Rambert @ Norwich Theatre Royal
I wish I could rock a leotard.
Heading to the theatre to see Rambert, the internationally acclaimed contemporary dance company, I was anticipating something good. I knew little about the actual pieces, but dance (as with most of the Arts) has always mesmerized me as something I’m completely inept at but also fascinated by. Unsurprisingly, I was not disappointed.
The evening was kicked off with Alexander Whitley’s Frames, an innovative piece choreographed around the use of frame-like metallic structures and set to a percussive, modern score. What begun as an almost jarring, factory-like scene developed into the seamless industrial motion of man melding irrevocably with the material. The piece evolved constantly, and as the lighting diminished only to onstage LEDs, it became something sinister and ritualistic, then somehow sensual as intimate partner-work took its place amongst the darkness. The piece at its climax was an intense and utterly collaborative effort that left me in awe. Both the artistic effect and the practical control that the dancers executed as they handled the frames were commendable. This feat was surely aided by the choreography having been created with the dancers and props from the outset, as a representative from Rambert told me during the interval.
Next came one of the company’s newest pieces, The 3 Dancers, which was inspired by Picasso’s painting of the same title, and choreographed by Didy Veldman. This took a slightly more classical approach than Frames, combining an emotionally charged score with elements of Picasso’s cubism. 3 Dancers is misleading, as the performance was in fact composed of six – three costumed in black and three in white. The monochromatic chessboard that resulted on stage progressed into a passionate, fervent narrative fuelled by binary opposition and characterized by its sublime contact-work. The night was concluded with Terra Incognita, a bold and dynamic performance to perfectly complete the triad of dances. Built around the theme of intrepid exploration, the dancers tumbled and flung themselves around the stage with the sense of being up against the elements, yet still always managed to look graceful. I would recommend a night with Rambert to anyone, and I’m sure I’ll be prancing around my living room, wishing I could rock a leotard for days to come.
