By: Cathryn Macey, TRP Reviewer
James Wilton Dance are back at The Drum, and this time they’ve brought Vivaldi with them.
Using Max Richter’s re- worked version of The Four Seasons as their soundtrack, James Wilton Dance perform four separate dances that merge fluently to represent each season. Impressively, they also link each season to the story of the Universe which gives the gripping performance a cosmic edge.
Sarah Jane Taylor begins the piece on her own. Dressed in neutral, loose clothing she appears curled up in the foetal position. Some of the fabric she wears looks translucent and is reminiscent of a cocoon. She seems stuck to the spot for quite some time before Paul Milford’s innovative lighting kicks into action. As the spotlights repeatedly flicker off and on to the rhythm of the music, Sarah appears to move whilst simultaneously staying fixed in her static pose; she somehow moves without moving. This is just one of the optical illusions the company executes with Milford’s skilled assistance.
Sarah Jane gradually awakens from her hibernation and starts to kick and jerk at an alarmingly fast pace. Inhabiting the entire stage which is, at this point, an empty black canvas, she is joined by James. At first, they move separately but their movements are mirrored and the joy of the advent of Spring is captured through a series of energetic manoeuvres.
No dance form is off limits as the duo complete numerous duets and solo performances. From ballet to break dancing and even Baroque, The Four Seasons borrow from a wide range of dance disciplines. Their diverse influences even incorporate elements of physical theatre, acrobatics and martial arts. Long and impressively drawn-out headstands are commonplace, as are intense combat scenes.
Like two magnets, Sarah Jane and James are drawn to one another. From head to toe, their bodies become entwined in various contorted arrangements. In their last Drum performance, LORE, this type of physical unity sometimes felt a little angst ridden but there’s a softer side at play here. In particular, their focus on the use of touch brings a sensual side to their duets. Touch is used during the Summer to tease and then, as the Universe and Earth’s temperature cool down, it’s used to soothe and quash the pairs’ erratic energy.
They may pitch themselves as a dance company, but what also stands out is the company’s talent for drama. This is arguably most powerfully showcased by James’ solo movements and expressions towards the denouement of the four dances. When he is left alone on the stage with nothing but his shadow to look at, James emits strong emotions that symbolise his internal emptiness now Winter and the end of the Universe are here.
Thankfully, lighting is used artistically to move the atmosphere from one of despair to one of hope. Sarah Jane is surrounded by sparkly fairy lights that twinkle through the darkness and she even grabs a flashlight that she turns out towards and on to the audience. Perhaps we are a new planet that she has discovered?
Whatever this part of the performance is meant to represent, it feels optimistic through its inclusion of bright lighting. Previous seasons’ dances were intensified by brash beams of orange and then red lighting, so this contrast in lighting brings a fresh energy at the end of an intense but joyful piece of theatre.
Fans of contemporary dance will absolutely adore The Four Seasons, which breathes new life into an old piece of classical music.