Ephrat Asherie & Michelle Dorrance round off Colours 2025

Theaterhaus, Stuttgart
July 11, 2025

Among the final productions presented at this year’s Colours International Dance Festival, The Center Will Not Hold by Ephrat Asherie & Michelle Dorrance proved a cracking show that brings together hip-hop and tap as though they were made for each other.

The title comes from the current uncertain state of the world. Will the centre, will humanity, hold? Or will everything break apart and chaos reign even more than it seems to now?

The work was born out of a little room, a short duet created by Asherie and Dorrance in 2022. Now expanded and reimagined, it brings together an ensemble of very impressive singular performers whose talents stretch across street, club, house, breaking, hip hop, tap, Chicago footwork, Detroit jit, litefeet, Memphis jookin, and body percussion, not forgetting live percussion by John Angeles.

The work itself purports to explore the connected themes of isolation, community and solidarity, which I guess it does in the sense that there are solos, duets, dance-offs or battles, and ensemble sections. It’s best watched as the celebration of dance and music that it is, however.

Dorrance and Asherie do not attempt to create some sort of hybrid tap take on hip-hop or vice-versa. Rather, the two forms are put together side-by-side. And what comfortable partners they make. But should that be such a surprise. After all, both emerged on the street as a sort of subversive form. Both grew through improvisation. Both are very personal in style. And that’s just what happens in The Center Will Not Hold in individual performers contributions.

The work demonstrates just how close the two forms are. It begins with Angeles sat at a table, tapping out some remarkable rhythms with his fingers. Angeles is an important player, throughout, one of the later highlights being a sort of ‘battle of the beats,’ with Dorrance.

Having set the tone, when Angeles retreats and we see two performers side-by-side, each responding to the punctuated percussion of the music. At first, they occasionally look around, as though wary of anyone watching. Soon, they become more comfortable, and are joined by others, the dance developing rhythmically in individually, where there is scope for some solo improvisation, and group sections, all the time building in intensity towards its conclusion.

Kathy Kaufmann’s lighting is terrific throughout, often having the dancers on the edge between light and dark. At the Theaterhaus, the back brick wall of the theatre made a great backdrop.

It was a great way to round off the festival. Without doubt, Colours 2025 has been a roaring success. The quality of the programmes on offer over the festival’s 24 days was immense; probably better overall that at any similar festival that I can think of. The event also generates a particular spirit, a very special atmosphere, helped I’m sure by the theatre presentations all taking place on one of the Theaterhaus’ five stages. That gives Colours a focus that festivals that shift from venue to venue, sometimes a long way apart, simply do not have.

The programme at the Theaterhaus featured no fewer than fifteen stage productions from all over the world, including four European and three German premieres as well as two contributions from the hosts: the world premieres of Akram Khan’s Turning of Bones for Gauthier Dance and the family production Barker by Barak Marshall for Gauthier Dance Juniors.

Audiences have flocked to performances and other events, not only on stage at the Theaterhaus, but also those part of the Colours in the City programme with its opportunities to dance along at the Colours Playground, Colours Pop-Ups with Eric Gauthier in the city districts, and the ever-popular Colours Family Day at the Wilhelma botanical garden and zoo. The new Colours Collaborations with other Stuttgart cultural scene players including the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, EXOgallery, Arthaus Kinos Stuttgart, Kessel Festival, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart and and jazzopen were also very successful.

The statistics are worth noting. It is estimated that around 16,000 people took part in the city events, including about 3,000 in the Colours Playground, 1,250 at Colours Pop-Ups-Ups, and 2,000 children and 3,000 adults at the Family Day. At the Theaterhaus, over 17,000 visitors attended the 42 performances, equivalent to 92% of the seats sold. Remarkable numbers indeed.

As Akram Khan said as he spoke to the audience at the opening performance of his new Turning of Bones, “Colours. What a beautiful name for a festival in a world that is increasingly becoming black and white.”