McGregor: Three Ballets (Chroma / Infra / Limen)

This is twenty first century ballet--computer generated images, the bodies torqued in gymnastic adagios. Those for whom the lyricism of Ashton or the heady neo-classicism of Balanchine is de rigeur will not be amused. While I much prefer the work of these masters, I found myself fascinated with McGregor's work here. There seemed to be not an uncritical embrace of technological post modernism but a complex not always readable comment on it. The work of the dancers permits no disagreement--it is startlingly good. Even when you're not sure what they're up to, they emphatically do.

Wayne McGregor is re-writing the book of modern dance.These three pieces were choreographed for the Royal Ballet where McGregor was artist in residence from 2008-2011. The choreography-the movements-are elegant, lyrical, profoundly sensual, and the sets are stunning in their stark simplicity. All this set to musical scores perfectly pitched to enhance the dramatic impact of the ballets. These pieces may change the way you look at dance and human movement itself.

One thing about McGregor, nobody could be confused about who choreographed these dances. The moves in each have a lot of elements in common, the stamp of McGregor is all over them. I don't think I've seen men move in quite this way before ... it's intriguing, and that's an aspect I noticed immediately. The costumes have a lot to do with redirecting the way we might view men in motion. Some great choices in music, my favorite of the three is Infra.

Wayne McGregor is a movement genius. I have seen several of his works and come away inspired each time. His work takes me on an emotional roller coaster; I experience the entire spectrum of emotions when I witness his works. I can't wait for "Borderlands," his commission for the San Francisco Ballet, to come to DVD.

Having a LARGE collection of dance films and movies, this one is One of my Favorites. INFRA is one of the BEST pieces I've seen on film. Choreography is EXCELLENT and the dancers are VERY good!

Wonderful dancing and an exciting, creative choreographer matched with modern music. Saw the ballet in London and immediately bought the blue ray disk

Wayne McGregor's Triple Bill for the Royal Ballet is an exciting, intriguing, and intellectual sampling of the best of contemporary ballet. Enjoyable to both newcomers and ballet fans alike, the three works are something of the extraordinary. At first glance, these ballets are little more than hyperactive and seemingly random movement. However, the way the ballet reflects the music is alone something to marvel at.Chroma, the first ballet in the program, is by far the most well-known. Winning several awards in 2007, the ballet, McGregor says, represents "a freedom from white." The set itself is a work of genius, a minimalistic white box that covers the Royal Opera House stage and features an ever-changing aperture in the back, from which dancers enter and exit. The music is very diverse, featuring Joby Talbot and orchestrations of the band, The White Stripes. The choreography and dancers are phenomenal, representing hypersexuality, homosexuality, and interracial love, all on the backdrop of our modern, monochrome world.Infra, also having won several awards, is (to paraphrase McGregor) 'the idea of inferences of the human condition.' With tearful and touching choreography, Infra sheds light on the range of emotions individuals can procure. After displaying their emotion, they walk back into the pedestrian-esque march of people. The backdrop for this ballet is also especially unique, a strip of projectors that omit small white lights that draw pedestrians in various speeds, showing the monotony of our world.Limen, the final ballet, 'explores the thresholds of dancers in relationship to light and music.' Omnipresent throughout the ballet are timers ticking randomly, with a beautiful and diverse cello concerto.All of the dancers, the music, backdrops, and choreography are remarkable. Although watching the DVD in one sitting without knowing exactly what to expect and make the entire three ballets somewhat dry, separately, they are even more appreciable. After having seen this DVD several times, I still find new nuances in the dancers and choreography that I hadn't previously noticed. Also available on this DVD are introductions to each ballet, which prove useful for the choreographer's initial setting of each. I recommend this ballet to both newcomers and lovers of contemporary ballet.

I've been a huge Royal Ballet fan ever since watching Yuhui Choe's "A Day in the Life" video on Youtube and then the first masterclass they posted for World Ballet Day. They've got such an incredible group of dancers from all over the world. I bought this DVD as a birthday gift for a friend because we LOVE McGregor's work. Seeing Eric Underwood on the cover is also a plus because we love seeing such a beautiful black dancer's talent being celebrated. I hope they keep making DVDs so we can replay these performances over and over.

These are dance works that benefit from repeated viewing. I must have watched Chroma between 15 and 20 times. Wayne McGregor is a choreographer who divides opinion. The dance critic Clement Crisp has described some of his work as "muscle- wrenching tedium," yet many others think his is one of the best British choreographers. McGregor seems to me to have little feeling for creating dance narrative but can generate emotion through pure dance. Great emphasis is placed on the muscularity of the dancers and there is little distinction between the demands made on male and female bodies. Responses to these works can be very personal - I find eroticism in the pas de deux between Steven McRae and Tamara Rojo and a tender sensuality in the pas de deux between Sarah Lamb and Federico Bonelli in Chroma , for instance, but can appreciate that others might find none of that there. Chroma has a particularly mesmersing score by Joby Talbot based on music by the White Stripes. Infra has a great - and very moving - solo by Lauren Cuthbertson. Limen has a beautiful pas de deux for Sarah Lamb and Eric Underwood. Overall, these are very satisfying works to get to know and study in detail and the quality of the dancing is exemplary. Highly recommended if you want to see some challenging modern dance.

Before watching this Blu-Ray, I did not fully understand the total body movements of these ballets. I appreciated that Chroma and Infra were world class but was confused by Limen and later ballets seen live on stage. Watching this disc, I realise that his movements have a FANTASTIC musicality that show how all the body can be so expressive. Also, playing the very informative introductions to each of these three pieces has given me a deeper insight into them, even Limen. Particularly memorable are when Lauren Cuthbertson breaks down into tears in a crowd in Infra and the pas de deux between Sarah Lamb and Eric Underwood.in Limen. I would recommend this to any lover of ballet who wishes to to have a deeper understanding of the choreography of Wayne McGregor. It is well filmed showing the brilliant skills of the dancers.

All content is excellent, with original musical scores whilst pushing the boundaries of dance and human movement to the extreme. Most people appear to prefer infra, and indeed this has a star studded cast, including rare performance on film of Irish Dancer, Melissa Hamilton. For this appearance and her adornment of the front cover, alone makes this worth the entrance fee. Bearing in mind that all these dancers can equally turn to classical form, this production is an extraordinary demonstration of versatility.

Love these dance works. Video quality is excellent, but like all filmed dance, the director has chosen viewpoints and edits so not a patch on being there. This is a particular problem with McGregor works where so much can be going on and there are some annoyances (e.g. when the camera is in fairly close shot when I want to see everything)

Too technical and with very little depth or meaning, no continuing method to the song or story, like a load of showing off that seems quite humorous.