Dorrance Dance: The Centre Will Not Hold

Sadlers Wells, London
April 17, 2026

The Centre Will Not Hold is an extraordinary piece of dance theatre: bold, inventive and performed with a level of skill that feels almost startling. Originally conceived in 2022 as a short duet created and performed by Efrat Asherie and Rachelle Dorrance, it been reimagined and expanded into a full 60-minute work with real force for an ensemble of exceptional dancers.

The choreography draws on an impressive range of styles. Given it’s Dorrance, tap naturally sits at the heart of the piece, but it is surrounded and enriched by street dance, breakdance, hip hop, body percussion, litefeet, Chicago Footwork, Detroit Jit and Memphis Jookin. What is so striking is not simply the variety of forms on display, but the way they are integrated. The tap does not sit apart from the other styles; rather, it seems to emerge from within them, as though the rhythms of the whole work are being distilled through the feet.

The ensemble work is particularly strong. Whether moving as individuals or as a collective, the dancers create constantly shifting patterns that make imaginative use of space, shape and dimension. There is precision, but also freedom. The performers are equally compelling in solo and duet passages, and the choreography has a freshness and unpredictability that keeps the eye engaged throughout.

The tap work itself is outstanding: tight, clean, fast and beautifully controlled. It is not presented merely as virtuosic display, though there is certainly virtuosity, but as part of a larger rhythmic language. That language is deepened by Donovan Dorrance’s score, performed live on stage by the renowned percussionist John Angeles. Far more than an accompanist; Angeles is an integral presence within the performance itself. His playing interacts with the dancers in a way that makes the tap feel fully musical, not just decorative or percussive, but an essential instrument within the score.

Visually, the staging is intriguing. It suggests the interior of a vast speaker, with backlighting that shifts in colour across the performance. Yet this design choice also exposes a weakness. Much of the work is lit very darkly, and because the dancers are costumed in similarly dark tones, sections of the choreography can be difficult to see clearly. The recent fashion for dim lighting and dark costuming feels especially counterproductive here: it adds little atmospherically, and too often obscures rather than enhances. It’s frustrating, because the movement is so rich and detailed that it deserves to be fully visible. The best moments visually are the solos and duos, where a spotlight isolates the performers and allows the audience to appreciate the intricacy of the dancing.

The Centre Will Not Hold opens compellingly with a solo by Angeles, fading into black before giving way to a short, mesmerising duet. From there, the work unfolds through a sequence of solos, duets and ensemble passages. It holds the attention from the outset, and its choreographic imagination rarely falters. There is an unusual degree of creativity here, a willingness to think outside familiar structures, and that gives the production a distinctive identity. Knowing that the dancers have all contributed to the choreography also helps explain the intensity and commitment they bring to it; this feels like work they are fully invested in, not simply executing.

If there is a more substantial reservation, it is that the piece does not fully cohere as a dramatic whole. There is no real narrative, nor a sense of progression from one emotional or thematic state to another. At times, it can feel more like a sequence of remarkable solos and duets, punctuated by bursts of ensemble work, than a fully unified journey. The music, too, though effective, becomes a little repetitive over the course of the hour.

But The Centre Will Not Hold remains stunning. It is imaginative, rhythmically thrilling and danced with exceptional brilliance. It makes an unforgettable impression and marks Dorrance Dance as a must-see company. On this evidence, their next production will be awaited with very high expectations indeed.