Infra Flashcards
Who is the choreographer
Wayne McGregor
Who is the company
The Royal Ballet
What is the date of the first performance
13 November 2008
What is the dance style
Contemporary ballet
What is the 1st choreographic approach
1) SHOW a phrase to the whole or part of the cast- dancers watch and either recreate the phrase exactly or create a version
What is the 2nd choreographic approach
2) MAKE a phrase on a target dancer or dancers- others watch and copy or develop
What is the 3rd choreographic approach
3) TASK- set a choreographic task for dancers to complete or pose a choreographic problem for the dancers to solve
What is the stimulus
Infra is Latin for below, presents a portrait of life beneath the surface of the city.
Also quotes from the poem ‘The Wasteland’ by T.S. Eliot
What are the quotes from the poem
“Under the brown fog of a winter dawn”
“A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many”
What is the choreographic intention
Seeing below the surface, see people walking in the street. The choreography has found a pedestrian language.
How many dancers are there
12 dancers
6 male
6 female
How long is it
28 minutes
What is the structure
Has solos, duets and ensembles. Also a crowd surges across the stage.
What is the aural setting
By Max Richter
Mixes melancholy string melodies with electronic sounds and everyday sounds such as train- whistles
Who designed the costume
Lucy Carter
What is the performance environment
Proscenium arch
Who designed the set
Julian Opie
How is the stimulus of infra, meaning the Latin word for below shown
Have holograms of people walking on the street literally above the dancers. Seeing below the surface
What is the female dancers costume like and what does it show
Hair out of face, white vest/tight fitted. Black bottoms, pointe shoes.
All the same, everyone is going through the same problems. Bland colours- don’t want to attract attention/ keeping to themselves.
Gender neutral clothing
What is the male costume like and what does it show
Topless showing vulnerability and how he is exposed. Pedestrian colours, professional. Black trousers, bare foot.
No where to hide, see all the actions and masculinity. Similar colours but slightly different. Dark colours shows sadness/mourning after the bombings.
Raw/honest
How does the staging contribute to the stimulus
Seeing below the surface with the LED lights. Plain stage shows the dancers being exposed. The lights shows the changing emotion. London bombings and wasteland poem
How does the staging contribute to the intent
The staging is pedestrianised and looks professional. The LED screen shows the dancers in the underground where the bomb went off. It also makes the stage look busy, like it says in the poem the wasteland
How do the colours contribute to the piece
Monochrome colours show that everyone is the same and can show the sadness from the London bombing. Shows vulnerability
What are other factors for the staging and set
The lighting changes throughout the dance and shows the change in emotion. At the beginning the lighting links with the fog of the poem
What is the lighting in section 1
Begins with a soft focus of white/grey.
Links with the poem the wasteland which talks about fog
What is the lighting like in section 2
Pool of light, pedestrianised
What is the lighting in section 3
Shows the anxious physical conversation. Also jealous/envy. Bad relationship- tension
What is the lighting in section 4
6 rectangles. Shows everyone is in their own little bubble. Complements monochrome outfits. Creates boundaries and restricts dancers. Isolating/can’t escape.
Also could be windows on the underground- light in the darkness. Trapped- London bombings
What’s the lighting in section 5
Male solo in amber/gold. Shows authority. Conflict of power. Lots of space- not trapped or restricted.
Confident- exposed- shown his feelings
What’s the lighting in section 6
Wash of yellow. More dancers, see different relationships/ business of the city. Setting us up to see the drop in mood
What’s the lighting in section 7
Blue beams of light, two diagonal pathways. White sidelights. Women’s break down.
Lonely in a crowd of people. Captures her face. Draws attention to her- shows people over looking her.
What’s the lighting in section 8
Low intensity white spotlight, follows the dancer. Circle- everyone comes together after the bombing but people are now putting their guard up. Alone in the darkness.
