The show opens with Dane Hurst setting some equipment around the edges of the space before dragging a large metal pole to the centre, instantly grabbing the audience’s attention. The music, (excellently played), begins and the stage is set for what proves to be an intriguing and immensely enjoyable evening.

To stage Kim Brandstrup’s Transfigured Night after the stark, monochromatic Frames is an inspired choice, at least in terms of the on-stage aesthetic. An earthy palette, punctuated with a plain red dress, tells the audience that we have entered a different sphere of interest, more grounded in humanity than the structures that encase it.

Light is used excellently, too, in both of these dances. When Simone Damberg Würtz’s lady in red lies in the shadow cast by the sole, monolithic pillar, one can feel the biting misery. Würtz bewitches her audience, holding and betraying emotion in her limbs in a way that is hard to comprehend. Miguel Altunaga is similarly effective, and affective, sloping down his partner’s body to arresting affect.

There is always the possibility that a dance might translate to its audience as a series of impressive moves, sequential but far from syntagmatic. The three dances were not to be watched, but to be really interacted with and observed. They draw you in, embroil you, turn you into a conspirator with the story that is being told.

Even when the exact meaning of a moment might not be clear, there is a real, intangible sense that the meaning is very clear in each of the dancer’s minds. This is particularly important in Frames, which opens the show and has a less apparent “story” than the other dances, yet every moment is a piece in the building of a larger picture. The other pieces might paint in colour from left to right, but Frames achieves the same mesmeric effect by painting from the hard, metal edges inward.

The triumphant final act was Rooster, a show for which Rambert has become renowned and received much praise. To laud it is an exercise in reiteration, but it is unavoidable when describing Christopher Bruce’s electric and charming dance. It is funny, but it also successfully displays the truth of young adulthood, where preening and posing mean that there are always those on the outside to the in-crowd. Vanessa Kang is particularly strong here.

While not an expert on dance, this is easily the best performances that I have ever seen. It would be hard to find anyone who would not enjoy at least one of the night’s offerings. Frames compels, Transfigured Night emotes, and Rooster delights.   ★★★★★   Will Amott   29^th October 2015

Photos by and ©Tristram Kenton