Strop Duet III

What do you notice about how high Becci is this time?

How does Danny move this time? Is he able to reach her?

How is their movement different from earlier duets?

How would you describe their body language? How are they feeling?

Does her swinging remind you of anything?

The return to the strop duet allows a final opportunity to piece the whole jigsaw together and reflect on what we have seen.

Becci is now right at the top of the strop; well beyond her partner’s reach. She seems to be losing herself in the sensation of swinging one way then the next, her head thrown back, like a child on the swings in a playground, repeatedly coiling up and uncoiling in dizzying circles.

Danny seems empty; numb. He has given up fighting (the disease? To keep her?) Now they have accepted the inevitable, both are completely alone but oddly calm: she comforts herself in childhood sensations. He closes down.

Over half a million older people in the UK suffer from a frightening disease called Alzheimer’s which slowly steals away their memories. It is as though lightbulbs are going out in the brain leaving some areas dark, unable to receive electrical signals so that thoughts slow down and memories begin to fade and are eventually lost altogether. Even loved ones can become strangers. At present Alzheimer’s has no cure, but scientists, like Professor Ashcroft, are working on it.

Some viewers may decide it is Becci who has dementia and is gradually forgetting Danny and their life together; others read the work in a different way: that it is Danny who is fighting the disease and Becci who has to try to deal with his increasingly erratic behaviour and violent episodes. Even Kevin, Becci and Danny remain undecided.

Who do you think is the one struggling to retain their memories and who is struggling to support and hold onto their partner?