In total contrast, Russell Maliphant’s Echoes is wreathed in shadows, pierced by fractured overhead light like moonlight diffused underwater. The dancers swirl slowly like floating dervishes to hauntingly eerie arabic woodwinds and horns. The increasingly flickering lights create fleeting glimpses of movement in a stunning fusion of dance and visual effects. It’s absolutely mesmerising.
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Laid in Earth is inspired by Purcell’s famous aria from Dido and Aeneas (When I am laid in earth), thrillingly sung live by mezzo soprano Catherine Backhouse fused in with new electronic music. With shades (literally) of Greek myth and the Underworld, a single dead tree trunk pierces the stage as the four dancers explore the narrative of what we leave behind, and what we take with us. Jeffrey Cirio’s sinuous contortions and Precious Adams’ commanding presence draw the eye.
