The Coda is a “finale” of sorts – an exciting culmination of the ideas expressed throughout the design of the monument as a whole – it is the crown jewel. 

Richard MacDonald has tapped into the essence of Ballet as it is expressed today: an art form that is vibrant and passionate.  While it is rooted in a classical tradition, the dance of today expresses a greater physicality and more momentum and energy than ever.  As the result of long and intense study and contemplation Richard MacDonald has imbued The Coda with many nuances of meaning.  Beyond the frame of reference of Ballet, the piece speaks of the fundamental nature of the human experience, with the body firmly grounded in the clay of the earth, while the spirit soars aloft.  The drapery fluttering along the arms of the suspended ballerina suggests wings in a subtle way, and we are moved to think about flight as an emotional metaphor for spiritual freedom and release. 

Balance is a vital element in all three-dimensional art, and in The Coda the balance between the strength of the male dancer holding the ballerina aloft, and her bird-like fragility and grace, expresses an interesting paradox.  The interdependence of the dancers is perfectly expressed – his strength and control is not exceeded by hers, and though seemingly playing a more passive role, in this difficult interplay of movement the ballerina holds our attention with her sense of flight. 

The use of the Baroque Spiral gives the pieces a dynamic – and literal – twist.  The spiraling interplay of curves in the composition keep our eye moving through the piece, and it is from this that we ‘feel’ a sense of energy and kinetic movement.  Again there is a metaphoric dimension, as the upswept lines of the work move from the earth-bound to the ethereal, our thoughts are led to consider the parallels between striving, growing, and culmination we see in the movement of the dancers. 

This fleeting moment – less than a moment – was captured by Richard MacDonald’s rare and intuitive sense as a sculptor, to create a breathless ode to the passion between the danseur and the ballerina that mirrors the beauty and romance of all such pairings of complementary strengths.’