Critique 3: Wayne McGregor's 'Infra' (final duet)

The final duet in ‘Infra’ by Wayne McGregor made me feel sympathy and hurt from observing this pas de duex. The piece had this impact on me because they often had a facial expression of pain, which caused me to feel concerned for the dancers as I felt the expression came from within since the emotion was even carried in their movement. An example of this is when Marianela Nuñez reaches out to grab on to her partner Edward Watson, this makes me feel as though she is desperate for his comfort. (P//) The dancers performed movement in a balletic yet contemporary manner, there was a lot of spinal motion involved and it was often caused by the other partner in the pas de duex due with a manipulative motion. To link to this, the movement was intimate and contained a lot of chemistry between the two dancers, their movement was very intriguing to watch as the way the pair connected was in a creative and adventurous style, using lifts which unravel into another affectionate sequences. The contemporary, spinal based movement was often portrayed in a manipulative way which came across in an assistive and supportive behaviour rather than aggressive or persuasive style. I felt that Watson performed with a caring and controlling style because there were many moments in the piece where he would physically move and hold Nuñez’s body parts which forced her to move into the directions choreographed. There was also a section that stood out to me, where the two dancers’ intertwined their arms moved simultaneously and the weight which they used against each other was the consequence of that.(P//)

Royal Opera House, 2018) Choreographic devices I observed in this piece were; levels, unison and contrast, however I felt as though the feature of these devices was minimal. Unison was used in a small section between the two dancers where they did a couple of pour de bras pathways together which was performed beautifully and led into an intimate sequence. Although the use of this devise was minute, it was effective to myself as it acted as a slight pause before the duet went into a dramatic, interweaving phrase. The sections where the duet was performed carefully and passionately links to another choreographic device, contrast, because it gives an impact of refreshment for the audience and keeps them engaged in the performance. I felt as though the costume was very interesting since Marianela Nuñez’s clothing was a nude leotard with small black pants, which I assume was decided because it would show off the her admiring shapes and lines in a more effective way. Watson’s costume was a plain grey loose shirt with black shorts, which I felt was a great choice as it’s very simple and doesn’t distract the audience from his movement. I found it challenging to find a clear message for the piece ‘Infra’ because although the movement had an essence of intimacy and pain, I was unsure to what the intention could be. As I continued to watch the piece I thought that Nuñez’s character was potentially going through something and Watson’s character was guiding her through it during a romantic relationship. The movement seemed to be very controlling but with a feeling of concern especially from Edward Watson as he was assisting his partners movement, which gave me the impression of Nuñez’s character needing help. Other than this interpretation of mine, I feel as though I can’t comment a confident idea of the story line due to my observation of the performance of ‘Infra’.(P//) Refrenes: Royal Opera House, 2018. Infra- Final Duet (The Royal Ballet) [Online Image] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjERnGQiJfg [Accessed December 2nd 2021] Bibliography: Royal Opera House, 2018. Infra- Final Duet (The Royal Ballet) [Online Image] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjERnGQiJfg [Accessed December 2nd 2021]