Theatre Royal: Dancing Shoes

A programme of new work and classic pieces at the Theatre Royal Brighton, as Rambert comes to town

Rambert returns to Brighton from Wednesday 25 to Saturday 28 March with an exciting programme of new work, and classic pieces from the UK’s leading contemporary dance company. The programme includes the return of Christopher Bruce’s Rooster, an ambitious new work from Alexander Whitley, and Mark Baldwin’s The Strange Charm of Mother Nature, inspired by the science of the cosmos.

Rooster is a celebration of the swinging sixties set to music by the Rolling Stones. A series of courtship dances are accompanied by some of the Stones’ most famous tunes, including ‘Not Fade Away’, ‘Paint It Black’, ‘As Tears Go By’, ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ and ‘Little Red Rooster’.
This hugely popular work was created by former Rambert artistic director Christopher Bruce in 1991, and has become recognised as a modern classic.
Talking about his inspiration for the piece, choreographer Christopher Bruce commented; “I was listening to some Rolling Stones tracks and started wondering if I could use them to make a dance piece. When I finally came to choreograph Rooster, I had to be very careful, because the music was so well known that I had to make sure that the dance was strong enough and the overall structure sound. There had to be a link between the eight tracks and themes that carried through. The whole had to add up to more than the individual parts.”

“Rooster is a celebratory work in that it celebrates the sixties,” said Bruce. “Some tracks, such as ‘Ruby Tuesday’ or ‘As Tears Go By’ are more reflective, but even in these sections I have tried to find humour and a sense of fun. One of the main themes I explore is the male chauvinism that comes through in the lyrics of some of the tracks, and it is also interesting to see these behavioural patterns beginning in the playground where children can be so cruel to each other.”
Talking about the piece’s broad appeal and longevity, Bruce says; “The positive thing about Rooster is that it doesn’t seem to date. Like the Rolling Stones’ music, it seems to engage generations ranging from youngsters to 80-year-olds, which is wonderful. I think the themes in the piece are universal, although I treat them quite lightly. The piece is an ironic look at the sixties and the attitudes of the times. The chauvinism may have declined a little in the West, but, the world over, attitudes haven’t always changed that much, I have to say!”

Rambert at the Theatre Royal Brighton,
25–28 March 2015
www.atgtickets.com/brighton
0844 871 7650* (booking fees apply)