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From the introductory Pendulum Music, through to the finale Drumming, the live accompaniment from Ictus is icily efficient, mechanical and stark. Keersmaeker often illustrates the pieces predictably, building on a limited range of movements, repeating, repeating, repeating. At first, as in Piano Phase, this feels like the most obvious and easy response to the music. Here, two dancers work along a straight line, allowing their shadows to flicker and phase together and apart on a white screen. Clear and precise, it echoes Reich’s emotionless precision without adding much: a perfect interpretation that would be remarkable in a more varied programme. Across an evening of Reich, this repetition becomes wearisome.

In many of the pieces, post-modernism is represented by a casual juxtaposition of contrasting elements. Drumming slips from camp leaps and skips to almost balletic seriousness. Eight Lines and Four Organs introduce a wider vocabulary of movement, and distort Balanchine’s precision into an asymmetric celebration- yet neither uncover any new reservoirs of meaning or emotion. There are hints of ritual, abandon or concern, but the ideas are left hanging, awaiting completion and rough around the edges.

The sketchy nature of the choreography- most notable when the dancers walk away after an impressive enchainment with a nonchalant air, as if still in the studio- is, at best, suggestive and provocative. Keersmaeker buries her intentions deep in the choreography, tantalising and hinting, never explicit. Taken individually, the pieces have their own coherence, and explore slight variations on Reich’s music. Yet across an evening, there is- just like Reich’s music- too little diversity.
 

Aside from the occasional weak performance, this does not necessarily condemn the company: it is merely a poor piece of programming. It relies on a high level of technical precision- which not all of the dancers appear to have- and a patience for both minimalism and abstract, intellectual choreography. Even the musical choices seem awkward: Four Organs is a particularly ugly work and Ictus’ unaccompanied Pendulum Music set the confrontational, erudite tone.

The audience was divided. The crack of shutting seats and slamming doors made their own repetitions as people left- yet at the end, both an encore and a partial standing ovation suggested that Reich and Rosas have passionate fans. Arid and cerebral, even pretentious, this Reich Evening had the flavour of an established company performing to a coterie of admirers. Liker a series of clever games, it said nothing in a complex and subtle manner. Despite the superficial differences, this is very close to an evening at classical ballet- a familiar ritual that offers few challenges, yet is charming and depends on proficiency and technical skill.