Derngate, Northampton
October 5, 2016
David Mead
As much as I like to see dance on stage that’s challenging, cutting edge or whatever, sometimes it’s nice to be able to just sit back and enjoy wonderful dancers in beautiful choreography to beautiful music. That’s what you get with Richard Alston Dance Company, and their latest programme is a veritable feast for the eyes and the ears.
Tastiest of the delights on offer is Tangent, yet another sparkling new work from Martin Lawrence in which he takes elements the closeness, passion and vocabulary of tango and fuses it with his own contemporary dance language. The result is a fusion that, while very much contemporary, has the flavour of tango, the dance being packed throughout with all the familiar accents, flicks, sharp turns and limbs that cut and thrust at speed as the dancers tease, fight and make up. Toss in Piazzolla’s Las Quatros Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aries) and you have a heady mix.
Photo Chris Nash
Tangent is a dance for four couples in different relationships, as seen through the seasons, starting with summer. All the time there’s the sense of it all happening in some dimly lit Buenos Aries milonga. The longer it goes on, the better it gets. Just when you think you’ve seen what must be the highlight, along comes another pairing that trumps it. Nancy Nerantzi (remarkable all evening) and Nicholas Bodych were superbly expressive in Autumn. But then the temperature ratcheted up even more with Oihana Vesga Bujan and Liam Riddick in Winter, a dance that suggests a relationship that is less than smooth. Appropriately, at times it is a dance of icy distance before the come together at the end. Tangent ends with a sort of start over (well, it is Spring!) with all the issues resolved in a dance that’s bright, upbeat, and space-eating.
Philippine fashion designer Jeffrey Rogador costumes are stylish, the brightness of the ladies’ dresses contrasting nicely with the sharp black and grey of the men. Jason Ridgway on piano gave a sharp, zesty yet elegant rendition of the Piazzolla. Strictly has nothing on this. Marvellous.
Opening the evening, Alston’s Rejoice in the Lamb reflects on 18th-century poet Christopher Smart, who was prone to bouts of religious mania. Set to Benjamin Britten’s superb setting of the eccentric poet’s words, Alston brings Smart to vivid life. The dance reflects Smart’s mood swings as it ebbs and flows, at times vibrant and colourful, at others contained and full of yearning. Nicholas Bodych was authoritative as the poet.
Isthmus Remix is a short bright, light piece to Japanese composer Jo Kondo’s syncopated shifting rhythms. The dance itself is full of little pauses and looks and each other as the dancers play with the music.
Alston’s closing An Italian In Madrid tells of the wooing of Princess Maria Barbara by Prince Fernando of Spain, to music by Scarlatti, who travelled from Italy to be the Princess’ music teacher. Liam Riddick was charmingly romantic as he wooed and won Vidya Patel (BBC Young Dancer finalist in 2015). The graceful Patel is one of those dancers who demands to be watched, her blending of kathak and contemporary dance adding of touch of the exotic to the piece.
All told, a wonderful of evening of dance to fall in love with.
Richard Alston Dance Company continues on tour to November. For full details visit www.richardalstondance.com.