The Place, London
April 25, 2017
Maggie Foyer
In TEN, ACE Dance and Music have pulled off a remarkable feat: interpreting an epic theme, one that is both timeless and bang up-to-date, and all in a small black box space. It bristles with energy and commitment making the hour or so of vibrant dance into a full-on evening show.
Choreographer José Agudo uses the topical theme of migration but in TEN, he searches back in time to the Biblical story of Exodus to make his case, linking the two main protagonists to Pharaoh and Moses. None of the dancers are named characters and this detail, that came out in the after show talk, was an interesting aside but the choreography had already done its work: the themes of conflict, tribulation and bondage vividly captured in the dance itself.
The central conflict is skilfully played out between the dominant power, embodied in Christopher Radford, and Nathan Dorian Bartman, symbolising the spiritual authority of the oppressed. Like the tactical moves in a game of chess, the skirmishes continue throughout the work. Victory is never conclusive and tension never fully resolved.
Photo Brian Slater
Agudo’s choreography is physical in the extreme, exploiting the varied dance skills of his dancers in waves of energy as they leap, fall and tumble. True to ACE’s ethos the movement is defined by African rhythms created by both the dancers and the music. The rich soundscape that wraps around the performance is created by Guiliano Modarelli with Vincenzo Lamanga who is fast moving up the ladder to becoming one of the most sought after dance composers after his success with Akram Khan’s Giselle and Until the Lions.
Despite the rhythmic bonding between the seven dancers, Agudo allows each dancer to find their unique reading of the movements giving the work an integrity that makes it glow. Vanessa Guevara is the female spirit of the work, bringing authority tempered with persuasive charm. Her training in contemporary, traditional Mexican and African diaspora dance is fully exploited in her sinewy lyricism.
The partnership of Agudo and ACE is a potent force. TEN, set against a harsh stony backdrop, the stage surface etched with chalk and featuring seven dancers, who all deserve medals for endurance, delivered a memorable evening.