Wayne McGregor's Chroma - The Hardest Button To Button

 Wayne McGregor choreographed Chroma for The Royal Ballet, premiering at The Royal Opera House in 2006.

Talking about how the piece evolved in an interview with the Royal Opera House, McGregor describes how he had discussed ideas for the set and music before beginning the choreography, which was unusual for him as he would normally create in the studio without such definite stimuli. He began by taking his idea, based on the dictionary definition of Chroma,  to architect John Pawson, asking him to create a space ‘where the bodies became the architecture’(W. McGregor, 2017). He was inspired by the architects use of minimalism and wanted him to create a space where the dancers were a ‘relief from the white’(W. McGregor 2013). Pawson himself says the space he created has ‘architectural motifs of inside and outside, entrance and exit, light and shadow’ (J. Pawson, n.d) and is ‘radically transformed’ (J.Pawson, n.d) through the use of light. As the set is so basic in appearance, you really focus on the dancers. Every move is highlighted and becomes more intense as you are not distracted by the set. The vast space creates atmosphere and a quiet space for the dancers to make the noise.

The duet segment I watched linked below (Wayne McGregors Chroma - The Hardest Button to Button)  is danced to Joby Talbot’s arrangement of The White Stripes song The Hardest Button to Button. McGregor describes Talbot’s music as being 'physical and violent' (W. McGregor, 2013) and was excited how the music would contrast with the minimal set. ‘Tension between chaos and minimalism.’ (J. Mackrell, 2006) The combination of set and music provided McGregor with a stage to ‘explore the drama of the human body and its ability to communicate extremes of thought and emotion’(W. McGregor, n.d) . He was interested in classical vocabulary and how it could be ‘re-used and re-explored through the bodies of today.’ (W. McGregor, 2017) How a dancer today can interpret movement and use their classical training to give shape and meaning to elementary moves.

The dancers bodies are highlighted against the bare walls and so you focus on every move. They use full extension, every inch of their body is manipulated and their suppleness is exaggerated making the bodies look elastic. In contrast to the fluidity this type of movement creates, there are also moments of staccato, with definite line and direction. The speed at which the couple connect, entwine and mimic each other feels very natural, nothing is forced. The male and female dancers move in a similar way, both with similar strength, tension, fluidity, balance and energy. As the music builds, crescendos, the dancers work together, intensifying the moment, both as important as each other and as loud or spontaneous as the music. There are no breaks in the music, until the end and the dancers move to the music the entire time, so there is a lot going on at the same time, one move leads immediately to another, linking to the next, flowing seamlessly between bodies. They move directionally as well, not just straight out to the audience, turning, spinning, twisting in combination with their steps.

The overriding impact of Chroma is flawless technique, set out for all to see, to explore it, to appreciate it, to be mesmerised by it.  McGregor was the first contemporary resident choreographer at the Royal Ballet and Chroma 'rocked the ballet world' (S. Olivero, n.d) It is modern and unusual and about the dancers and what they can do, rather than a traditional ballet where the dancers act out a story and audiences and dance companies were keen to see more of this style. The piece has since been performed by companies around the world.

I am interested to explore my body movements and their possibilities, can I extend a line, make a movement more precise, can I stretch that bit further, but also it’s the pace with which things happen that I am attracted to and I don’t think that is all down to his choice of music. It’s like watching someone talking, their lips continuously moving, talking with their hands and in this case their whole body. In the music I like that there are no vocals, no words to influence you. The music I have chosen so far is instrumental for that reason. I also like being able to listen to the instruments. Follow their rhythms and explore my movement with an invisible storyline. McGregor’s storyline here is very much about the bodies. I do have a story to tell and am undecided as to how clear I want that to be yet.

I would like to use McGregor's fluidity and continuation of movement in my choreography to experiment with not stopping, timing and fluctuating rhythms. After watching chroma I liked feeling overwhelmed. I was also relieved to have time to process what you had just watched. In my piece I don't mind if the audience are overwhelmed. I would like to explore ways to achieve this and question how I can sustain this feeling as a solo rather than a piece with 10 dancers. As I will be dancing for 10 minutes I therefore need to incorporate periods of rest, not necessarily with no movement.  I would like to decide on the overall rhythm. 

Do I build up to a climax? 

Do I work in waves of intensity?

 How can i use my music to help this process?

References:

Royal Opera House, 2913, Wayne McGregor's Chroma - The Hardest Button To Button (The Royal Ballet) , Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SMmL6kIx-w , Accessed date: 30/10/21

Royal Opera House, 2013, Wayne McGregor and Joby Talbot on Chroma | The Royal Ballet (2007) Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zswDHita_c , Accessed date: 30/10/21

S. Olivero, n.d, Chroma inside the ballet, Available at: https://national.ballet.ca/Productions/2019-20-Season/Chroma/Further-Reading-(1)/Inside-the-Ballet Accessed date: 30/10/21

Teatr wielki opera narodowa, 2017, Chroma - Making of  Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR9CxFpgmNo Accessed date: 31/10/21

J. Pawson , n.d, Chroma, Available at: http://www.johnpawson.com/works/chroma Accessed date: 31/10/21

J.Mackrell, 2006, Royal Ballet Triple Bill, Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2006/nov/20/dance Accessed date: 31/10/21

W. McGregor, n.d, Chroma, Available at: https://waynemcgregor.com/productions/chroma/ Accessed date: 31/10/21