Richard Alston Dance Co. @ Theatre Royal
Accessible, emotional and utterly stunning
As one of the UK’s best reputed contemporary dance companies, the Richard Alston Dance Company celebrated its 21st anniversary in Norwich with one of the most entrancing, passionate and unique set of performances I’ve ever seen.
The show started with Stronghold, a bold and energetic piece that introduced every dancer in the company individually whilst demonstrating the incredible dynamic they upheld as a group. One dancer in particular, Ihsaan De Banya, stood out with his beautifully strong and elegant movement. The show then moved on to Dutiful Ducks, a short piece that used layers of words instead of music to create a quick rhythm that was assisted by a sharp and energetic solo. The whole thing was so fast and unusual it was hard to stop watching; it was also the first time it had ever been performed. The third piece, Mazur, was a duet to Polish composer Chopin’s Marzurkas, played live on a grand piano at the back of the stage. The piece was utterly mesmerising; the two men performed one of the most heart-breaking and intense duets I’ve ever seen. Having the music played live that the audience could watch being performed created an even more fascinating dynamic between the dancers and the music. The final piece was Brisk Singing, one of the company’s older pieces that was performed to Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Les Boréades. The music was baroque which matched the more classical style of dance from all the dancers but still melted into several intense duos and trios.
With all the surprise and intricacy you’d expect from a contemporary dance show, Richard Alston was accessible, emotional and utterly stunning. If the company ever return to Norwich I would recommend it to anyone. Even if it’s just for the experimental use of music or to gaze in awe at the incredible physique of the dancers that makes us wonder where we’re all going wrong with tight, silk trousers.
