dance house the lobster jumps over the brook
a gesture in green or scenes and parascenes of newtongrange or screens and screens or a the lobster becomes a ballerina or parapluies inhabit a parascenium or the rectory umbrella revisited or looking glass house or chess in Newtongrange or a lobster jumps into the River South Esk or a play on production or a play on words or parasites, parapluies, parasols and parasceniums... and paratitles
prop for the lobster | 1:1 “Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?”
Recipe for a Dance House perfectly sweet Cherry Tarts 2oz Underland 1 x Lobster ½ Shell of a Mock Turtle - stir in... 50ml River Esk 1 tsp Nonsense Bucketful of Absurdities - Next add‌ Dash of technicolour - Stir well using the Rectory Umbrella for one shift. - place mixture into 396 x 396mm baking tray and top with... Unequal parts: Picture House Living House Bath House Public House - bake at 140 C for 8.96 mins. - serve hot on a looking-glass tray, dressed and garnished in green with a fresh cherry on top. NB: Typical custom for serving is to first somersault and then pirouette with tray on approach. ...who stole the tarts?
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dancing ground and dancing houses | 1:2000 At the end of a week working the (dancing, shifting) ground in a series of daily routines, sequences and choreographies (i.e. dances), the miner’s would head out to one of the local dance houses (to dance). This signifies a weekly shift, moving from the rigourous dance of the mine, to loose, swinging dance of the jitterbug or the jive.
Rita Hayworth as the Greek Muse Terpsichore. In a brown coat and a green dress, she has come ‘down to Earth’ in order to see to it that the theatre show about her is done correctly. Here she is about to go on stage to steal the part of ‘Terpsichore’ (note here the fourth meaning of Quadrille as a ‘trick taking card game.’ Your move.
“Will you walk a little faster?” said a whiting to a snail, “There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my tail. See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance! They are waiting on the shingle - will you come and join the dance? Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance? Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?
“You can really have no notion how delightful it will be When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!” But the snail replied “Too far, too far!” and gave a look askance -Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance. Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance. Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.
”What matters it how far we go?” his scaly friend replied. “There is another shore, you know, upon the other side. The further off from England the nearer is to France -Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance. Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance? Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?
The Mock Turtle’s Song, by Lewis Carroll
quadrille
| noun
[1] a square dance performed typically by four couples and containing five figures, each of which is a complete dance in itself. [2] a piece of music for a quadrille. [3] each of four groups of riders taking part in a tournament or carousel, distinguished by a special costume or colours. [4] a trick-taking card game for four players using a pack of forty cards
a tap dancer entertains miners on srike in Newcraighall - notice his tiny square of dance floor
template for the dance house
| 1:1
con-templation results in a series of templates for the different houses. A flattening of information occurs (which is later re-thickened). Such a flattening is in line with Deleuze’s ideas about Alice’s adventures as a series of flattenings; the relationship between the surface and the irrational.
a dancer performs kinespheric scales devised by Laban inside a Kinesphere, set on a square of dance floor
The actor re-enacts (and subsequents reacts). Newtongrang begins to be seen through the looking glass of choreography and choreology (study of dance notation), by which different ‘houses’ are extracted, each viewed as a dancer with a specific kinesphere; a specific reach and specific, set moves.
caption me
Rita Hayworth stars as Terpsichore - the Greek Muse of Song and Dance - in the picture ‘Down to Earth,’ which played in Newtongrange Cinema in 1947.
absurdities are encouraged
red for lobster, blue for partner
etiquette of the ballroom
morning shift
non-performing day
6:00
“get up!” Light on; downstairs; tea; cigarette
6:20
Catch the double-decker down to the pit Arrive at baths. Strip off clean clothes and walk to dirty end. Change to pit clothes. Running repairs to trousers with ‘NoSo’ Boots and knew pads on. Grease boots. To lamp room. Chuck in check, put lamp on. To gantry. (Snowing again) Through to airlock and pit head. Warning from banks-man of being bond-casted. Cram on the last bond.
8:00 Up Breakfast Morning swim.
