Infra – Final duet (The Royal Ballet)

Principal dancers Edward Watson and Marianela Nuñez dance the final pas de deux in Wayne McGregor's abstract ballet Infra, a moving exploration of emotion, set to Max Richter's melancholic and beautiful score. Find out more at https://www.roh.org.uk/productions/in...

In Wayne McGregor's masterpiece of abstract ballet, 12 dancers portray the emotions beneath the surface of human interaction - the title Infra comes from the Latin word for 'below'. This collaboration with artist Julian Opie was created for The Royal Ballet in 2008, and has been performed around the world to critical acclaim.

Opie's LED figures walk across a screen above the stage for the duration of the ballet while underneath, the solos, duets and ensembles build to a mesmerizing climax, as six couples dance simultaneously within their separate squares of light. Infra explores the feelings we keep hidden from those around us; a crowd surges past one woman who remains still, her private grief gut-wrenchingly evident for the audience, but unnoticed by the crowd. This ground-breaking work remains one of McGregor's finest, and one of contemporary ballet's most emotionally resonant pieces.