Stravinsky’s Agon is a ballet that haunts me. I first saw it at the Royal Opera House a few years ago, and it has stayed with me ever since. Perhaps it is the starkness of the staging, the cool, almost icy quality of the music, or maybe it is the dancers themselves – their athleticism, their precision, their almost inhuman grace. Whatever it is, Agon stays with you long after the final curtain has fallen.
The ballet itself is a curious beast, a collection of five contrasting movements, each a microcosm of Stravinsky’s signature style. The first movement, Game of Chance, is a frenetic, almost frantic pas de deux that plays on chance, a metaphor for the unpredictable nature of life. The movement is filled with sudden shifts in direction and a breathless intensity, like the roll of a dice. Here the two dancers are in a constant state of flux, constantly changing the direction of their movements in a chaotic but captivating dance.
Then we move onto the beautiful and poignant Pas de Deux, where a tender intimacy develops. This was my favourite movement in the whole piece and one that showed real emotional depth from the dancers. A single spotlight is cast on a couple dancing a delicate waltz, with the focus being on the fluidity of the movement and the expression in the faces of the two dancers. This contrasts with the rest of the ballet as its simplicity provides a welcome break to the intensity of the rest. The next movement is the joyous and chaotic Variations – the highlight of the ballet, a parade of solos, duets, and trios, where every dancer has their chance to shine. It is a veritable display of the full spectrum of dance, from the technically virtuosic to the expressively lyrical. However, with the music still retaining the sharp edges of Stravinsky’s signature sound.
The final two movements, the elegant Games and the darkly evocative Epilogue, tie everything together. Games brings us back to the playfulness of the opening, although there is a new level of sophistication and control. It is here that we see the dancers working in perfect synchronicity, their movements echoing and amplifying one another, each dancer becoming a vital cog in the ballet's intricate, perfectly ordered whole. Then the closing Epilogue , while still following the dance patterns of the earlier movements, shows a melancholy air in the music and movement. It brings us to the ballet's unsettling ending. This concluding piece adds an unexpected layer to what has gone before, adding an element of uncertainty as well as beauty and poise.
In Agon, Stravinsky has created a ballet that is not just a visual spectacle but also an intellectual and emotional experience. The ballet, with its pared-back, minimalist style, pushes boundaries in its challenge of accepted ballet dance techniques. It offers an intense study in human movement. There is a relentless tension that the dancers bring out of the score, a constantly shifting rhythm. In a strange way, it's almost hypnotic and, whilst not my typical taste in dance, I found myself drawn in by the raw passion the dancers poured into this incredibly complex piece.
Agon in Depth
Agon isn’t your average ballet. In fact, it almost defies categorisation. With its unique combination of formal composition, rigorous choreography, and captivating music, the ballet invites the viewer to contemplate its meaning. And even the experienced ballet enthusiast will find the dance an intellectual and technical challenge.
- The Music: A Stravinsky Symphony of Modernism
- The Choreography: The Dance of Modernism
- The Dancers: Modern Dance Iconoclasts
- The Staging: The Minimalist Canvas for Motion
The ballet’s score is a masterpiece in its own right, with its distinct musical texture and sophisticated rhythms. Stravinsky, the man behind the innovative and modern Rite of Spring, brings to Agon his own specific approach to musical composition, blending classical structures with modern harmonies and unexpected dissonances. His use of instruments is cleverly thought out, blending orchestral instruments with traditional balletic sounds of plucked strings, harp, and piano in his trademark unique way. It is the music which underpins the whole experience, acting almost as a visual narrative for the movement that flows across the stage.
Balanchine, who created the original choreography, understood Stravinsky's music so well. His dance patterns mirrored the structure of Stravinsky’s scores, building upon rhythmic repetition. His choreography uses ballet vocabulary in a contemporary and unusual way. His steps are incredibly difficult, precise, and at times very challenging. This brings an unusual level of technical difficulty to the stage and gives dancers the perfect canvas to show off their incredible skill set. In each movement, the steps reflect the music’s rhythms with perfect precision and speed. And yet, through it all, the beauty and elegant fluidity of each move makes every single step of Agon an exquisite experience.
