'Steptext' reviews 'Mesmerics' reviews 'Torsion' reviews Nunn in reviews Trevitt in reviews Zamora in reviews Essakow in reviews Panchenko in reviews recent George Piper Dances reviews more Corrival reviews

The first dance was "Steptext", by William Forsythe, music JS Bach, Chaconne No. 4 in D minor for solo violin. "A spellbinding exercise in deconstructed classicism... a powerful display of dance at its very limits" (Notes on the Program). The four dancers, Hubert Essakow, Michael Nunn, William Trevitt and Monica Zamora dance choreography that is, at times, lyrical with flashes of classical movement, but also has displays of aggression and arrogance, along with prolonged moments of quiet and stillness. Forsythe is a protege of Adorno scholars and uses the interaction of contradictions and opposites to develop new definitions for art and dance. The dance is beautiful and yet often disturbing, the single woman is sometimes strong and other times being dragged around by one of the men. Sometimes the dancers are in opposition, sometimes in harmony, sometimes standing and watching and other times ignoring the others on stage. I was fascinated to see the contrast in styles of each of the dancers. All are obviously extremely well trained but each one is very unique.

The short intermission was filled with a funny, yet enlightening video with interesting scenes about both William Forsythe and Christopher Wheeldon. Christopher tells a funny story about attending a private boys school and trying to hide the fact that he was taking ballet. I thought the videos really engaged the audience.

I had been anxiously waiting to see Christopher Wheeldon's "Mesmerics", music by Philip Glass, danced by all five of the dancers. The music is delicious, and the dance flows effortlessly from an almost serene beginning to a strong emotional ending. The interactions between the dancers was wonderful, Hubert and Oxana matched beautifully in size and style. Michael and Billy were also a beautiful pairing, again I was intrigued by the subtle, fascinating contrast between the two. All the various permutations were exciting, Monica and Oxana, the three men, all five of the dancers together, and how each worked so well, enhancing the overall impact of the dance. The patterns on the stage and against the backdrop were beautiful, the movement sensual and relational. Having been privileged to see a rehearsal of this piece in London a couple of months ago it was a true joy to see the brilliant finished product. It is a beautiful ensemble piece that accentuates musicality and fluid movement.

The second video was also very funny and entertaining, hinting at the hard work and actual pain involved in learning how to dance at this level.

"Torsion" a dance choreographed by Russell Maliphant to music by Richard English, was the final piece. Danced by Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, this dance exploits those similarities and differences between Michael and Billy, who are similar in height and size and have the exact same background and training. Throughout the evening I found the interactions of these two was amazing, with each other and with the other three dancers. Michael has a beautiful, classical line that is soft yet always strongly there. He is the perfect partner, a consummate dancer that complements, supports and enhances his dancing partner. Michael alone is a wonderful, elegant dancer, but with a partner he becomes even more wonderful. Billy also has beautiful, classical technique and is able to project a hard, almost rough image. In his solo, he circles the stage in a spinning crouch that brought cheers from the crowd. The dance comes to conclusion with lifts and movements are done at an increasing speed, sometimes they work in unison, sometimes in sequence and other times in contrast. It ends with an unusual move where Michael holds Billy like a handheld rocket launcher. This difference of style was also noticeable in person. While both are extremely charming and friendly, when Michael looks at you, you feel included, he has a chatty, informal way of talking. Billy looks at you with those piercing eyes and you feel you had better make what ever you say good, and then, of course, he smiles.

George Piper Dances deserved their numerous curtain calls, they were wonderful.