About 40 minutes after Charles III’s coronation, six policemen in red tunics solemnly installed three embroidered screens on the mosaic floor of Westminster Abbey. They paused for a moment before moving the screens in perfect unison to form a tight shelter from the public eye.to Handel’s impetus “Priest Zadok” As each man put his arm at his side and took a step to the side, they fell into another perfect formation. Then they bowed their heads.
For the monks, it was the most sacred moment of the ceremony, the anointing of the king. As the man removed the screen in the same perfect sync, Charles appeared, kneeling in a simple white shirt, surrounded by four clergymen in gold and white robes, raising their hands in blessing.
The formal design of the economic movements of the officers, the moving music, the revelations of the tableau: these were as powerful and evocative as the great plays and the great dances. As with Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September, the ceremonial choreography surrounding her coronation was very powerful.
There were very few spontaneous gestures. From the start of the procession from Buckingham Palace featuring some 200 horsemen and soldiers, through the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, to the procession back to the palace with his 4,000 members of the army, each moment’s intention and The meaning was cautious. as a complex dance.
Despite Charles’ many arguments for simplifying the ceremony and promoting a more modern monarchy, the coronation was emphatic in gesture, pomp, symbolism and ritual.Ascension Gospel Choir With its stylish white outfits, soaring rhythms and rocking bodies, it offered the only hint of contemporaneity (“the only loose pelvis you’ll see in hours,” a friend texted). Almost entirely, the ceremonial form of the coronation resembled an elaborate masquerade ball, with each participant in rich costume playing a role in creating collective meaning.
When the king arose after being anointed, the priests dressed him first in a shift of white linen, which represented chastity, and then in a gorgeous golden silk robe. One by one, the symbols of Regalia were brought to him—a spur, an offering sword, an orb, a monarch’s ring, and two scepters. The gestures were slow, purposeful, and esoteric. After Queen Camilla’s crown was placed on her head, she nervously ran her fingers under the rim of her forehead and tucked her hair back.
In the procession back to Buckingham Palace, thousands of troops marched in multiple formations in perfect unison, while a huge ballet company moved across the vast stage and meandered around the fountain in front of the palace in perfection. It’s bent.
A stylized swing of a gold cane by the leader of a marching brass band (every 3 beats). The magnificent blue plumage of the six white horses that escort the golden chariot of the king and queen. The intricately timed crossing of different groups passing through the palace gates—like ballet, there was spectacle and beauty tempered here by discipline and concentration.
But the best pageantry came last. While “God Save the King” played, the troops lined up on a huge lawn before coming to a complete standstill in the face of the newly crowned monarch. bottom.
Then the parade commander gave a loud command, and everyone on the field put their hands on their heads. A helmet was removed and held at chest level. There was a moment of silence. He then yelled, “Hip, hip, hurray,” and the 4,000 spectators lifted their headgear into the air, creating a moment of sublime choreographic synchronicity.
It was a kind of mass movement that could be sinister and inhuman. But here form and vitality are combined. It was a celebratory choreography.