7:00
Hooter blows Banksman knocks us away (drops us too fast, has to stop and start up again [glitch]) 30 seconds later, reach the bottom Jobs assigned. Start to walk to assigned area; chatting with other works.
7:30
Turn off from other walkers. Bent double.
7:45
Arrive at road-head of B7 Belt already running. Scrunch up to get a start as the conveyor is tight up to face. Shovelling, shovelling, shovelling.
10:20
Belt stops; signal for food break
10:40
Belt start up again; signal to return to work. Delayed due to overman coming up the face to do a gas test. Argument between father and the overman. Colliers to set up brattice sheets to divert the flow.
12:00
Belt breaks down the face. Weclome delay.
12:30
Coal is off and all theposts and flats are up Drag the coal borer into the rib for drilling for water infusion Drill a few holes put the infuser seal in and turn the water on, this helps break up the solid coal ready for tomorrows shift.
13:30
Infusing finished. Get the borer back out to the road-head Haggle with the supplies men to get some posts and flats into the rib ready for the morning.
13:45
Put tools on the bar, Colliers and boys haterh for walk to pit bottom. Friendly banter Reach main haulage. Walk upright rest of way.
14:20 Reach pit bottom. Get as close to front as possible to try and be first up. Boys gather in Lamp room to cadge a woodbine To Baths into boot room; brush off boots. Pit lockers; strip off dirty clothes. Shower. Dress. 15:00 Gather in pit canteen. Cup of tea. Ambulance room to get knocks / bumps dressed. 15:30 Set off home. Dinner. Wander 18:30
Meet friends Café. Chat up Irene. To Joe Spinetti’s (Dance House)
21:30
Go home Watch TV
9:45
Arrive into dance studio. Pilates; warm up exercises
10:30 Class begins start on the barre repeat in the centre with variations move to jumps at the end. 11:45
Class ends Short break; head to canteen for light lunch Check rehearsal schedule
12:00
Rehearsals start
14:00
Lunch break
15:00
Rehearsals re-start
18:00
Rehearsals end Cool down; ice bath Prepare for next day; shoe repairs
18:30 Home Dinner Unwind, spend time with friends / family 24:00
Shut down and bed
performing day 8:00 Up Breakfast 9:45
Arrive into dance studio. Pilates; warm up exercises
10:30
Class begins
11:45
Class ends Short break Check rehearsal schedule
12:00
Rehearsals start.
14:00
Lunch Break; head to canteen for light lunch
17:30
Rehearsals end See physical therapist Prepare for performance - costumes, make-up, warm up exercises
19:30
Curtain up
22:30
Curtain down Off-stage; make-up off, out of costumes Shower, redress
23:00 Leave for home. Dinner Unwind, relax, read or watch TV. 24:00-1:00
Shut down and bed.
From “All in the Golden Afternoon,” the prefatory poem to Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, or, as it was originally titled, Alice’s Adventures Underground.
partial TRANSCRIPT:
Monday 13th September - for two days “JITTERBUGS” Wednesday 29th September - for two days “THE MAD HATTER” Monday 27th September - for two days “DOWN TO EARTH”
she grows
the lobster is characterised as the dance house; the lobster inhabits the dance house; the lobster becomes the dance house
templates for newtongange
| 1:10
Newtongrange is tabbed and gridded to become a dance floor for eight dancers
prop for Alice and the flamingo | 1:1 “tectonics is things holding other things�
ing r rot w a p a ned of s mi ier y x-ray m a ll se coal toria Co f o c x i Inde Lady V e h by t 4’ 3’ 7’ 2’ s Mavi m 1’ 9’ ea Gt. S nd o 5’ 6’ Diam ird b 1’ 6’ Black tion a 2’ 3’ Coron y 4’ 0’ Smith 2’ 2’ t Splin Coal s 5’ 6’ Aleck lades 2’ 1’ b Kalen plint S 3’ 6’ Little oal C 3’ 3’ Little t o Par r
basement theatre, minto house
| 1:200
in search of a parascenium to host a dance / to host a parasite
x-ra
y of
dalkeith ballroom
| 1:200
parasceniums are found throughout the dance halls in the area; dance halls are given wings.
a br
oke
nw
ing
PROP FOR THE BOROGOVE Borogove. Noun. An extinct kind of parrot.
| 1:1
the lobster finding her feet
| 1:20
the rescaled parasceniums from the dance across of Newtongrange create a series of footings, forming new lades parallel to the old paper mill
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 the eight houses of Newtongrange inhabit the parascenium
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 the lobster dances on the spot before falling off stage (Laurel and Hardy style). It then makes it’s way backstage for a solo performance.
