Crystal Pite- Solo Echo

The first thing I noticed when watching the solo echo trailer, was that in the background there were gentle moving snowflakes, which gave me the impression it was set in winter. This to me creates an atmosphere of love, and devotion, and reminds me of the feeling of Christmas and being surrounded by family and warmth. However, all the dancers are wearing black or dark grey which in my opinion, completely juxtaposes my first thought as that would suggest something darker, or sinister and more isolated.

Another thing I noticed was, there is usually at least two people dancing at the same time, they may be doing slightly different movements, but it always looks like the dancers are bouncing off of each other like an “echo” would. However, in one moment when we see someone dancing passionately as a soloist, another dancer seems to rush in to help, grabbing his hand, I feel this is some kind of reminder that they are always there for each other, “you are never alone”.

The dancers use a lot of the device negative space, and they seem very close in proximity to the person they duet with. There is also a lot of contact work, where they are supporting there partner as if they were being affectionate. Another theme seems to be transference of weight, into different directions and also onto each other, it would seem they rely on each other a lot and could be trying to show they are trying to work on themselves and be accepted into society. In general, the movement is quite soft and steady, there doesn’t seem to be any particularly dramatic moments shown in this clip and therefore it is easy on the mind and enjoyable to watch. In addition to this a lot of lifts are executed in aesthetic and comforting ways which I feel further emphasises the idea of them being reliant on each other.

 Throughout the piece, the dancers really take advantage of the different levels and heights that they can move their bodies to reach, and when one of the dancers is low the other tends to be higher than them which further emphasises the feeling of protection that they receive from each other. The dancers splay their hands throughout a lot of piece and sometimes make the well-known gesture in dance for running, this could suggest they are trying to run and escape from something in their past, again reaching out to gain acceptance and love from other people and themselves. They also use this splayed hand movement when pushing their partner or catching them which would give them a secure base to fall on, portraying they are a good source of support.

I feel like as an audience member you are supposed to feel as if they are struggling together, and It suggests that they are going through something very difficult, as they are constantly there to remind each other that they are not alone, and I think this piece is overall showing the struggles people travel through on the way to finding love and acceptance in them selves and from others.

             (The Royal Opera House, 2021)

Bibliography:

Ballet BC, 2020. Solo Echo- Crystal Pite (Virtual Archive, Ballet BC, 2015). [video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IId60ukhApw> [Accessed 16 November 2021].

The Royal Opera House, 2021. Two solo echo dancers. [image] Available at: <https://dancetabs.com/2021/05/gallery-royal-ballet-in-21st-century-choreographers-bill-including-kyle-abraham-premiere/> [Accessed 14 November 2021].