Rambert Dance Company

Uncontrollable swooning over incredibly muscular men undulating in little more than speedo-like shorts – not what you expect from a performance at the Theatre Royal Concert Hall.

Renowned for their pioneering commitment to choreography and artistic dancers, Rambert Dance Company surprised Nottingham in their opening performance showcasing their ‘Labyrinth of Love tour.

Split into three sections this performance showcased a variety of styles of contemporary dance by some of the best dancers in Britain, accompanied by a live orchestra.

‘Labyrinth of Love’ was the first. The term itself implies a complex journey though emotion. Complex it certainly was. Far too often it was quite unclear as to what emotion was in fact being portrayed, unaided by the blank facial expression of all the dancers. A piece full of raw and wonderfully weird contemporary dancing that to the untrained eye would be quite a handful.

The second, ‘Roses’, was much easier on the eyes than the previous. A sentimental piece danced with elegance, albeit a bit repetitive at times.

The third piece ‘Sub’, delivered something which the others quite didn’t. A group of powerful male dancers embraced the stage rhythmically moving to the upbeat, tribal-like orchestrated tune. The intensity and strength of these dancers was mind blowing and a perfect way to finish off the showcase.

The only let down was the failure to convey pure emotion. Unfortunately the intended story sometimes became lost in sequences of meaningless and odd dance moves, especially to the untrained eye.

Nonetheless, one cannot fault Rambert Dance Company for their technically perfect performance resulting in an inability to take your eyes off the stage; their unique ‘Labyrinth of Love’ tour is a must see for those dance lovers out there.