The Labyrinth of Love Tour arrived in Plymouth to a packed house with an audience’s massive expectation for ground-breaking and amazing contemporary dance. It certainly delivered, showing Rambert’s dancers off to their finest with imaginative and rousing choreography.
The program advertised nine separate dance pieces. Last night’s production consisted of four of those pieces, so I’m presuming if you were to follow the tour you would eventually see all. We had two twenty minute intervals and a five minute rest.
The first piece Labyrinth of Love, narrated beautifully by soloist Kirsty Hopkins, showed her walking though seven different worlds of poetry experiencing a wide range of emotions and sensations. She and the dancers wore white pieces of material portraying a white canvas or a blank piece of paper where the movement becomes the new journey though life. Choreographed by Marguerite Donlon, who invites the dancers in rehearsal to play with the building blocks she initially set out, to see their individual qualities and personalities. These dancers were strong and lithe I was amazed how they moved so quickly sometime leaping so high from virtually no preparation, superb. Music was by Michael Daugherty. A mesmerizing set showing a background of flaming images with a mirrored floor made an interesting connection of landscapes.
Roses, the second piece, was my favorite section, choreographed by Paul Taylor and performed to Wagner Siegfried Idyll. This piece simply gave the feeling you were being transported into a romantic setting far away and long ago. So gracefully danced with six couples, a dancer often moved through another dancers circling’s arms and passed over one another somersaulting with one handed cartwheels. All enhanced by their long flowing dresses and the males in smart trousers and tops. It had an adult feel to it.
The third short piece Dutiful Ducks a solo energetically danced by Pieter Symonds with a fun element wearing bright green leggings and a white t-shirt. A clean piece of work choreographed by Richard Alston.
The final section ‘Sounddance’ is the most vibrant of the programme. David Tudor’s electronic score felt like creatures were flying around the auditorium and landing behind and beside me, skin clawing noises and propelling wings making you want to duck. Dancers are caught up in constant hectic lifts, spins, tilts and falls throughout, the stage was filled with life, cells dividing and re-dividing but in complete chaos. Shapes and patterns are constantly constructed then broken.
It was a truly enthralling evening.
For More information about this production and the national tour please got to: www.rambert.org.uk