Review: Jasmin Vardimon Company NOW, Sadler’s Wells

Stopping at Sadler’s Wells East as part of its UK tour, NOW by Jasmin Vardimon Company revisits iconic moments from its 25-year history as part of the venue’s opening season. Award-winning choreographer Jasmin Vardimon makes a break from her more usual narrative-based style and draws on parts of her previous works to create something fresh. Make no mistake, however: this is no Greatest Hits. By that I don’t mean to suggest for one minute that it’s not great – this is an exceptional and moving work – but it’s entirely original and cohesive. Vardimon has skilfully synthesised new ideas with other elements that sometimes are nothing more than the essence of ideas from previous pieces. The whole enterprise has been comprehensively re-imagined and choreographed into a fabulous new form.

Although this is a move away from direct storytelling, clear themes and motifs emerge early on that bind the whole together to tell a very clear story about the brutality of the world we live in.  There is narrative there, no matter how abstract it may seem, but it is more open to interpretation and all the more engaging for it.

Ostensibly, NOW starts from the point of view of a conversation about living in the present. Early on the dancers speak as they slide on the floor declaring poetically that “We are all here in this space. We are sharing our now, and yet our now is different.” The “now” of which they speak opens up the complex relationship between the personal now and the shared now. This is reflected in scenes which are at times intimate, loving and touching but which open up into a brutal, post-industrial landscape and ensemble work that suggests surrender, dissent, oppression and fascistic brutality. The relationship between these two modes certainly gives food for thought. While there are moments of hope and reconciliation, when the candle is extinguished at the end of the show, the effect is devastating. Is all hope really lost?

Visually it is stunning. Vardimon is a consummate visual artist, making effective use of a frontal and overhead camera projected onto the back to amplify, distort or re-frame the movements of her ensemble. While at times deeply poetic, there is plenty of time for playful humour too. These are effective counterpoints to the stark messages contained within. Once the snow appears the two elements become even more intertwined for the rest of the performance: the playful nature of the snow brings with it a sense of both joy and surrender.

The seven-strong ensemble that developed the work in collaboration with Vardimon execute it flawlessly, creating a compelling performance that dares us to share this moment with them. As a musician, I was astonished to learn that they initially developed this work without music. When you witness the synergy with sound during the performance, this seems almost impossible to imagine but is testimony to the artistry of Vardimon that she marries the soundscape to the storytelling perfectly.

This is a work full of variety and depth and it will not disappoint anyone with even an ounce of curiosity.

Concept, direction & choreography by: Jasmin Vardimon MBE
Created with & performed by: Evie Hart, Sean Moss, Hobie Schouppe, Juliette Telier, Donny Beau Ferris, Risa Maki, Oliver Rumaizen
Set design by: Guy Bar-Amotz & Jasmin Vardimon MBE

Now plays at Sadler’s Wells East until Saturday 8 March.