Review: NOVACENE, Sadler's Wells

Some nights at the theatre are just special. And Sadler's Wells for National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) performing Wayne McGregor's Novacene was definitely one of those nights. 

Why? Because we were able to view dance in its purest of forms; as a vehicle for expression and joy. The company seemingly didn't want it to end, and I'd confidently assume the majority of the audience felt the same way. Special indeed. 

The concept behind NYDC, like most, if not all dance outreach/education work is important and valid. Sadler's Wells started the project 10 years ago to enable young, engaged people to access the best quality of dance experience they possibly could. And judging by the end product of Novacene - the decade long process is absolutely working. 

The cast were extraordinary and absolutely living every millisecond of the experience. These kinds of initiatives allow the right young people to find an outlet for an essential, individual part of themselves - in this case dance. 

The overall production is what you'd expect from both McGregor and Sadler's Wells. Slick, design-heavy and impressive.

Novacene is the name of the 2019 non-fiction book by scientist and environmentalist James Lovelock, that looks at evolution and proposes that "new beings will emerge from existing artificial intelligence systems".  I was looking out for a cyborg or two…but none appeared, though there was a super solo towards the end for Gabriel Dunn which definitely seemed to go beyond the human. I didn't feel futurism expressly through the movement, more in the design. The first half of the piece was performed behind a gauze that saw all manner of projections alluding to the subject matter. Digital algorithms, evolutionary light masses and industrial tableaus.

The music was a mixed bag: loud and atmospheric, but often random, electronic murmurings rather than anything melodically recognisable. Therefore periods of the work felt neither with the music nor intentionally against it, perpetuating a sense of limbo. McGregor's movement language works best, for me, when tightly framed, both rhythmically and in relation to form.

Stronger moments were fuelled by powerful music - in both regular beat and clear phrasing. An obvious example saw numerous couples, under direct spotlights, dancing intensely for eight beats, and then their counterparts took over. This was identifiable, structured dance, helped no end by Jon Hopkins' composition. 

Two further duos also stood out, both being executed in unison with the inclusion of evident upper body and arm movement. We witnessed tilts, twists and limb-led spherical/linear pathways with impactful stops. More recognisable, engaging dance phrasing. 

The overall work kept up its pace - even seeing an adagio section acting as an antidote to other more aggressive explorations, and the last few minutes were an absolute blast: a mostly pedestrian, mashup rave which was infectious to observe. It saw some of the cast going off on tangents of breakdancing infused work, whilst others vogued the hell out of the Wells. 

This specific time is important for the young dancers - as it's when they'll define the depth of their love for the artform. The house went berserk at the end - and understandably. I left the theatre smiling; the performance reminded me what dancing can feel like.

Novacene was at Sadler's Well on 3 June

Photo Credit: Ravi Deepres

 

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