'Six Pack' reviews 'Living Toys' reviews 'PreSentient' reviews 'Elsa Canasta' reviews Serafino in reviews Liburd in reviews recent Rambert reviews more Karen Ritchie reviews

The first major piece of the evening was Karole Armitages ‘Living Toys’. I had seen a very small part of this piece in early rehearsal and guessed it would be a challenge. It certainly was, for dancers, musicians and audience, but one well worth sticking with. It begins relatively slowly with one or two dancers, clad to resemble the poseable wooden models used by artists, but builds rapidly to the point where the whole company is on onstage. The choreography is tied tightly to the music, creating complicated moods and changes in atmosphere. The movement is intricate and daring, sometimes gentle, sometimes aggressive, always intellectually and physically fascinating. I am very glad to get the chance to see the piece again for its London premiere at Sadlers Wells in a few weeks. There was simply too much to take in at one viewing.

The second offering was Wayne McGregor’s PreSentient. I am an unashamed fan of McGregor’s work and have seen this piece on several occasions but I have not tired of it yet. Angela Towler opens with an incredibly demanding solo that sets the pace for the rest of the dancers when the screen is lifted to reveal six pairs who then move into ever changing groups. Again an intricate and physically demanding piece it is full of the undulations and spikey limbs so typical of Wayne McGregor’s work. One of my favourite moments is when Ana Lujan Sanchez runs from the back of the stage towards the pit. Her sharp intake of breath on being caught and snatched from the brink is echoed by the audience.

The final piece is ‘Elsa Canasta’, by Javier De Frutos. This is his second commission for Rambert and displays as much wit and insight as the first (The Celebrated Soubrette). The stage is set with a sweeping staircase on which much of the action takes place. The music is Cole Porter and the dancers are accompanied onstage by a jazz singer, on the evening we were there this was the excellent Rachel Weston. Her presence adds poignancy to the first encounter of the evening, tenderly danced by Thomasin Gulgec and Fabrice Serafino. The relationship between the two men is beautifully portayed. There follows a delightfully played out game of sexual politics with couples and groups coming and going up and down the staircase with varying degrees of urgency. The score for this part is the lesser-known instrumental work, ‘Within the Quota’ a lovely jazz ballet and fascinating precursor of the likes of ‘Slaughter on 10th Avenue’. The stories of various relationships are finely crafted, and it must be said that subtlety is not always the key. There is a certain amount of crotch grabbing but it is all in the spirit of the piece and wittily done. What can I say about the hilarious manhandling of Paul Liburd? Nothing except see it for yourself! Most of the encounters end with one or other partner at the top of the stairs with a swift cock of the head, leaving the audience in no doubt how the encounter will end. There are some breath taking leaps by the girls into the men’s arms and I suspect that it is no coincidence that some of the pairings onstage are in fact real life partners offstage. De Frutos likes to get to know the dancers he is creating on and weaves his observations into his choreography. The action is at times frantic and at others tender or combative. Again there is so much packed into the piece that it merits a second or third viewing to be able to catch it all.

All in all a great evening of dance. It is great to be intellectually challenged and refreshed all in one evening and I certainly felt both on Friday evening. All bodes well for Mark Baldwin’s leadership of this terrific company.