Infra: Staging and set

Infra: Staging and Set

• Use of monochromatic color scheme, with black, white and shades of grey.
• Use of LED screen: A key aspect of the staging in the dance piece “Infra”.
• Artist Julian Opie’s animated pedestrian figures displayed on it, offering a unique digital backdrop.
• Minimalistic set: The stage is generally empty allowing for focus on the dancers.
• Raised platform: Incorporated in the set design to add levels and depth on stage.

Infra: Lighting

• Low, moody, and selective lighting is extensively used which adds to the tone of the piece.
• Set and dancer’s bodies often silhouetted by the LED screen, creates dramatic and visually impacting moments.
• Spotlights and sidelights often used to highlight dancers and choreography elements.
• Replicates the ambience of the city at dusk, thematically linked to the ballet’s underlying society-centric message.

Infra: Costume

• Casual, everyday clothing: Designed to make ~dancers~ appear as ordinary people.
• Use of neutral tones like beige, black and white to keep the focus on the movement.
• Gender differences are not emphasized through costume – both men and women wear trousers.
• All dancers are barefoot which may suggest a sense of vulnerability or reality.

Infra: Performance Environment

• Performed on a proscenium arch stage, maintains a “fourth wall” between the dancers and the audience.
• Effective use of levels: Different levels are used to create depth and variety in spatial patterns.
• Frontal staging is used predominantly, facilitating clear view for audience.

Infra: Music

• Max Richter’s score: Combines classical elements with digital sound.
• Use of everyday city sounds - generates the atmosphere of a bustling city.
• The music sometimes contrasts with the movement – this is used for dramatic effect.
• Silence is used at times to allow the focus to rest solely on the choreography.