Nottingham Concert Hall – Friday 16 and 17 February 2024
Reviewed by Louise Ford
5*****
This weekend’s offering in Nottingham is presented by Dance Consortium and features one of Brazil’s finest dance companies, The São Paulo Dance Company. The show features three separate pieces; Anthem, Gnawa and Agora.
The opening set is dark and under lit, the dancers are already in position pulsating together in the centre of the stage. The movements and rhythm build throughout the piece moving away from a mechanical, visceral dance towards something more organic and collective. This piece was choreographed by Goya Monterone who is the resident choreographer with Cuba’s Acosta Danza. The piece is accompanied by Owen Benton’s score. The sheer energy and athleticism is truly amazing.
The second piece Gnawa. I had to look this word up as I didn’t know it at all. The word refers to a group of people brought to North Africa by the Berber as slaves. This piece was choreographed by Nacho Duato, who is the artistic director of the Mikhailovsky Ballet, in St Petersburg. The music was created by seven composers and is hypnotic and trance like. The music and the dance combine to create a spell binding dance which builds in a ritualistic rhythm. At the heart of the piece is an inspiring pas de deux between the dancers Amanda Rosa and Nielsen Souza. This is no soft ballet love story but a strong and natural folding,holding and stretching. Quite breathtaking.
The final piece Agora, has a totally different tempo and sound. This piece is choreographed by Cassi Abranches and is her third commission for the group. The music composed by Sebastian Piracés, is a mixture of Afro-Brazilian percussion, drums and rock music. The highlight of this dance are the truly amazing jumps by the women. They launch themselves feet first across the stage into the arms of the men. The audience gasped every time as it was really something to behold.
It was an amazing evening of energy and sweat. The tone and precision of their bodies was inspiring, such control and power.
The dancers worked so hard, their breathing during the “bowing “was audible and the sweat was pouring off them. The audience loved it, they whooped and whistled and the dancers smiled and grinned with pleasure at the acknowledgement and applause.