Critique 1 - Crystal Pite, The Revisor

Right from the beginning of this clip we see this piece is filled with exaggerated facial expressions, I can see immediately how dominant acting is in this dance piece.

Another thing I noticed straight away, is this performance is embellished with extravagant costumes that really help to create a concept in your imagination right from the beginning, and I feel that this concept fits somewhere along the line of war or politics.

In my opinion it also looks like the dancers are even mouthing words, for example if the music had spoken words throughout, they could be talking along with that or perhaps they are just mouthing words significant to the subject and theme of the piece.

The Performance is also carried through with a lot of mime, which emphasises the importance of dancers being able to act and perform, as sometimes a Choreographer may decide that this dramatic theme will carry the piece, which I feel is clearly what Crystal Pite has done in this wonderful creation.

Regards to the movement seen in the trailer for this piece it doesn’t seem like there would be much physical dancing whilst they are in the more artistic costumes. However, we do see a change in which they where very minimalistic clothing such as just t-shirts/ shirts and black trousers, and whilst wearing that even though facial expressions and gestures still seem significant there are clips of them dancing as soloists, duets, small groups and as one big group in unison.

I personally feel that even though on the forefront this piece seems serious, dramatic and intense, that some of the intentions behind it are comedic and are supposed to have that humorous effect. My reason for this is the actions are so emphasized throughout the acting section it even looks like the performance style you may see in a pantomime.

Therefore, throughout this piece I think Crystal Pite wanted the audience to be really entertained by the performance in more ways than one, yes it had its comical moments, but it is also mesmerising because of the pure talent these artists show not only as dancers, but as dramatic actors too.

Thinking amount the music behind this piece I personally think an intense, eerie piece of classical music would complement the movements exquisitely, but something I believe must be included is a recorded spoken word, as in some moments the artists literally mouth certain words and execute the laughing motions, and throughout the whole trailer you hear a voice talking through associated words and phrases. You can also hear the faint whispers of different voices almost telling a story in the background, this could be what the dancers performed to.

Furthermore, another significant thing I noticed was the set and the use of the lighting, throughout the sections that seemingly had more acting than dancing there was a desk, what looked like a cupboard, a sofa and a bed, which would suggest the set-up of a normal indoor house, creating a warm atmosphere. Throughout the more shaded, dancing sections there was minimal set on stage sometimes you see the objects used in the other scenes individually, but the majority of the time it was black backdrops with white lighting or an enticing deep orange.

Overall, I think this piece is very compelling and I would love to get the chance to watch the full piece live or online one day.


                    (Crystal Pite, 2020)

Reference List:

Kidd Pivot, 2019. Kidd Pivot- Revisor Trailer. [video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAURcKfQc94> [Accessed 6 November 2021].

Crystal Pite, 2020. Kidd Pivot: Revisor. [image] Available at: <https://feverup.com/m/84703> [Accessed 2 November 2021].

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