Leeds Playhouse – until 23February then on tour
Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood
4****
Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Belonging: Loss, Legacy, Love, part of the Spring Tour, opens at the Leeds Playhouse under the artistic direction of Marcus J Willis. The triple bill primarily focuses on human experiences and nuances connecting to loss, legacy and love. The company is renowned for its contemporary dance and its repertoire that represent the unique and diverse communities today.
The programme opens with Dane Hurst’s Requiem (Excerpts), based on Mozart’s composition, which is taken from the production, Requiem: Journeys of the Soul which was co-produced with Opera North and premiered last year for Leeds 2023: Year of Culture. This production poignantly and sublimely explores the emotional response to grieving and loss particularly during the COVID-19 Pandemic and its massive impact worldwide.
Miguel Altunaga’s Cloudburst, musically composed by David Preston, follows and focuses on legacy. Cloudburst is part of a dance film for its first ever digital programme in 2021. This was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic where the theatres were closed but dance and performance carries on. Cloudburst is influentially set to Yoruba and Afro-Cuban ancestry, culture, rituals and traditions. Homage is paid to those who lost their lives during the pandemic and how their legacies still live on societally, mythologically, and spiritually.
The third piece of work is Willis’ Terms of Agreement which primarily examines love and what defines true love. The work explores how one agrees and negotiates the terms of love through an emotional kaleidoscope. A wide range of different scenes and scenarios, individually and collectively, are projected in response to the definition of love and its truth. The performance is set to Tomos O’Sullivan’s writing composition and a wide range of music by popular artists is played to reflect the ambiences and moods.
The company of dancers responds emotionally and evocatively to all the pieces of work that have been presented on stage. The dynamic, emotional and intricate interpretations are the responses to the human experiences and how they resonate universally today. Under the choreographic direction of Willis, the performances of the works in the programme are very well put together which constitutes an excellent evening of dance.