

Rehearsals

With the video in place, I directed Sophie Wilkinson (playing Ana) to conduct a cookery show on how to make low fat porridge. As she performed this to the audience, Rex (her disease in human form played by Daniel Arco) hovered around her peeling off her t-shirt and cardigan in sync with Ka in the video behind them. At the end of the ritual Ana and Rex engage in conversation ending in an embrace. A doctor character would start and end the show with real life facts about anorexia.

Costume and Set

Ana wore the same outfit as Ka in the video and donned an apron for her ritualised cookery show.
Rex’s torso was painted in numbers to represent calorie counting and at the end of the ritual his clothing mirrored Ana's.

We used dead and alive roses to dress the set and carried this across into the design on Ana's cookery apron (see below). The props were covered in numbers, like Rex, and the food stuffs filled with cut out numbers.

re-construction of table with costume behund

The Show



I do not have any photos of the show in action  however I do have an artist’s impression, the script, the program, and the video:

The Last Pole Dance

By Fiona law and Kirsty Baxter

The Video begins. Rex is on stage.

Ana enters and goes over to the porridge station and takes on the persona of a TV chef. Rex begins to awaken and take his place next to her.

So today I’m going to show you something a bit different.

This is a recipe that is quite personal to me, but don’t worry it wouldn’t be one of my tutorials if it wasn’t a low-fat, fast-paced, gorgeous, starve-yourself-thin meal! So to begin you need to get yourself in the mindset.

Remember kids, we don’t play with food to have fun and explore new tastes. Oh no! We learn how to prepare meals to give us killer cheek bones, protruding ribs and, everyone’s favourite, lacklustre skin! No fancy cream can give you that!

So let’s get this amazing treat for you guys started. The basis of any good meal is the emotional breakdown of a family’s parents. Guys, you should know by now that the best way to measure it out is for this to happen while daddy has shacked up with someone else, that’s what I personally recommend.

Ana weights out the porridge oats and adds them to the bowl

There we go perfect. So some of you out there who are not regulars may be wondering why it’s the best base and the answer is simple really. Watching your mother throw your dad’s belongings into bin bags while your kid brother and sister watch on is a strong way to get that devastating feel, which is needed in you want to be in my position! (Winks)

Ana lifts up the milk measures it and pours it into the bowl.

After we have measured out our base we just need to add the next part – rebellion! Booze, dancing and, well, you know what, it’s all part of the Uni experience. Falling in love again, and again, and again, and again, and AGAIN.

For some reason they never reciprocated, (pause) but that is what we need while we mix it up all together

Now we are nearly finished and you will soon be able to guiltily taste this meal. What we need to do now is this – (pulls out a wooden spoon and starts mixing) – self loathing! Mix it around, feeling fat, bigger than everyone else everywhere. All that’s left now is this: (Picks up jam) This isn’t just any jam.                                                                                                                                     This is my special jam. (Measures with spoon and adds to mixture)

And then, perfection, it’s finished! So all you lot out there can be like me. Taking control of my life in the only way I know possible – food. I’ve taught you today how to manipulate food and fill yourselves up. Remember nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!

Lights down on stage. Rex exits.

The Video plays out the realities of the love affair.

Mia de-petals the rose in her hair

In time Rex enters wearing a red shirt with dead roses.

Rex:

Hey

Mia:

Hi

Rex:

How are you?

Mia:

Fuck off

Rex:

I was just asking.

Mia:

Well don’t.

Rex:

I called your mum. I brought you these…

Silence

Rex:

What’s wrong?

Mia:

What?

Rex:

I don’t know what you want me to do.

Mia:

Nothing! You can’t do anything!

Rex:

Calm down I was just…

Mia:

- No! Are you stupid!? Don’t ask fucking stupid questions.

Rex:

Mia…

Mia:

I’m tired.

Rex:

Why won’t you talk about it?

Mia:

Because.

 Rex:

Because what?!

Mia:

Because I have a HOLE in me Rex. A big fucking empty gap of a womb. Only it’s useless now and I made it like that. Me! I fucking made it like that. I fucking killed her. I killed her! (Rex starts talking in Spanish)

What the fuck…Why the…Rex stop fucking talking in Spanish. I can’t fucking understand fucking Spanish! Rex! Fucking Shut up! Rex!

Rex:

I’m nervous

Silence

Rex:

Swears in Spanish

They Embrace

Music Swells and Lights down.

Projection of Pole Dancer lingers.