Infra Flashcards
Company
The Royal Ballet
Dance style
Contemporary Ballet
Choreographic approach
Show/Make/Task - structured into sentences and paragraphs
Stimulus
‘Infra’ is Latin for below. Life below a city
The Wasteland poem
London 7/7 bombings
Choreographic Intention
Seeing below the surface
Dancers
12
6 x M
6 x F
Structure
Semi-narrative
Choreographer
Wayne McGregor
Infra link staging/set to stimulus
Below surface of city: LED figures symbolise people walking above surface in street while dancers are below
Waste Land = blackness of set supports depressing nature of poem - LED figures could symbolise crowd walking over London Bridge
London Bombings = blackness of set suggests underground location where bombs were placed - LED figures symbolise people represent people above ground in London unaware of what was happening below
Infra link staging/set to lighting
Emptiness of set allows for the dramatic washes to be seen clearly - when light is white (beginning + rectangles) it matches the monochrome set well
Infra link staging/set to location
Underground - London bombings as LED screen is above of people walking unknowingly
Infra link staging/set to mood
Monochrome black/white sets an intense and sombre mood
Infra link staging/set to costume
Costume colours are black/white/grey match the monochrome set
Infra link staging/set to aural setting
Muffled sounds and train whistles heard at start support underground location created by set
Infra link staging/set to era
Modern day due to technology and urban feel
Infra link staging/set to movement
Empty set creates vast open space for the dancers to move in
Infra link costume to set
Monochrome colours support monochrome set
Infra link costume to highlight dancers
Most dancers costumes based on same design but all different - 2 dancers costumed very differently (girl with skirt + man with long trousers and bare chest)
Infra link costume to movement
Tight fitting to sculpt body allowing all movement to be seen clearly - pointe shoes and short shorts enhance leg lines
Infra link costume to gender
2 different dancers are gender specific. Shoes are gender specific. Remaining costumes are similar and more gender neutral in design
Infra link costume to genre
Pointe shoes support contemporary ballet genre
Infra link lighting to stimulus
- below the surface of city - washes thrown onto floor suggesting they are coming from above ground
- white rectangles - zebra crossing/daylight from drains above
- London bombings - white rectangles suggest windows in tube train carriage
- washes have blurred ‘foggy’ edges link to The Waste Land
Infra link costume to structure
There is a different lighting design for each section of dance
Infra link costume to restricts space
Rectangles of light trap duets within them
Upstage is often not lit bringing action further downstage
Infra link costume to mood
Variety of moods set according to colours used eg white wash = stark + cold mood, orange wash = warm + intense mood
Infra link costume to theme
Seeing below the surface of human relationships …..
Infra link costume to stimulus
Colour palette is urban, supporting city idea stated in the stimuli
Infra link costume to set
Monochrome colours support monochrome set
Infra link costume to highlight dancers
Whilst most dancers’ costumes are based on same design, they are all different. 2 dancers costumed very differently - girl with skirt + man with long trousers and bare chest
Infra link costume to movement
Tight fitting and sculpt the body, allowing movement to be seen clearly
Pointe shoes and short shorts enhance leg lines
Infra link costume to gender
2 different dancers gender specific
Shoes are gender specific
Remaining costumes are similar + more gender neutral in their design
Infra link costume to genre
Pointe shoes support contemporary ballet genre
Infra link lighting to stimulus
Below surface of city - designs are mostly washes thrown on floor from above suggesting coming from above ground
White rectangles suggest the below eg zebra crossing/daylight from drains above
London bombings - white rectangles suggest windows in tube train carriage
Washes have blurred edges link to Waste Land
Infra link lighting to structure
Different lighting design for each section of the dance
Infra link lighting to restricting space
Rectangles of light trap duets within them
Upstage often not lit bringing action further downstage
Infra link lighting to mood
Variety of moods set according to colours
Eg white wash = stark, cold mood
Orange wash = warm, intense mood
Infra link lighting to theme
Seeing below surface of things/human relationships: rectangles of light suggest windows of flats or houses, showing a glimpse of what goes on behind closed doors
Infra link aural setting to stimulus
Muffles speech in soundscape sounds as though sound are coming from the distance as if from above ground
Train whistles link to London Bombings
Soundscape creates idea of empty space where all sounds are distance and distorted almost like through fog - link to Waste Land
Infra link aural setting to location
Muffled speech in soundscape sounds as though sound are coming from the distance - possibly above ground so location is underground
Infra link aural setting to theme
Morse code, muffles speech, radio static are all forms of communication so support idea of human interaction
Infra link aural setting to mood
Variety of moods: violins often suggest tension and anxiety through the agitated melodies
Gentle piano in slow trio creates a sad mood, rich strings in collapse in crowd set dramatic, poignant mood
Infra link aural setting to lighting
Muffles speech + radio static could suggest sound travelling through fog - links to blurred foggy edges of lighting washes
Infra link aural setting to structure
Music changes for each section
Infra link aural setting to movement
Distant relationship at start - 3 dancers work in parallel to soundscape
Close relationship at other time eg slow trio, the make dancer performs considered, slow gestures on quiet and slow piano notes and pauses on the pauses in music
Infra link number/gender of dancers to theme
Human relationships - there are equal male and female dancers meaning that they can pair m/f into 6 duets - each showing different m/f relationships
Infra link number/gender of dancers to structure
Number of dancers is important for building structure - each section has different set of dancers, starting with 3, then duets, a sextet of duets, solo, trio etc
Infra link number/gender of dancers to climax
Addition of extra people towards end (crowd) builds to a climax
Infra link number/gender of dancers to stimulus
Addition of extra people towards end (crowd) could be crowd from The Waste Land poem
Infra link number/gender of dancers to set
Addition of extra people towards end (crowd) mirrors the LED figures as they are now all walking the same way and they have increased in number
Infra link number/gender of dancers to lighting
Male solo in middle is very masculine and powerful, supported by the intense orange light
