Singin' in the Rain (Kelly and Donen, 1952): an optional set work within the development of American jazz dance, its intention, key numbers, movement, aural and physical setting, and the role of film.

What this dot point is asking

Singin' in the Rain (Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, 1952) is one of the four optional set works for AQA A-Level Dance, studied within the area of study the development of American jazz dance 1940 to 1975. If your centre chooses it, you answer the Component 2 Section B essays on this work. Because it is a film musical, you need to know not only its intention, numbers and jazz dance vocabulary, but also how the film medium, camera and editing shape the way dance is made and experienced.

Context and choreographic intention

The intention combines comedy, romance and self-reflexive commentary on Hollywood itself. The plot follows silent-film stars adapting to the arrival of "talkies", and dance is used both to entertain and to advance character and story. The work belongs to the development of American jazz dance 1940 to 1975, the period in which the style moved from social and show dance toward a codified theatrical and screen form. Kelly was central to bringing an athletic, ballet-informed jazz dance to a mass cinema audience, which is exactly the kind of development the area of study examines.

Structure and key numbers

The film is built around major musical set pieces that are integrated into the narrative rather than performed as isolated items:

• Singin' in the Rain - the joyous title number, Kelly dancing in the rain with an umbrella and a lamp post.
• Make 'Em Laugh - a knockabout, slapstick comedy solo built on physical comedy and acrobatics.
• Good Morning - an exuberant trio number across the rooms of a house.
• Broadway Melody Ballet - an extended, more balletic dream sequence showcasing Kelly's hybrid style.

Each number does narrative work: it expresses a character's feeling or advances the story, so dance and plot are woven together.

Movement, aural and physical setting

The aural setting is the Nacio Herb Brown songbook, with the songs tied closely to humour, character and pacing; the music drives the rhythm of the dancing and the film's nostalgic, celebratory tone. The physical setting is the studio film world: built sets, period costume, and the famous rain of the title number, with the street, the house and the soundstage as locations.

The most important analytical point is the role of the film medium. Because the work is filmed, camera movement and editing are part of the choreography: the camera frames and follows the dance, close shots and wide shots control what the audience sees and when, and editing shapes rhythm and focus. The choreography is designed to read clearly on screen, so the movement and the camera are inseparable, unlike a stage jazz work.