Week 3- Key practitioner Lesson Once- ‘In Countenance of the Kings’

Wednesday 25^th September

Justin Peck’s: ‘In the countenance of Kings’ by Sanfrancisco Ballet

I really like this piece of dance as its very well choreographed and it allows you to make your own interpretation of what the piece is trying to promote to the audience, furthermore I like the way it breaks away from what is typically associated with ballet through the use of dress codes and the way there is a more neo classical feel to the routine.

The piece makes me feel very excited as there is so much going on, for example there is a constant change of pattern, also the dynamics in the music continuously change which reflects on the movements making some stand out more. Justin Peck always chooses a piece of music first and uses this as a stimulus to then develop his routine; this makes his choreography very lyrical as the dynamics in the music relate to the movements. Both these things create a feeling suspense as it is impossible to predict what is going to happen next.  

The dancers work very well together as they are always in time with each other and the music. Furthermore it is important for them to all have good spatial awareness in order for them to not clash into each other when moving into a different pattern. The dancers move in a very balletic way with some rather fluid soft parts, contrasting to the sharp dynamic movements which are also expressed.

It is evident that Justin spends a lot of time coming up with and drawing out patterns, as there were many interesting shapes and patterns shown,  for example: there is the use of a triangle where the main woman featured is at the point of the shape with her partner, whilst the other two couple are placed behind them on a diagonal. At one point the dancers are placed very close together in organised rows to create a sense of team work and to present a supportive environment. Lastly, there is a continuous use of staggered lines during group pas de deux sections to enable the audience to see each couple.

I recognise the majority of the movements during the piece as they are rather balletic, for example there is a continuous use of: ten leve jumps, arabesque, sissones, grande jete en tournen, assemble, ombuoite. Justin states that he doesn’t make up any of his own movements but alters traditional ones to give them a modern feel. Moreover, many choreographic devices are used for instance; unison, repetition, inversion, accumulation are all shown at some point in the routine.

There are endless interpretations the audience can make as to what the message is behind the routine. Overall I think the two main ideas Justin Peck had when creating this piece were that he wanted to present a feeling of freedom similarly whilst breaking away from typical dance stereotypes, also all the dancers are dancing individually but move together as one creating the idea of teamwork. Additionally, the dance world is typically seen as very competitive whereas this dance piece breaks away from this stereotype and creates a sense that dance unites everyone and encourages all, furthermore evoking the idea of equality as no dancers are particularly singled out as being the best. At the very beginning of the routine the main woman is lying on the floor in an empty studio looking exhausted and sounding breathless, this quickly changes as she looks into the mirror at someone who she wants to be, through her body language I can tell that she has more confidence. Automatically the mood changes when the music begins-the dancer becomes alive. The idea of freedom is shown through the way the lady has her hair down and not in a bun and all the dancers are wearing trainers instead of typical ballet shoes, both these aspects are used to try and break away from the strictness of ballet, whilst creating a more modern feel. I really like the message Justin is trying to communicate to his audience, and I think he demonstrates this very well through the use of his choreography.

Edmund Feldman came up with a method of criticism, overall stating that before critiquing a dance, you must observe it. Analysis explains how the parts fit together to make a whole, interpretation means having a personal observation and evaluation is your own judgement of the work. He then came up with a model of criticism for dance pieces, in which I will use as a guide when critiquing choreographers work.   

Bibliography:
Video of dance: Youtube.com. (2019). YouTube. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMTv_Y0Zrl4 [Accessed 6 Dec. 2019].