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 scenes, greens and parascenes
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 the choreography of the dance highlights new terriotiries in Newtongrange
pieces of the parascenium | 1:2.5 broken wings
creating declensions declension | noun A way of categorizing nouns according to the inflections they receive or: A deviation from the vertical or horizontal position.
swing dancers captured for a issue of LIFE Magazine
Ballerina’s captured mid-air by LIFE magazine
drawing declensions | 1:20 the inflection of the parasite is measured and recorded; the parasite performs a lindy hop
- the knight to Alice in Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass
Newbattle Viaduct, section | 1:200 the viaduct sets a datum in the landscape; a regular partner to the irregularity of the water-scape below it
Illustration by Lewis Carroll for ‘The Rectory Umbrella,’ a family magazine - to which he was the sole contributor. Here the Rectory Umbrella is depicted as one which keeps out the bad and renders safe and dry the good.
swing dress patterns red for lobster
| 1:10
caption medressing the rooms of the dance house in green to mark the whereabouts of the lobster
the ground dances
| 1:1000
the ground is read as a series of shifts; i.e. small changes in position(dance moves, choreographies) broken wings are broken again
adopting the langue of the acrylic boards in the parasit to construct a three dimensional ground
a girl tap dances on her little square of dance floor in Minto House to entertain herself [re-(en)-acting]
a man tap dances on his little sqaure of dance floor in Newcraighall to entertain those striking from the mines [acting]
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retrating the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as perofmred in Newtongrange
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
modelling the parascenium in a parascenium | the actor retires to the parascenium in the basement lecture theatre to construct a parascenium; the saga of houses within houses continues, a scales are placed within scales to a point of absurdity
PART 2
PERFORMANCE
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
baked lobster
| 1:100
beginning to use the language / recipe built up to construct a dance house
parallels
Terpsichore (Rita Hayworth) removes her brown fur jacket to reveal a green dress
caption me
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
trusses
| 1:100
working out how to raise ground in order to get under it
dressed in green (detail)
| 1:20
The roof becomes ground; to go up is to go down, to walk on the roof is to beunderground. Wonderland indeed.
6
5
5 3 4
2 1
1 2 3 4 5 6
Band Skiff Shoe Room Green Room Auditorium Seating Sound/Image Suite Underland Gantry
short slice of lobster
|
1:100 (see pin-up for original at 1-50)
Best served over Water. The parascenium is filled with ante-spaces associated with specific back-ofstage choreographies - like cleaning and repairing your shoes, storing instruments and props, running through your lines one last time.
3 4
7
6
2
1
8
1 Dance House 2 Looking Glass House 3 Living Houses 4 Site of Newbattle Dance Mill 5 Weir 6 Existing Lade 7 New lades 8 Outdoor production Space
5 1
newbattle dance mill | 1:500 a play on production is found as the mills (ghosted white) join the dance; from industrial production to ballet productions, both rely on the making of thin things.
a gesture in green
| 1:100
the dance house takes on Rita Hayworth’s Green dress.
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
LIVI
HO
USE
S
GLA SS H
OU SE
NG
THE C
LOO
KIN G
OTTAG
DANC
E HOU
scheme for a school of dance
| 1:200
ofdance theundertaken dance House | 1:20 aDance choregraphed by three couples (plus one invsibible couple you could only see if you could get through the looking retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange glass. Speak to Alice.)
SE
E
SAW MILLS
PAPER MILLS
MASONIC LODGE
DANCE HOUSE
location plan
| 1:5000
a dance between the irregularity and swinging rhtyhms of teh river Esk and the regularity of the railway.
