Review: The Centre Will Not Hold, Sadler’s Wells

The Centre Will Not Hold begins in complete darkness. It’s unusual to be left in such a sensorially deprived state, and it feels somewhat like entering a new space. Before long, the rumblings of John Angeles tapping a table emerge from the ether, and the lights come up just enough to make out shapes on the stage. The range of sounds that can be made from such a simple instrument is surprising, and sets the tone for the rhythmic, hypnotic percussion that soundtracks the piece over the next hour.

Michelle Dorrance, with Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie, brings together a range of genres in the piece, from hip-hop to tap to breakdancing and further less well-known styles: Chicago footwork, Detroit jit, litefeet, Memphis jookin and more. It’s fascinating to see how these all interact with one another and the threads that tie them together. Just as these approaches to dance connect, individual segments of the show are impressively conversational – you can almost hear the ‘voices’ of body percussion performers, and when dancers face off, prowling around the edge of a lit circle or aggressively tapping one another out of the way, communication is clear.

At some points, this does come across as a showcase of different styles rather than a single production. Threads of narrative and certain themes occasionally peek out – there’s a dystopian, cityscape tint at times – but the apparent lack of a central narrative is occasionally frustrating. The accompanying music from Donovan Dorrance is well-suited, but sometimes so transfixingly pulsing that it borders on soporific.

Lighting for the piece is ambitious and intricate, requiring great accuracy from the performers. They lean into and out of lit segments of the stage, certain features emphasised and others left in shadow. For the most part, it works – but at times, dancers’ movements are so obscured that you can’t see them at all. The sounds are still there, for those tapping, but the full impact of their work is diluted. This is a real shame, as the skill on show here is exceptional. One dancer is particularly arresting, with movements that are so sinuous that they almost look nonhuman; breakdancing feats are unbelievable (jumping upside down on one arm?! Press-up handstands?!), and when three dancers are all tapping together at an increasingly frantic pace, it makes for an incredible balance of speed and accuracy.

The Centre Will Not Hold, from Dorrance Dance Productions, is a fantastic showcase of dance styles and a joyful collaboration between different disciplines.

Choreographers: Ephrat Asherie, Manon Bal, Tomoe “Beasty” Carr, Michelle Dorrance, Zakhele “Bboy Swazi” Grabowski, Fritzlyn Hector, Donnetta “Lil Bit” Jackson, Eriko Jimbo, Richie Maguire, Michael Manson Jr., Ron Myles, Charles “Lil Buck” Riley, Matthew “Megawatt” West, with solo improvisation by the dancers
Artistic Advisors: Brenda Bufalino & Buddha Stretch
Original Music: Donovan Dorrance
Percussion: John Angeles
Additional Snare Composition: John Angeles
Lighting Design: Kathy Kaufmann
Sound Design: Christopher Marc
Costumes: Amy Page
Performers: John Angeles, Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie, Manon Bal, Tomoe “Beasty” Carr, Michelle Dorrance, Zakhele “Bboy Swazi” Grabowski, Fritzlyn Hector, Caleb Lawrence Jackson, Michael Manson Jr., Charles “Lil Buck” Riley, Matthew “Megawatt” West
Dance Captain: Manon Bal
Swing: Eriko Jimbo

The Centre Will Not Hold has completed its run at Sadler’s Wells