✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we send newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

Support Us Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • Shopping
  • CW SHOPS
  • Support Us
  • Get Started
  • Tickets
  • CW SHOPS
Get the Best of London Life, Culture and Style
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
Dance

Richard Alston Dance, Mid Century Modern Review ★★★★★

23 Mar 18 – 24 Mar 18, 19:30 Dur.: 2 hours including two intervals

Richard Alston Dance Company celebrates 50 years of dance with a London premiere alongside old favourites in an exhilarating programme at Sadler’s Wells

By CW Contributor on 24/3/2018

Richard Alston Dance, Carnaval 5, Nicholas Bodych and Elly Braund photo Chris Nash
Richard Alston Dance, Carnaval 5, Nicholas Bodych and Elly Braund photo Chris Nash
Richard Alston Dance, Mid Century Modern Review 4 Richard Alston Dance, Mid Century Modern Review Teresa Guerreiro
Richard Alton choreographed his first work 50 years ago, and now in 2018, his company of ten accomplished dancers celebrate this landmark anniversary with Mid Century Modern. It’s a stunning journey through Alston’s back catalogue with work dating back as far as 1970.


In addition, this triple bill includes more recent choreography in the form of Alston’s Carnaval, a beautifully staged take on the relationship between Robert Schumann and his wife Clara (Elly Braund). The evening opens with Martin Lawrance’s more physical work, Cut and Run, a brief but energetic piece brimming with urgency and centred on the pacy interplay of two main couples.


Carnaval is a classical work set to Schumann’s score of the same name, played on stage by pianist Jason Ridgway, who makes light work of the piece’s turbulent energy.


Schumann is played by both Liam Riddick and Nicholas Bodych who represent his dual persona. Riddick is slick, and moves smoothly, exuding a majestic aura. By comparison Bodych is spritely and unpredictable.


The beauty and musicality of Alston’s choreography makes an evening with this company more than worth the ticket price. The head-to-toe precision of the dancers and the ease of the lifts between the tranquil, floating waltzes make for beguiling viewing, also enhanced by Fontini Dimou’s wafting fairytale costumes.


Braund’s Clara is sensitively danced, appearing timid and wary of Schumann’s more unpredictable side (Bodych) as she is pushed and pulled into a series of charged lifts and jumps, while Riddick seeks to restore the balance with his serene and calming presence.


And so to Alston’s selection box of choreography from the past five decades. On opening night at Sadler’s Wells, Alston himself took to the stage to provide some helpful background.


The only remainder of Alston’s very first work, Transit (1968) is the cover image on the programme, and that’s why this journey starts with the 70s.


Rainbow Bandit (1977) was the result of two years of study in New York. It's a technical masterclass, showcasing the company dancers at their precise and articulate best. The choreography is demanding yet danced with an impressively fluidity.


Following the great success of An Italian in Madrid, Vidya Patel returns with a new solo, Syrinx, representing the present day Alston era. Patel is a wonderfully composed, controlled dancer and suits Debussy’s sedate flute solo. The gentle rhythm of the flute and Patel’s smooth, fast Kathak footwork match each other especially well. Alston has made fine use of her talents.


The undeniable highlight of the evening is Dutiful Ducks (1982), a powerhouse of a solo, originally created for a very young Michael Clark, now danced by Liam Riddick. It’s three minutes of pure dance magic with Riddick bouncing off the stuttering rhythms of the spoken word accompaniment by Charles Amirkhanian.


The celebratory tone is maintained in the final extract of The Signal and a Shake (2000), danced by the full company in jazzy silver costumes. It looks to the future, with Alston noting its exuberance and joy is what keeps him going. ‘That’s why I’m still at it,’ he reflects, as he approaches his 70th birthday later this year.



by Vikki Vile

What Richard Alston Dance, Mid Century Modern Review
Where Sadler's Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4TN | MAP
Nearest tube Angel (underground)
When 23 Mar 18 – 24 Mar 18, 19:30 Dur.: 2 hours including two intervals
Price £12-£38
Website Click here to book via Sadler's Well website



Most popular

Things to do in London this weekend: 19 - 21 August
Things to do in London this weekend: 19 - 21 August
London's loveliest indoor swimming pools
London swimming pools you can visit without membership
London Theatre Guide: best plays on now in London (Photograph: Peter Lewicki)
London Theatre Guide: best plays on now in London, 2022

Editor's Picks

BalletBoyz, Fourteen Days, photo Panayiotis Sinnos
BalletBoyz, Fourteen Days, Sadler's Wells
Matthew Ball, Calvin Richardson, Edward Watson in Obsidian Tear, ROH 2016 photo Andrej Uspenski
The Royal Ballet, Obsidian Tear Triple Bill
Ballet British Columbia, Solo Echo, photo Sharen Bradford
Ballet British Columbia Review
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).

We recommend nearby

  • Sushi Tetsu

    Feast on top-notch sushi, sashimi and udon at the sophisticated Sushi Tetsu. This tiny shrine to the best of Japanese food has only half a dozen seats at the counter, so advanced booking is definitely necessary.

    Read more...
    Book Map


  • The Culture Whisper team
  • Support Us
  • Tickets
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
×