Infra Flashcards
Who choreographed Infra?
Wayne McGregor
Which company produced Infra?
The Royal Ballet
What was its premier date? And where?
13th November 2008 at Royal Opera House, London
How long is Infra?
28 minutes
How many dancers are there in Infra?
12( 6 female, 6 male)
What dance styles are included in Infra?
Contemporary, Ballet
What performance environment is Infra performed at?
Proscenium Arch
What is the first stimulus of Infra?
Vida Infra, the Latin for ‘see below’ - life beneath the surface of the city
What is the second stimulus of Infra?
“Underneath the brown fog of a winter dawn/ a crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many” TS. Elliot: The Wasteland
What is the 3rd stimulus of Infra?
The 2005 London Bombings terrorist attack
What does the stimulus Wasteland explore?
Life in London in the aftermath of the First World War.
What is the first choreographic intention of Infra?
Below the surface - seeing below the surface of things( quite literally in this case, below set design where you can see people walking in the street.)
What is the second choreographic intention?
Pedestrian movement - normal people and the choreography has found a pedestrian language which is recognisably human.
What is the third choreographic intention?
Types of relationships - inferences made between people and the emotional content.
What is the last choreographic intention?
Own interpretations - McGregor purposefully left the audience to make their own selections and conclusions from what they see.
What is the choreographic approach?
Utilising the dancers own experiences and interpretation of the pedestrian movement was an important part of the choreographic process.
Emphasising that each person has their own story.
What was the collaborative approach?
Show - teaches movement
Make - works with the dancer to create movement
Task - sets an improvisational task
Who designed the set?
Julian Opie
What is the set?
An 18m LED screen is placed high on the black back wall.
Runs the width of the stage.
Electronic figures are shown walking along the screen.
How does the set show life below the surface?
As the dance is performed underneath the set and design.
How does the set show human interactions?
Lack of set below the LED light forces the attention purely on the dancers and their interactions and relationships. The people included in the set further emphasises the focus on people.
What is included in the lighting for the Counterpoint Male Trio?
White wash of light with blurred edges at a mid - intensity. Light focuses downstage, leaving upstage in darkness.
Thrown onto the floor from above suggesting they are coming from above ground.
What is included in the lighting for Rectangles of light?
Six rectangles of white profile spotlights created in a line on the floor downstage.
Upstage in darkness.
What could the rectangles of light represent?
Daylight shining through a drain from above as they are below the city.
Zebra crossing linking to pedestrian theme.
Windows in a tube train linking directly to the London bombing.
Forces focus onto individual relationships and human interactions.
What is included in the lighting orange, male solo?
An amber wash of light floods downstage with soft edges. Upstage in darkness.
What does the lighting in orange, male solo represent?
Blurred edges create a fog - like atmosphere linking to “wasteland” poem. “Under the brown fog of a winter dawn”.
FIRE after a bomb
Who created the music for Infra? And sound design?
Max Richter
Performed by the Max Richter Quintent with Jonathan Haswell
Sound design by Chris Ekers
What does the soundscape used include?
Found sound
Morse code, radio static, muffled speech, train whistles
What does the found sound help to create?
(3)
Busy city - reflects the pedestrian movement and everyday mood created.
Sound is distorted as if through fog linking to the wasteland poem.
Types of found sound are all forms of communication linking to human interactions.
What is different about the aural setting in section 5 (male solo)?
Thundering and booming sounds with rumbling effects. Tempo increases in speed.
What does aural setting in section 5 reflect?
Mimic the London bombings, creating a tense and nerve - wracking mood to reflect atmosphere. Build in tempo reflects build in tension.
What kind of music is heard in section 7( trio)?
Instrumental music becomes soft, sorrowful and melancholy piano medley.
Tempo is slow.
Transitions move dramatic strings at increased volume as female soloist collapses - CLIMAX
What does the music in section 7( trio) reflect?
The sad and poignant mood which reflects the after math of the London bombings.
Feelings of loss and grief whilst emphasising the relationships and interactions between the people left.
Who designed the costumes for Infra?
Maritz Junge
What do 10 of the 12 dancers wear?
Tight fitted Lycra shorts with a variety of different tops in black, grey and white colours.
Female dancers wear pointe shoes, male dancers ballet shoes.
Why do the dancers wear that?
Monochrome, neutral = urban city
All costumes are designed the same but each individuals is slightly different.
Creates a more personal twists to a crowd like how McGregor said we view strangers.
Why do they wear tight fit, bare legs and shoes?
Focuses attention to “below”
How are 2 of the 12 dancers dressed differently?
A female wears a black wrap - around mini skirt with a white vest top, and male wears long black trousers and a bare torso.
Why do 2 of the 12 dancers dress differently?
(3)
Emphasises their interactions and makes them seem vulnerable in comparison to the others.
Skirt is as if she was going somewhere nice, bare top as if he is in his personal clothes at home yet both have been impacted by a disastrous event.
Wayne McGregor wanted the audience to make their own conclusions about what happened.
He used his clothes as a medical aid to stop bleeding.
