‏Swan Lake: Loch na hEala

This intriguing blend of contemporary dance and theatre had me from the moment I walked in and took my seat. The cluttered stage, the disturbing image of a tethered man in only underwear, the occasional bleating, the threatening atmosphere…. Then the arrival of three men in black, taunting and finally slaying the beast in a ritualistic dance of death.

This may be a new take on the Swan Lake story but it needs not to carry that tag, and indeed some of the expectations that the tag might bring. The greatness of this exceptional work lies in the power of the storytelling and the clarity too. The sadness of the tale unfolds beautifully and the drama is carried by the quality of each and every individual performance.

The music, a haunting soundscape with song, is equally important to the whole and lived on in my mind after the performance had closed as did the extraordinary choreography which restored my faith in modern dance and made me see that movement could be effectively used to progress a narrative thread. If this is the future of contemporary dance/theatre then I tip my hat to it and cannot wait to see much more.

‏Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 9 May

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