13
15
12
14 3
4 5
6 7
1 11
8
2 9 10
9
1 Band Skiff 2 The Newbattle Studio 3 The Ringing Isle (Instrument Raft) 4 The Shoe Roof 5 Looking Glass Railway Station 6 Physio / Doctors 7 Office 8 Office 9 Small Innaccessible Room 10 Final Prep Station 11 WCs 12 L:ooking Glass Skiff 13 Social Mesh 14 Hidden Courtyard 15 Gantry to Living Skiff LOWER skiff plan | 1:200 Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
The skiff, on it’s way home from it’s somewhat fantastical journey around Newtongrange, returns in an almost-epic fashion (if it were a poem, it would be lobster-hexameter as opposed to dactylic hexameter (the columns are set out according to the lobster hexameter, an invented variation of the classical epic hexameter.)
16
15
livi
ng
ho
use
s
13
17 14
13
LOO
KIN
GG
LAS
SH
OU SE
12
11
DANCE
HOUSE
2 21 20
1
19 3
6
18 7 4
22 5
8 11
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
10
9
1 Proscenium 2 Parascenium 3 Auditorium 4 Ticket Skiff 5 Drinking Skiff 6 Outdoor sitting raft 7 Officials 8 Coffee House 9 Gate House 10 Demountable Outdoor Stage / Seating Area 11 Looking Glass Skiff 12 Social Mesh 13 New Lades 14 Meeting Point 15 Living Skiff 16 Bunk Deck 17 Social Courtyard 18 Ticket Office 19 WCs 20 WCs 21 AWC upper skiff plan
| 1:200
three new couples are formed in the dance; each parascenium is partnered by a para-wall (one which is not para- as in ‘next to,’ but in this sense as (over and) ‘against.’ The nook-walls conceal the dance houses (which are essentially species of nakes).
1 2
3 4
1 2 3 4 5
Laban Library Photography Room Reading Room Reading Room Gantry
upper basement plan | 1:200 Dance of the dance House | 1:20 The upper rooms appear as underground rooms, given that one must descend into them from the walkway sitting below the green-roof-line. The attic is therefore a basement, and Alice reigns in this retracing house. the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
5
UPPER BASEMENT
PARASCENIUM
UPPER SKIFF
LOWER SKIFF
PARASCENIUM
GROUND
exploded axonometric Dance of the dance House | 1:100 | 1:20 the a lean,themean, interspersed with blackboards retracing steps green of theparascenium, lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
UPPER BASEMENT (complete with sollar / cellars)
PARASCENIUM
UPPER SKIFF
LOWER SKIFF
PARASCENIUM
GROUND
exploded axonometric
| 1:100
the a lean, mean, green parascenium, interspersed with blackboards
5 6 7
8
4 3
11
10
2
1
13
1 Looking Glass Studio 2 Proscenium 3 Auditorium 4 Crow’s nest 5 Laban Library 6 Reading Room 7 Reading Room 8 Reading Room 9 Bar 10 Ticket Office 11 Gantry 13 Band Skiff 14 The Newbattle Studio
LONG SECTION
| 1:100
the lobsterr puts on its green dress and jumps over the brook
13
9
5
1
3
6
2
1 2 3 4 5 6
Entrance to Proscenium Entrance to The Newbattle Studio Coffee House Main Entrance Gantry Gantry II
Elevation
| 1:100
the dance house is wrapped in the grid of its own dance; lobsters process with their parasols
4
the axis of the new dance house follows a straght line through to the old masonic dance hall in Newtongrange
masonic dance hall
newbattle dance house two dances houses | 1:2000
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retrating the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as perofmred in Newtongrange
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
index of flame safety lamps, the details of which were sued to construct a detail for the lanterns over the sollar/ cellars in the upper basement
Dance of the dance House | 1:20 retracing the steps of the lobster throughout the Lobster Quadrille as performed in Newtongrange
Excerpt from Carroll’s ’The Poet’s Farewell,’ The Rectory Umbrella