Michael Clark Company: animal / vegetable / mineral

Starting with a one-colour backdrop, the first half of the evening involved six performers dancing along to pop-electronic songs from Scritti Politti. There was an air of detachment in the dancers, which was jarring next to the warm, simple music, resulting in a piece that wasn’t really evocative or moving in any way, feeling more like a rehearsal or a work-in-progress. The middle section was more exciting featuring spikier music but still felt a bit aimless, with the harsh music from Public Image Limited and The Sex Pistols not matched with any kind of force in the dancing. The second half had more of a theme however in the form of a band video backdrop and there was some interesting usage of text on the screen to stir the mind a little. Perhaps this reviewer missed something (the applause was generous) but there seemed little grace or beauty in the performance, nor any truly difficult or challenging concepts or movements.

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, 11 March 2015

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