The dancers who perform in Agon are true virtuosos. The dancers must have an incredible level of fitness and endurance to achieve the levels of agility required. The piece is relentless in its demands on the performers. Every turn, leap and port de bras needs to be absolutely perfect and the demands are huge. And with their focus, determination and pure skill they make Agon come alive.
Minimalism rules the set design for Agon. The simple black stage provides the ideal backdrop for the dancers to shine and the choreography to speak for itself. With a limited, well thought out and impactful lighting design, the stark background focuses our attention directly on the movement and makes each turn, jump, or position even more powerful. It also helps create the modern aesthetic of the dance, enhancing the abstract themes present within the movements. As a backdrop, this stripped-down design emphasises the brilliance of both the dancers and the score.
There’s a stark contrast in Agon – it is both powerful and austere. The dance is demanding yet beautifully crafted. And its abstractness invites each member of the audience to contemplate and create their own interpretation. Whether it be the technical mastery of the dancers or the power of the music itself, there’s an innate beauty and a captivating edge to Stravinsky’s Agon. And so, I found myself returning to the ballet many times, each performance revealing new details, nuances and depths to this unusual, but powerful piece of dance history.
And even as I write about this piece of work, the raw energy of Agon and the emotions conjured up by the dancing fill me with such a sense of awe that I am compelled to return to the Royal Opera House again to watch this striking ballet perform on stage.
The Dancers
The beauty of a ballet like Agon is that it relies entirely on the dancers, each one having the opportunity to display the technical brilliance required of them. While it may seem repetitive to the casual viewer, this piece offers dancers so many opportunities to explore, reimagine and refine movement. Every movement and turn is measured with perfection. I think it is safe to say, this is a true showcase of dance prowess. Every dancer plays a part in bringing Stravinsky’s genius and Balanchine’s choreography to life, and each brings something unique and personal to the piece. They have a profound skillset to be able to create movement and fluidity within the complexities of Balanchine's steps. And so, a piece of modern dance becomes, as the music dictates, both controlled and dynamic.
It would be wrong to choose individual dancers for their performances. In reality, they all have to perform in near-perfect synchronisation in order for the ballet to work. While individual movements provide solo opportunities for dancers to excel in terms of speed, grace and balance, the ballet itself depends on every single member of the group performing to an exceptional level. Agon isn’t a place to be an individual. It's a chance for each performer to prove how skilled they are as a member of the troupe.
And let’s not forget to recognise the exceptional training required to reach these professional levels. Every single dancer on the stage has years of experience behind them, years of gruelling and dedicated training to reach the standard that they are at now. So, Agon isn’t just an intellectual challenge, but an incredible, emotional journey, both for the performers on stage, and the audiences in the seats.
An Audience Perspective
I am constantly in awe of ballet and dancers, in general. I believe there’s no other art form quite as expressive, both technically and physically, and I am also aware that so much is hidden from the audience's eye. I’ve taken lessons myself. I know just how much dedication, perseverance and pain goes into each perfect, seamless movement you see on stage.
And with Agon, the performance demands so much more, so many more layers of complexity to it that are even harder for the audience to appreciate, yet we, the audience are mesmerized by it nonetheless. The dancers, in all their elegance and strength, move as though their bodies are defying gravity. We see leaps, we see turns, but it’s not all just pure athleticism. These dancers take each step and each turn, transforming the complex choreography of Agon into an experience that leaves the audience both stimulated and inspired.
I also wanted to focus on the music within Agon. There is no doubt that this piece requires exceptional dancers, with amazing stamina and technical proficiency, to showcase the talent of these individuals, but Agon really comes into its own when you realise the beauty of the musical score and the way in which it interacts with every movement, jump and turn that the dancers make. For Agon, the score really does drive the ballet.
So as a dance enthusiast, with a good amount of experience of watching ballet at a high level, I would recommend Agon to everyone, regardless of what you believe you know about dance. This ballet stands apart from the standard performance, and there’s a reason why it is constantly revived, restaged and reinvented around the world, by so many dance companies.