Blog two - A Critique of Justin Peck’s ‘In the Countenance of Kings’

‘In the Countenance of Kings’ (San Fransisco Ballet, 2017) by Justin Peck was a very lively piece, in which the dancers performed energetic movements with a strong use of dynamics and change of direction throughout. Each movement was very sharp and precise; creating strong, clean lines. The music reflected this lively feeling and almost sounded like birds chirping. The piece began and ended in the same place (making it cyclical): the dancer lying on the studio floor, sitting up and looking in the mirror. The beginning and end of the piece are parallel although they differ in that at the beginning the dancer sits up and there is a different dancer acting as her reflection (although this dancer acts independent of the dancer whom she is reflecting). In contrast, the ending of the piece when the dancer sits up, her reflection is herself staring back. This difference suggests that something has happened, resulting in a change of reflection, and that this change must occur in the main part of the piece. Throughout the piece I felt as though there was a strong sense of power and control, alongside a sense of freedom and trying to break away. I feel as if the music helped achieve this with the ‘bird chirping’ noises as the reference of birds are often linked back to the idea of freedom. This could imply that the dancer who is looking in the mirror is trying to break free and be independent from the main group. I also thought the music brought a hopeful and joyful feel to the piece, giving it a positive outlook into the fact that the dancer might achieve this idea of freedom and breaking away from the group, to become an individual. We see this to have been achieved at the end when she sees her own reflection in the mirror. I felt as though the main section where the whole group was dancing in unison with one another was particularly powerful, as it showed their power in numbers, as if they were trying to outpower the individual dancer. The use of repetition throughout also helps create a sense of control as the individual is trying to break away but instead is being sucked into copying the rest of the group.  

 

As a dancer with some background knowledge in choreography, I thought the piece was well-choreographed and I liked the use of dynamics to match the music. I also liked that the piece was open to the viewer’s own interpretation due to the lack of a plot. However, I felt that from an audience perspective of somebody with little to no knowledge in choreography or dance, the piece was difficult to understand as there is no obvious message or plot behind it, unlike other repertoire. I feel as though you would have to watch it several times in order to pick out themes and patterns to gain an understanding of what the piece could represent. Some audience members may prefer a more abstract piece which is open to different interpretations, however for those who prefer choreography to have a clear story behind it, this piece would not be a piece I would recommend.  

(San Fransisco Ballet, 2017)

Word count: 528

 

Bibliography 

San Fransisco Ballet, 2017. In the Countenance of Kings. [video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMTv_Y0Zrl4> [Accessed 8 October 2022].