Stage: Tangent

Richard Alston Dance Company

Following the success of Richard Alston Dance Company’s debut performances at the Theatre Royal Brighton last year, the company now returns with a new evening of work – three works by Alston and one by the company’s Associate Choreographer Martin Lawrance. It has everything audiences have come to expect from Alston’s company – ten extraordinary dancers, exhilarating, moving choreography and a wonderful range of music.

Associate Choreographer Martin Lawrance – formerly one of the company’s star dancers – has been making work for RADC since 2003 and premiered his work Stronghold at Theatre Royal Brighton in 2015. This year, the company’s opening night in Brighton will be the just the fourth ever performance of his new work, Tangent. Set to music by Astor Piazzolla, the piece evokes the tightly controlled yet highly volatile energy of modern tango.

Tightly controlled yet highly volatile energy

Richard Alston – widely acknowledged as one of the UK’s most musical choreographers – has made more pieces to the music of Benjamin Britten than any other composer. Two of the works on the bill in Brighton are danced to Britten song cycles.

Rejoice in the Lamb is danced to Britten’s superb setting of Christopher Smart’s poetry. The words are full of wild and witty details reflected in Alston’s joyous choreography for his company’s ten dancers.

Illuminations is Alston’s exhilarating, vivid exploration of the violent obsession between the radical poet Rimbaud and his lover, the older poet Verlaine. Composer and choreographer combine to depict images from the turbulent life of the wild young genius Rimbaud, who was both visionary and misfit in equal measure.

Finally, Isthmus Remix is a light, fleet-footed response to a score by the contemporary Japanese composer Jo Kondo, with whom Alston has long been fascinated.

Costumes also take centre stage in this programme. The bright, stylish outfits for Tangent are by Philippine fashion designer Jeffrey Rogador, whose work often traces the roots of his homeland. The shimmering historically-evocative costumes for Illuminations are by theatre and film designer Fotini Dimou, known for her work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre and for films such as Ripley’s Game. Alston’s regular collaborator Peter Todd has created the bold and colourful costumes for both Rejoice in the Lamb and Isthmus Remix.

Sat 8 Oct 2016 7.30pm
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