Mcgregor: Triple Bill (Chroma/ Infra/ Limen) [DVD] [2011] [NTSC]

I bought this DVD after having the pleasure of seeing the Royal Ballet recently perform Infra and Chroma. As a big fan of contemporary ballet and Wayne McGregor, this doesn't disappoint. Although the DVD doesn't beat seeing these ballets performed live, its wonderful to be able to watch them time and time again. Thoroughly recommended if you're a ballet obsessive like me!

Challenging stuff! Analogous to the poet's disruption of normal linguistic convention and imagery for literary effect, Wayne McGregor utilises a corresponding technique to explore the potential for expression in the human-body not normally associated with a company trained in the classical style such as the Royal Ballet. His choreography expressly and paradoxically all but ignores the vocabulary of the classical ballet tradition, while anticipating levels of physical expression in the human body unexplored on the traditional dance-stage since the passing of the Royal Ballet's former resident choreographer and 'enfant terrible', Sir Kenneth MacMillan, in 1992.

With corresponding introductions by the choreographer himself, each of the scenarios presented on this DVD/Blu-ray utilises the expertise of the classically-trained dancers to incongruous though interesting theatrical effect. Chroma, for example, appears, in part, to explore a parallel world of apparent robotic humanoids whose similarity to the human species is alluded to by reference to their origins from some primordial soup. As well as their proclivity for social order and recreation, with all the potential for conflict and cooperation which that might entail, his contrasting romantic pairings for boy and girl have a beautiful sculptural and contemplative quality, suggestive of humanity's higher aspirations and possibilities. The scenario of the second piece on the disc, Infra, is very succinctly introduced by the choreographer to suggest the underlying tensions and concerns of a society whose urban environment creates a conducive, though alternating milieu for social anonymity, as well as social isolation through superficial appearance. The third piece, Limen, is perhaps the most challenging, of challenging works, in this collection. While all three pieces employ a thoroughly innovative blending of music and performance, lighting and stage and costume-design, Limen utilises the visual elements of lighting and costume to, perhaps, compensate for a musical score whose essentially atonal and skeletal structure requires some complementary visual relief. I've had this disc for more than a year now and I'm still trying to get to grips with Limen. While McGregor's introduction does appear to validate his creation, at the moment I'm still wondering if an absence of conventional and recognisable physical step-sequences, classical or otherwise, formulating a coherent narrative intention, perhaps ultimately impedes its necessary authenticity and longevity in what is essentially just another demonstration of the dancers' physical dexterity resulting from regular strenuous exercise.

Far from breeding contempt, I would suggest an expanded awareness through repeated viewing of this disc really is the key to unlocking the logic of Wayne McGregor's choreography, leading to a greater appreciation of the possibilities of Dance, as McGregor states in his introduction. If, in the end, these pieces fail to register with the viewer, then perhaps that might just mean that McGregor's ability to perceive a possible future for dance-theatre is challenging to those of us afraid to think 'outside the box'.

If you like the genre this is just fabulous!

Seeing the Royal Ballet doing this material so well is just great.

David.