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Lost and Boundless, The Swiss Church – Review

Pros: Engaging and accessible modern dance from a skilled company, set to a soundtrack of familiar pop hits.

Cons: There were a few technical problems, and the second piece felt rather drawn out.

Pros: Engaging and accessible modern dance from a skilled company, set to a soundtrack of familiar pop hits. Cons: There were a few technical problems, and the second piece felt rather drawn out. Double bill Lost and Boundless is the very first performance from the newly formed contemporary dance group Genesis Ballet Company. Founder and artistic director Ricardo Cecílio has used his own experiences in creating the first piece of the evening. Lost is about losing sight of your goals, wavering and, finally, finding your way back. Cecílio’s second offering, Boundless, is far less abstract, presenting the audience with…

Summary

Rating

Excellent

An exciting double bill debut from a new company promising a bright future.


Double bill Lost and Boundless is the very first performance from the newly formed contemporary dance group Genesis Ballet Company. Founder and artistic director Ricardo Cecílio has used his own experiences in creating the first piece of the evening. Lost is about losing sight of your goals, wavering and, finally, finding your way back. Cecílio’s second offering, Boundless, is far less abstract, presenting the audience with a different take on Romeo and Juliet. In it, we see the young lovers miraculously arise from their faked deaths to encounter the difficulties which come with having a normal relationship; something the Bard never allowed them a crack at.

Cecílio has recruited an excellent, well-matched company of dancers to bring his engaging and detailed choreographies to the stage. Lost features individual and group work, as well as a couple of duets. The overall quality and precision of the dancing is high. Though some moments which involve the entire company are slightly sloppy in their execution. This is more than made up for by the highlights of the piece however, one of which is a moving duet between Rose Alice and Danny Williams. Even though the piece is fairly abstract, the clever use of costumes and the changing mood of the music make it accessible and easy to follow, although the latter also gives Lost a fractured feel.

Meanwhile, Boundless has such a detailed storyline that even complete dance novices will have no trouble in understanding the action. Its soundtrack, mostly comprised of hits like Coldplay’s Fix You and AWOLNATION’s Sail, also helps to make the piece current and inviting. Testament to this, at one point in the show, almost the entire audience were clapping along to the music. This is something I’ve certainly never experienced before at a modern dance performance.

At forty minutes, the piece definitely could’ve been shorter, especially since some relatively insignificant scenes were rather drawn out. Nevertheless, Tamara Sales and Matthew Petty are pleasant to watch as Romeo and Juliet. Yasset Rolden’s adds chemistry and a sense of danger as the third part of the developing love triangle.

Production-wise, the show suffered from a few niggles. There were some technical problems with the sound. The seats weren’t staggered, which meant most scenes rather prominently featured the head of the lady sitting in front of me. And as much as I love Take Me To Church, one can only stand to hear it so many times in an evening. Having that one song as both the pre-show and interval playlist, and then also featuring it in the performance twice, really was a bit much.

All in all, however, these are minor issues with regard to the performance as a whole. With dancers this good and choreography this engaging, Genesis Ballet Company can undoubtedly look forward to a bright future in entertaining both long-term lovers of dance and newbies to the genre. I look forward to being there for the next show.

Writer: Helen Victoria
Director and Choreographer: Ricardo Cecílio
Producers: Ricardo Cecílio and Anton Belmonté
Booking Information: This show has now completed its run. Information about future performances can be found on Genesis Ballet Company’s website. 

About Eva de Valk

Eva moved to London to study the relationship between performance and the city. She likes most kinds of theatre, especially when it involves 1) animals, 2) audience participation and/or 3) a revolving stage. Seventies Andrew Lloyd Webber holds a special place in her heart, which she makes up for by being able to talk pretentiously about Shakespeare. When she grows up she wants to be either a Jedi or Mark Gatiss.

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