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In their first UK tour, this triple bill from the São Paulo Dance Company is a spectacle of skill and showmanshipSummary
Rating
Unmissable!
The São Paulo Dance Company’s first UK and Ireland tour consists of three intense, technically outstanding and, above all, highly entertaining pieces that mark their arrival with a bang.
We begin with Anthem, a politically charged piece that sees the company move across the stage as one, reminiscent of a shoal of fish. Individuals dart in and out of the collective movement, their variations creating a sense of a single, living organism. The effect is compelling; the dancers are not moving exclusively in sync, but there’s a consistent connection between each body. Choreographer Goyo Montero’s ideas of lifecycles and collective identities translate directly into the piece, with the group and its motion swaying between connective and restrictive.
Next is Gnawa (choreographed by Nacho Duato), which is inspired by the titular Islamic fellowship and its rituals. Soundtracked by trance-like, chanting music, the piece has an air of mystery to it and becomes almost hypnotic. This is enhanced by the opening, in which groups rotate on and off stage in a way that makes them seem endless.
Lighting plays a central role throughout the first two pieces, and enhances rather than distracts from the performances. Anthem’s descending pendant lights and striking backlit sections help to build a narrative and segue between segments, while the flickering candles that the dancers carry on to a pitch black stage in Gnawa make it feel like the audience is being let in on a secret: honoured guests to a mystical event.
The night closes with Agora, an energetic finale. Beginning with the slowly accelerating tick-tock of a clock or metronome, the piece explodes into a triumphant celebration that’s difficult not to tap your toes to. Choreography from Cassi Abranches is full of rolling hips and staccato beats, and marks a joyful end to the bill.
All three pieces feature extensive group dancing, with full use made of the 22-strong company. While duos and trios have standout moments, there are no principals — this is firmly a collective, and the performances are stronger for it. There’s a real connection between the company, along with immense trust in one another as they fling themselves across the stage and into each other in a way that would seem reckless if it wasn’t so graceful. While they make it seem like nothing at all, this lack of fear or hesitation speaks to their intense training and full-body commitment to their performances.
High-calibre dance always highlights the immense control that performers have over their bodies, but it’s particularly astounding here. So many feats are performed in quick succession that it sometimes takes a moment to realise just how impressive what you’re seeing is. Transitions between climactic poses are in themselves astonishingly dexterous — one dancer lifts herself from the ground via a backbend that wouldn’t be out of place in a Cirque du Soleil show.
Lifts, whether performed in duos, trios or as a group, are incredible. In Agora, a passage in which one dancer leaps through the air feet-first to be caught by her partner in a complicated hold, drew audible gasps from the audience. It’s repeated by various couples, the company proving their prowess again and again.
This show is truly special, and a delight to watch. With any luck, this won’t be the last time the São Paulo Dance Company brings its talent to our shores.
Presented by Dance Consortium
Choreography Goyo Montero, Nacho Duato and Cassi Abranches
São Paulo Dance Company are on tour across the UK.
Further details and booking can be found here.
