Critique 3 – Wayne McGregor- Piece 3: Infra

 In this blog I will be critiquing Piece 3- Infra by Wayne McGregor. 

(Royal Opera House 2021)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjERnGQiJfg

At the beginning of the video, you see a male and female dancer walk downstage with a calm intent. The piece is initiated by the two dancers contracting the shoulders inwards, then rotating them outwards. Whilst this is happening the male dancer steps backwards into a lunge with the front leg turned out to support the female dancer who goes into a ponche. Throughout the piece, some lifts highlight the female dancer's extensions and the male dancer's strength. At 1 minute there is an emphasis on the use of arms and the connection to both of the dancers through the arms. This is shown when the male dancer holds onto the upper arm of the female dancer and supports her in a promenade. At 2 minutes the female dancer is on pointe and is supported by the male dancer as he holds her hips and glutes in a ponche. Towards the end of the piece, the camera changes focus to the female dancer's face where she has all focus and attention on the male dancer with a happy yet concentrated expression. The male dancer uses his hand to gesture to the female dancer that she should explore the space away from him. 

Both the dancers are wearing black shorts to show off the muscle definition in their legs which also allows the audience to see the lines of extensions more clear. The female dancer is wearing a nude coloured leotard and the male dancer is wearing a loose grey top. 

The music to this piece is mostly violin and cello-based. These instruments play an adagio melody which reflects the gentle but also strong movement of the dancers. Similar to the costumes the music is also simplistic so that your attention is drawn to the dancers and you have full engagement with the performance.

The intention stays the same throughout the piece which as an audience member it is enjoyable to watch as there are no sudden jolts to go into a new section of the piece. The theme of the costumes is very basic so that all the attention is drawn to the dancer's expression and performance and not being distracted by vibrant clothing. I think the choreography shows an abstract way of using different parts of the body to initiate a phrase or motif. I find that it is interesting to watch the dancers use their shoulders to go into a new phrase as it is an uncommon part of the body, with classical pieces, that take you into the next section. I think the ending of the piece is beautiful because it finishes with an over-the-shoulder lift into similar positions that both the dancers started in. In the description of the video, the piece is described as "a moving exploration of emotion". I agree with this statement because there is an exceptional display of grace and delicate emotion without making the piece too light.  


References:

Royal Opera House (2018) Infra - Final duet (The Royal Ballet)  [Video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjERnGQiJfg> [Accessed 14 December 2021].


Bibliography:

Royal Opera House (2018) Infra - Final duet (The Royal Ballet)  [Video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjERnGQiJfg> [Accessed 14 December 2021].


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