Review: COMPANY OF ELDERS, Sadler's Wells

The Company of Elders' Saturday matinee performance at Sadler's Wells finished with a nightclub atmosphere. It saw the cast of the last piece coming into the auditorium and inviting the audience members onto the stage to dance the afternoon away. 

As I left and turned at the doorway of the Lilian Baylis Studio, it had indeed become Jojo's nightclub - the venue where Bagsy's Last Night a DJ Saved my Life, the final work of the triple bill, predominantly takes place. 

It's a narrative work - perhaps more a short play than dance piece, that sees two old friends reminisce about times gone by, and also trying to find more empathy in their present day lives. 

The cast seemed to have a wonderful time telling the story, and hitting many a disco move throughout. I felt it lacked any deep meaning, and this was also reflected in the lite, inoffensive choreography.

The middle piece of the performance was we’re going to have to get better at this by the James Cousins Company. It's a work of two halves: the first a dark, minimal somewhat lost moment of unison. The second: a kind of Zumba class to Donna Summer's "I Feel Love". Unison was the name of the game, but it lacked refined execution. And I don't say this to chastise - rather to bring home a key point. The choice of choreograph(y)er is key. In all contexts - but especially something as niche as the Company of Elders.

The blurb for the piece was asking the audience to "look at these bodies in new ways, see the strength and beauty in them", and I think that's exactly why we'd all made the trip to Sadler’s Wells in the first place. To observe, acknowledge and respect the members of the Company and their work. But the content of the Cousins piece doesn't currently offer a new way to perceive the people who are dancing it.

The opening work You’re Here You’re Here by Rhiannon Faith was the one. In fact it took me by surprise. Not the calibre of Faith's work, but the impact it caused. I hadn't expected to be so moved by the performance - but that my people is the power of dance. When creator, dancer and context all align…the impact is something deeply touching. Human. 

Faith worked with Three Score Dance company who are based in Brighton and Hove, and was set up by Saskia Heriz and Christina Thompson with support from South East Dance in 2012.

The programme credits the dancers as devising the piece with Faith, and this is what I'm talking about. The sense of authenticity was almost overwhelming - these people were sharing their innermost thoughts and fears. And it was an honour to witness. 

The piece is so rich in character: Red dress lady using dance as a medium for breath-informed expression, Green dress lady sharing a poignant monologue about her loss of power and the anger and rage leaking from her. Bob the flustered host trying to do everything perfectly to no avail, and the bread lady: kneading and needing. 

Three Score Dance company has referenced Pina Bausch as an inspiration - and this feels equally present in Faith's work. Not just the depth of emotion, but also the set consisting of nine scattered chairs - think Café Müller. 

As the piece closes the chairs have all been placed in a circle facing inwards. The dancers take their seats and the lights slowly dim. The importance of community: palpable. For both emotional support and public visibility. 

Sadler’s Wells has been running the Company of Elders since 1989. And will hopefully continue to do so indefinitely. Dance is a powerful thing - it can mean so much, to so many in a spectrum of ways. I look forward to their next performance and hope the artistic team keep making insightful decisions when it comes to commissioning. The bigger point is far more important than a critique of the performance - but any valid product tends to have an even more vital process. 

To post a comment, you must register and login.