Week 9: Critical Review of Dance Piece #2







In this week’s blog, I am going to be critiquing and reviewing my chosen practitioner, Wayne McGregor’s piece Wolf Works. This piece was first performed in 2015, by the company of The Royal Ballet and it is a 95-minute piece. The piece is about the idea of humans being ‘both physical body and uncontained essence’ 

When first watching the piece, I wasn’t too sure if I liked it because I found it to be very chaotic and I wasn’t too sure what was happening however, when watching it again I found it more interesting and I really liked how McGregor used classical ballet steps and incorporated a unique and contemporary style to make the piece.

I also like how McGregor incorporated the use of pointe work and pas de deux as again this gave a classical element to the piece but was so interesting as he put his own twist on the lifts with the use of different directions, speeds and levels. 



I really like how the dancers dance and travel into the spotlight, allowing each dancer to have their own section and as an audience member you are constantly watching different movements and the spotlight is acting like the performance area instead of the stage. I think this is really unique as it allows us as an audience to focus on the dancers in the spotlight and appreciate their movements. 

As well as, half way through the piece the spotlights disappear and the dancers dance in a group, I like this because McGregor incorporates the use of unison and canon with the dancers, so in some sections the dancers dance in unison with their partners but then use canon or dance different sections to one another. 

I think the costumes used are very basic however very effective, as the piece is about the idea of humans being ‘both physical body and uncontained essence’ and this allows the audience to focus on the movements happening in the piece.

I find the music to be very classical but also had some highlights and dynamics, which went well with the movements, dancers and costumes chosen for the piece and this allows the story of the piece to come across well to the audience and make the piece look a lot more effective when watching it.

After watching Wayne McGregor’s pieces ‘Wolf Works’ and ‘Infra’ I have noticed a lot of similarities and differences between the two pieces. Firstly, both the pieces are set on pointe and use pas de deux within the pieces. As well as, both pieces use elements of classical ballet with a contemporary twist, with the use of different dynamics, levels and directions. 

However, McGregor’s piece ‘Infra’ the section I reviewed was a duet so only featured two dancers, whereas his piece ‘Wolf Works’ features a much larger group of dancers and this is very effective as there is lots of different partner works as well as solos and group sections to watch. 

Overall, I really liked watching McGregor’s piece ‘Wolf Works’ as I felt it was so unique and interesting, something I have never seen before and this allowed me to enjoy the piece more and understand it better.

The link for the video I reviewed is: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v6-BCezkrjM

Comments

  1. Rachel Donald18 November 2019 at 11:59

    I really enjoyed reading this blog. I particularly like the way you have mentioned the costumes, music and use of lighting featured in this choreography piece, and you have analysed these aspects very well. Did you notice any choreographic devices Wayne Mc Gregor used in this piece?

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    1. Megan Foster20 November 2019 at 06:08

      Thankyou! Yes I noticed he used a few different choreographic devices such as embellishment, highlight and repetition, these I have included in my solo.

      Delete
  2. Daisy Stonier19 November 2019 at 12:59

    Your introduction is precise and clear and gives the reader a good understanding of the piece that you are going to talk about, which I found very useful. Was it the movements or formations that you found chaotic about the piece and what helped you to enjoy it more the second time you watched it?

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    Replies
    1. Megan Foster20 November 2019 at 06:07

      Thankyou! In my opinion, I found it to be a bit of both in the opening section but especially the formation, as it wasn’t very clear where the dancers were going but in the end this made the piece more effective and unique.

      Delete
  3. Nanson30 November 2019 at 11:27

    It's great to see that you watched the piece again to try and under and appreciate it better.
    When the spotlight disappeared and the dancers performed together what impact did the unison and cannon have on the audience. Were they used to create two different reactions?

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    1. Megan Foster1 December 2019 at 02:55

      Thankyou Nathan! When the spotlight disappeared it was as if the focus was on all the dancers moving as one and not just a solo or duet and the use of unison as well as canon, was really effective as it was as if all the dancers were coming together as one.

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  4. Storm Ide2 December 2019 at 10:03

    This is a very detailed and clear blog Megan, well done. You have mentioned your thoughts and preferences on each aspect of the dance at hand, as well as comparing it to "Infra". You mentioned that McGregor uses different levels, dynamics and speeds within his work, whilst using classical ballet as a basis for his choreography. Do you think that this offers a wide range of movement vocabulary and do you think that this style allows the audience to enjoy McGregor's work even more?

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    1. Megan Foster2 December 2019 at 10:34

      Thankyou for your comment! Yes I feel this offered a wide range of movement vocabulary as there is always something new happening which also makes his pieces so interesting. I feel McGregors style and how his dancers perform really helps the audience enjoy his pieces, as his work is so unique and something you’ve never seen before.

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  5. caitlynfrancisco2 December 2019 at 16:21

    Well done Megan! You have clearly clearly analysed this work and also focused on the comparisons between 'Infra' and 'Woolf works'. You mentioned how Mcgregor infuses a lot of classical elements into his choreography, is this something you would consider adapting into your own choreography?

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    1. Megan Foster3 December 2019 at 08:38

      Thankyou for your comment Caityln! Yes I have used the idea of classical elements in my solo piece to show the difference between the more natural movements to the dynamic and sharp movements.

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  6. Miss Norman3 December 2019 at 09:53

    Good work! In your view, what do you think the piece trying to communicate or say to its audience? Please further discuss the style and movement used as well as the purpose behind the choreography. What impact did the music have and how did this have an effect on the piece? Please go into further detail when comparing McGregor's work. In comparison to your first critical analysis, What similarities and differences do you recognise? Please expand your analysis by discussing how the emotion, style and dynamic/ intention differed? Overall a well presented critical analysis.

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    Replies
    1. Megan Foster3 December 2019 at 10:48

      Thankyou! I feel this piece is trying to communicate being human and having different emotions to the audience. I felt the music had a huge impact on the piece as it was very sharp and dynamic, this allowed the piece to have highlights. I found both pieces to use a lot of parent work and lifts throughout, as well as unison.

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