Infra E-resource pack 2018

INTRODUCTION
16
OVERVIEW
The Royal Ballet’s Infra choreographed by Wayne McGregor was given its
premiere on 13 November 2008 at the Royal Opera House and was dedicated
to Dame Monica Mason DBE in celebration of her 50th season with The Royal
Ballet. The modern ballet in one act delves beneath the surface to present
a moving meditation on human interactions.
The title ‘Infra’ comes from ‘vide infra’, the Latin words for ‘see below’, and
the work presents a portrait of life beneath the surface of the city. For this
work McGregor continued his collaborations with composer Max Richter,
lighting designer Lucy Carter, costume designer Moritz Junge and for the
first time worked with the British visual artist Julian Opie as set designer.
An LED screen runs across the width of the stage, along which there is a
mesmerizing flow of Opie’s walking figures. Underneath, 12 dancers move
through solos, duets and ensembles. They are accompanied by Max Richter’s
elegiac 1 score, which mixes melancholy string melodies with electronic sounds.
The ballet contains many arresting moments: six couples dance duets in
six squares of light and a crowd surges across the stage, unaware of one
woman’s private grief. Throughout, McGregor exhibits the emotionally resonant
and groundbreaking choreography that has placed him at the vanguard of
contemporary ballet.
Artistic Team
Choreography:
Wayne McGregor
Music:
Max Richter, The Max Richter
Quintet
Set Designer:
Julian Opie
Costume Designer:
Moritz Junge
Lighting Designer:
Lucy Carter
Sound Designer:
Chris Ekers
Solo Piano:
Robert Clark
Performed by:
The Royal Ballet
Dancers featured in the
filmed performance of Infra:
Leanne Benjamin, Ricardo
Cervera, Yuhui Choe, Lauren
Cuthbertson, Mara Galeazzi,
Melissa Hamilton, Ryoichi
Hirano, Paul Kay, Marianela
Nuñez, Eric Underwood,
Jonathan Watkins, Edward
Watson
‘This is a piece of sumptuous beauty and
shimmering possibility that marks a major step
in McGregor’s development as a creator’
The Telegraph
1. Elegiac – Expressing grief
or sorrow.
See Appendix A for full glossary.
Eric Underwood and
Melissa Hamilton in Infra.
©Bill Cooper