A Critique of Justin Pecks “In The Countenance of Kings”

When I first watched this piece the overall theme that I felt was portrayed, is the idea of normal life, and I think the dancers represented pedestrians, so all of the repetitive motions highlighted the repetitive and sometimes tedious parts of life. For example when we have daily routines including things like brushing teeth, showering, eating, and sleeping ect, they can sometimes feel like chores to complete, yet they are so simple and we still do it every single day. Because of this, the piece made me feel ordinary, and involved, as I thought that the little signals of repetitions and every day life provided a sense of inclusivity to all people and privileges. Thus showing really we are all the same, we are all doing similar things, we are all loved. 

Another reason I felt this infusion of everyday life was the dog at the beginning and the fact that every dancer in the video is wearing trainers. This again emphasises the feeling of common occurrences and what we know as every day life.
The piece also appeared to be set in an old large building, possibly a unused museum or a theatre lobby, and the floor looked very bare, which could play a part in why the dancers were wearing trainers. However I also think this really set the scene and helped my mind create the theme of "every day life" in my imagination.
The dancers in this piece are all quite classical and the movements come from a very balletic syllabus, that including arabesque, attitude positions, retiré and so on. However I find this is juxtaposed by the fact they are all wearing quite contemporary and modern clothing with the men in shorts and t-shirts and the women in just a leotard, then as I mentioned earlier the trainers to top it off. 
There is also quite a lot of rushing around and stress involved in this piece which I think again emphasises the depiction of everyday life and the business surrounding it. We see a lot of the running when they are transitioning between sections and this is almost completed in a way an ordinary runner would do so, with the arms Swinging and the legs not having any specific placement, in comparison to when we dance in ballet when we have to turn out and be on our high demi pointe, and this contrasts with the very balletic movements of the piece I discussed earlier. 

I also noticed the music added to this chaotic feeling, with it being very textured and layering up throughout the piece until it became quite upbeat and fast, which I feel really complimented the dancers quicker movements towards the end and ultimately made the climax of the piece more enjoyable. 

                       (Justin Peck, n.d.)


Bibliography:

San Francisco Ballet, 2016. Justin Peck's "In the countenance of Kings". [video] Available at: <https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yMTv_Y0Zrl4> [Accessed 2 December 2021].

Justin Peck, n.d. Dancers of in the countenance of kings. [image] Available at: <https://filmfreeway.com/kings> [Accessed 10 October 2021].

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