"Arena gives the sense of choreographers in a candy store, seizing the real estate newly available to them after their hit, tech-centric reboot of Coppelia for Scottish Ballet in 2022. The piece opens with understated, percussive coolness and shades of A Chorus Line—an athletic squad limber up with individual and collective confidence."
"In the age of Instagram, dancers are ever-ready for their closeups and here the port de bras frequently results in tightly framed faces—but Arena exposes the perils of chronically online culture and the urge to compete, compare and conform. There is a gladiatorial element to Annemarie Woods' costumes yet this is a dystopian contest that also feels rooted in the present day."
"When caught in the flash of other dancers' cameraphones, there is a sense that all of us are now subjected to the paparazzi's prying eyes. If the piece could have greater coherence and emotional punch, it fizzes with ideas and style."
Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple create Arena, a new work at the Palais Garnier that combines audacious choreography with live camerawork and video design. The piece opens with athletic dancers in an A Chorus Line-inspired audition sequence, establishing themes of competition and conformity. The protagonist, identified only by a number, experiences fragmentation through frenzied solos, bewildered corps moments, and isolation in a spinning interrogation room. The work interrogates Instagram culture and constant surveillance, suggesting all individuals face paparazzi-like scrutiny. Despite occasional lack of coherence, Arena demonstrates the choreographers' creative ambition and stylistic innovation following their successful Coppelia reboot for Scottish Ballet.
#digital-culture-and-surveillance #contemporary-choreography #social-media-critique #live-performance-technology #identity-and-conformity
Read at www.theguardian.com
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