A GUT WRENCHING STANDOUT HIDING INSIDE A VERY MIXED PROGRAMME 

By Sophie Clark | Muck Rack Portfolio ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

It seems brutally unfair to review this show as a whole, instead of giving star values for each individual dance, because the second dance in this curation was possibly the best thing I’ve seen all year and strides above the rest of the programme.

I am very fortunate to see a lot of dance for work in my free time, and I was left mouth agape by the artistry, the intention, and the propulsion of Bow Out by choreographer Micaela Taylor.

Her piece — inspired by the outer and inner lives of the Nicholas Brothers, Black dancers who carved a unique path through the segregated world of old Hollywood — starts off with all of the ‘razzmatazz’ of 1920s show business.

It then starts to unveil the pressure and pain felt by performers. She somehow does this without being preachy or over the top, and yet is still deeply thought provoking and affronting. This piece is exhilarating and gut wrenching to watch.

In my years of watching dance, I’d never said out loud at a curtain drop “what the f*ck,” until last night. I felt out of breath just from experiencing Taylor’s work. I could have watched this piece several more times.

Keep an eye out for all of her future work. She is a true visionary, and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

The opening dance in ‘Rhythm Riot’ was Symphony in Three Movements choreographed by George Balanchine with a score by Stravinsky.

I can certainly appreciate how this piece has earned the moniker of a ‘modern masterpiece.’ It’s been staged since 1972 and I’m sure fans of Balanchine’s work could find something new in the choreography with each watch.

It takes an incredible amount of athleticism and attention to detail to pull off this immensely complex work, and the English National Ballet has that in spades.

It’s a canon piece for the intersection of ballet and modern dance, and I’m glad that I finally saw it staged by such an excellent troupe.

Unfortunately, the third dance, Auguries of Innocence by Jae Man Joo, was a self-indulgent disappointment. I can understand why it was included in the collection, as the score was clearly Stravinsky inspired. But, unfortunately this just meant it was discordant and off-putting.

The dance was allegedly inspired by William Blake’s poem by the same name, but the only connecting thread I could find was the line “an eternity in an hour.” This was an eternity in 20-30 minutes.

According to the programme notes, the dance is intended to be a call to nature and humanity, but I found it to be a lethal combination of grotesque and dull. And, the stage lighting was so dark, it was difficult to see any literal light at the end of the tunnel for mankind.

I would still recommend seeing Rhythm Riot, largely for the second piece. But, it’s possible to leave at the second interval and not miss anything.
 

WEBSITE

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Photo Credit: Photography by ASH