![]() Griffiths' work had no such problem: here six men from The Company, another London-based dance collective, delivered a manic, in-your-face spectacle of handstands, rolls and spins, their fixed grins and jazz fingers reminiscent of a vaudeville act. Would that the piece's staging was as engrossing as its frenzied choreography: much of the action is clustered towards the back of the stage, which had the unfortunate effect of obscuring the dancers’ captivating expressions of delirium. There's a possessed feel to the movement vocabulary, filled as it is with jerking and squirming, and primitive postures-hunched backs, swinging arms-prevail. The former centres on an undulating train of 11 dancers worming their way around the stage, individuals occasionally stepping out of line to perform quick solos before rejoining the group, sucked in by a collective mania. Nicolas Ventura's “Simha” and Lee Griffiths' “Not my Circus, Not my Monkeys” both stood out for their visceral intensity. Her self-styled blend of popping, hip-hop and so-called 'bone-breaking' is eye-grabbing for all the right reasons, thanks in part to the repetitive phrasing, which tethers the wild movement vocabulary and lends it some structure. Likewise memorable was Gi's black-and-white film, which features aerial shots of the choreographer herself dancing in a stairwell, the frames occasionally layered and reversed to add a ghostly tinge. ![]() The dancers handled the sophisticated formations they were set admirably, and even more impressive was their vigour, which buoyed the grave piano music and ensured their seven minutes on stage left a lasting impression. The choreography here is drawn in the aforementioned integrated style: flourishes of street-snaking heads, body rolls, stomps and step-backs-punctuates a contemporary base filled with contractions and weighty postures. “We Stand as a Group” saw 13 sixth-formers perform a stirring number about loyalty and solidarity, mixing individual steps with bouts of partnerwork and unison. Toonga and Da Silva choreographed “We Stand as a Group” as part of the Let's Shine Mentorship, which is run in conjunction with NewVic Sixth Form College meanwhile the short film by Gianna Gi that followed, GG: Riats, arose out of Just Us's New and Notable venture, which supports up-and-coming artists. The bill's first two pieces were products of these programmes. Just Us trades in contemporary dance, hip-hop and spoken word, fusing the disparate styles in an effort to, as Toonga explained to me in a recent interview, “integrate the urban interests people have with classical language.” The company has a big educational slant-“To nurture and support is our ethos,” says Toonga-and judging by the not inconsiderable number of kids present in last Friday's audience, its two youth programmes have achieved decent visibility. ![]() ![]() The choreographers needn't have worried: each of the eight pieces on show was greeted enthusiastically, from the lively group opener to the intimate closing duet. ![]()
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