Devilishly good in the details

The Richard Alston Dance Company performed at Sadler's Wells where large chunks of the theatre were empty
10 April 2012

Contemporary dance troupes don't really do stars. Unlike orchestras or ballet companies, or even rock and pop, they are genuine ensembles, meaning everyone gets an equal crack at the steps.

Jonathan Goddard unintentionally upsets all this. The Richard Alston dancer has a line and spin and jump much better than the rest, and, unusually for contemporary dance, he brings a charisma and character to the plotless steps, which can feel clinical and anonymous, and which are often intentionally so.

Goddard's allure and humour is easy to spot in The Devil In The Detail, a playful romp set to Scott Joplin rags. The music's happy-hooker tone (Joplin was a brothel pianist) is often danced for larks, yet Goddard gives it a "so-what?" wink.

It's also, by the way, a good joke to put the dancers in prim dresses and well-behaved chinos when you remember Joplin's background.

Jason Ridgway played him live, and briskly.

In Red Run, Goddard brings Alston's steps to shimmering life, his sharp feet and focused head pointing to meaning we didn't know was there. The rest of the dancers paled, although a conspicuously pregnant Sonja Peedo makes an unexpected impression in Brink.

This new piece by Martin Lawrance is, I think, the only time a pregnant woman has danced at Sadler's Wells - in a work made for a pregnant woman, I mean. Her rounded form felt lush and weighted, although you have qualms for the unborn.

The second new piece by Alston himself completed the four-part bill, and was a too-dutiful response to the music (Bach, again played live by Ridgway).

Large chunks of the theatre, I should report, were empty.

Until 31 March (0870 737 7737. www.sadlerswells.com).

Richard Alston Dance Company: Mixed Programme (Blow Over/Brink/Carmen/Alert/Serene Beneath)
Sadler's Wells
Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN

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