Infra

• choreographer


  wayne mcgregor
• company

  The Royal Ballet
• movement style 


  contemporary ballet
• stimulus 


  . infra - latin meaning below, explores life beneath the city and human interactions

  . T.S Elliot poem - The Wasteland

  . 2007 London Bombings - how they caused a humanity not normally seen in places such as the underground
• choreographic intention

  . seeing below the surface of things - dancer below LED screen

  . people and relationships - humans revealing who they are and what is below the surface
• choreographic approach 


  Show - shows phrase and dancers copy/ recreate

  Make - makes phrase on a dancer, others watch and copy or recreate

  Task - sets improvisational tasks, works closely with music
• dancers

  6 male , 6 female
• structure 


  episodic
• performance environment 


  proscenium arch
• movement content in section 1 


  balletic movement vocabulary such as high leg extensions and pirouettes, alongside sharp arm gestures
• movement content in section 2


  dancers ripple their spines and he also holds her in a hyper extended position such as the splits in the air
• movement content in section 3 


  male and female remain in close contact thoughout and the movement is tense and fast, including turns and balances supported by the male, showing the agitated relationship
• movement content in section 4, 


  6 male/ female duets accumulate onto the stage one after the other and perform in a limited area - rectangle of white light- there are occasional moments of unison between the pairs

  we see penche arabesques, jumps, pirouettes, retirees performed with fast dynamics, showing the relationships that are hidden behind windows of apartments - idea of seeing below
• movement content of section 7a 


  pedestrian movement - man looks at his hand, rubs his eye, kneels down to brush the floor - all representing everyday actions that you might see in a city, which contrast with the highly technical movements performed at other times
• movement content in 7b 


  crowd of dancers walk across the stage from right to left in linear pathways and in random grouping

  their walking is reflected by LED figures on screen above

  they appear to be in their own world with no interaction

  they represent a crowd in a busy city -links to 2007 bombing and wasteland poem
• movement content in 7b - 2/2 


  solo female dancer stands centre stage, crying, holding the back of her head, she curves her body forwards and descends to the floor hand to head

  the other dancers ignore her, representing lack of humanity that Wayne talks about in relation to how people were before the bombings
• aural setting in section 1


  found sounds - short radio waves, morse code, distorted speech - can be heard creating a city feel and evokes contemporary setting

  multi layered sounds are as you would hear in a city environment

  morse code could link to the idea of emergency in the London bombings
• aural setting in section 3 


  fast piano melody with rapid running tones suggests an agitated relationship between the dancers

  the fast pace of the piano complements their fast and tense movements
• aural setting in section 4 


  loud distorted vocal announcement perhaps linking to the underground station where the 2007 London bombings took place - stimulus

  accumulating duets live stringed instruments play slow melody over a base line which repeats two notes creating a tense mood

  this gradually builds as more dancers enter and creates a sense of anticipation
• aural setting in section 7b 


  when crowd walk across stage and solo dancer appears upset through open mouthed crying as she falls to floor, slow full chords are played on strings to create a sombre and sad tone enhancing dramatic movement - this funeral feel can link to London Bombings

  increased number of instruments played and intensity of sound help to build a climax along with increase number of dancers and dramatic actions from solo dancer
• aural setting 


  style of music is contemporary but using classical instruments (live strings) which links to the style of the dance which is modern ballet
• aural setting

  different piece of music for each section which helps to show the episodic structure of the work
• costume 


  monochrome shorts, trousers, short skirt with vest or long sleeve tops - this gives them individuality but also identifies them as a group

  the costumes allow for ease of movement as they are made from stretchy fabric which allow them to perform high leg extensions

  the costume styles reflect everyday clothing helping to create reality
• costume 2/2 


  the dancers in the crowd who cross the stage wear everyday clothing as if they were walking in the city

  the costumes are contemporary in style setting them in the current time

  the monochrome colours of the costumes complement the colours of the LED screen above

  the female dancers wear pointe shoes to allow them to perform point work a feature of classical ballet style and the shoes elongate the dancers’ leg lines
• set 


  . 18 metre LED screen is hung high on the back wall of the stage and shows a flow of walking figures, this supports the idea of beneath the surface of the city as the dancers are performing below and represent what is under the exterior of the pedestrians on the screen

  . the pedestrians show a city life so puts the work into a city setting which links to one of the stimuli of the London Bombings, some of the figures on the screen carry briefcases to show that they are city workers
• set 2/2

  . the figures show pedestrian movement which contrasts with the highly technical movement vocab performed by the dancers below, however sometimes the dancers perform pedestrian movements - eg crowd walking across stage in section 7a - and this complements the figures on the LED screen

  . the white figures on the black background is monochrome and this is complemented by the black, grey, and white costumes which the dancers wear
• lighting in section 1 


  the white lighting highlights a particular area of the stage, in this section it highlights downstage where the trio is performing and this creates a sense of foreground and background
• lighting


  . in transitions between sections the lighting focuses on the main dancers and those exiting are in semi darkness allowing the transitions to be smooth

  . colours of light are used to highlight different sections in the dance which helps to structure the dance
• lighting in section 3 


  the green lighting reflects the fast, sudden movements of the dancers helping to create an agitated mood
• lighting in section 4


  6 rectangles of light stretch across the stage equal distances apart

  the male and female duets stay inside the rectangles to perform their duets as if in a restricted area, which could possibly show the idea of them being trapped in a relationship

  the rectangles could suggest windows which audience are looking into so they can see beneath the surface of the relationships
• lighting in section 7a 


  side lighting sculpts the dancers’ bodies, defining muscles

  creates a corridor of light reflecting the walking pathway of the crowd which creates the image of them walking in the city, possibly across london bridge as mentioned in the poem by TS Elliott which was a stimulus for the work