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

In the first 30 seconds of Justin Peck's short film "In the Countenance of Kings," by San Francisco Ballet, we see a dancer in a brightly lit studio remove her point shoes and walk away as if to leave the studio. The camera then pans to the floor, where we see another dancer push herself into a seated position; the audio focus on her breathing as if tired and stressed from a rehearsal. As she shifts to face the mirror, we see her reflection is not her but another dancer. The music adds an ominous and chilling atmosphere to the piece at this point. As the girl in the review takes down her hair, she turns and suddenly is in a dimly lit hall with a window creating a natural spotlight effect. The piece then continues in a riveting series of solos, duets and group sequences performing in unison in trainers. In particular, I feel the transition between these two sections feeds into my interpretation of the piece in that it is from the perspective of a stressed, overwhelmed dancer post rehearsal, daydreaming about the opportunity to perform.

I found the costumes choices throughout the piece to be thought-provoking, especially the footwear of the dancers. Aside from the first studio scene, the dancers were wearing white trainers, which I found interesting given the classical style of dance they were performing. The female dancers were wearing stereotypical leotards in muted jewel tones of red, blue, and purple, which I feel links to the title "In the Countenance of Kings," as historically, those colours were used as a symbol of high social status (Melina, 2011). 

Although the choreography had many neoclassical elements, Peck incorporated a foundation of classical Ballet lines and steps. Most notably, the use of Ronde de jambe, emboîtés arabesque temps leve and en fondu, and at times having the arms going through traditional port de bras. However, at times the dancers performed these traditional steps with a broader range of motion giving an expression of freedom and expression to the piece. Oftentimes the music and choreography carried a sense of urgency into the piece, which I feel was heightened when the cameraman filmed transitions between shots to appear as if dancers were running from one clip to the next. Another aspect that added to the neoclassical feel was the brief sections of running, which, as opposed to the classical technique of being turned out and on demi-pointe, were in parallel and a lot more relaxed. 

Overall this piece made me feel elevated and excited with the soaring score, lively choreography, and intriguing plot points, as well as allowing me to think more deeply about colour theory in choreography, which is not something I had previously considered.

Bibliography

San Francisco Ballet (2016) Justin Pecks "In the Countenance of Kings" with music by Sufjan Stevens Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMTv_Y0Zrl4 Date accessed: 13/10/21

Melina, R., 2011. Why Is the Color Purple Associated With Royalty?. [online] livescience.com. Available at: <https://www.livescience.com/33324-purple-royal-color.html#:~:text=The%20color%20purple%20has%20been%20associated%20with%20royalty%2C,of%20the%20dye%20originally%20used%20to%20produce%20it.> [Accessed 12 October 2021].