Wayne McGregor'sUniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey, Company Wayne McGregor, Royal Opera House, London (2023), photo by Andrej Uspenski
Show
UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey
Company Wayne McGregor
February 17 – 18, 2024
Running time 70’
State-of-the-art immersive technology envelops super-human choreography in this contemporary ode to change. Inspired by the Jim Henson cult classic The Dark Crystal about an ailing planet and a divided race, UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey depicts an earth riven by extremes and urgently in need of healing. Breathtaking digital environments and cutting-edge costumes create a stunning blend of fantasy and documentary, while high tensile choreography in dialogue with spoken word, powerfully evokes the inseparability of humanity and nature. Performed by the extraordinary dancers of Company Wayne McGregor, this is a modern eco-myth that asks how we can come together to be whole again.
Wayne McGregor is a multi-award-winning British choreographer and director, internationally renowned for trailblazing innovations in performance that have radically redefined dance in the modern era. He is Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor, encompassing creative collaborations in dance, film, music, visual art, fashion, technology, and science; learning and research programmes; and a touring company of dancers, Company Wayne McGregor. McGregor is also Resident Choreographer at The Royal Ballet, Director of Dance for the Venice Biennale, and is regularly commissioned by and has works in the repertories of the most important dance companies around the world. He choreographed ABBA Voyage, the revolutionary concert that launched the Swedish pop sensations back onstage in an outstanding avatar performance in 2022. In 2011 McGregor was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for Services to Dance, and in 2021 was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Prix de Lausanne.
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Credits
director and choreographer: Wayne McGregor
music: Joel Cadbury
film design: Ravi Deepres
lighting design: Lucy Carter
costume and head pieces: Philip Delamore, Dr. Alex Box
spoken word artist: Isaiah Hull
dramaturg: Uzma Hameed
with special thanks to: Brian and Wendy Froud
danced by: Winnie Asawakanjanakit, Rebecca Bassett-Graham, Naia Bautista, Jordan James Bridge, Salvatore De Simone, Chia-Yu Hsu, Hannah Joseph, Jasiah Marshall, Salomé Pressac, Mariano Zamora Gonzalez
a co-production between: Studio Wayne McGregor and The Royal Ballet in association with The Jim Henson Company
