Rambert and Rambert2 at Sadlers Wells

London. Wednesday 07-November-2018.

The first of two visits to Sadler's Wells. An unintentional exercise in nested contrasts both between and within the two shows. This performance West / youth vs. experience, and East / Odissi vs. Kathak.

The Evening Standard was not entirely convinced: Rambert - Two review: A study in endurance, but not for the dancers. 3 out of 5 stars.

Rambert’s mixed bill is a study in endurance and determination — and we’re not talking about the dancers. The first chance for London to meet the company’s new junior troupe, Rambert2, made up of fledgling professionals aged 19 to 25 [...]

The night ends with its weakest work, Killer Pig, a long, preening piece by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, which hurts the ears and tries the patience. [...] An interesting, if flawed night. Full review...

The Guardian was more enthusiastic: Rambert: Two review – spiky, sassy dancers seize the stage. 4 out of 5 stars. Rambert showcases its new sister company in Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar’s knockout Killer Pig, plus work by Benoit Swan Pouffer and Rafael Bonachela Lyndsey Winship

Rambert proper perform Christopher Bruce’s Ghost Dances, in its last run before being retired from the rep. The 1981 work - a tribute to the disappeared of Pinochet’s Chile – seems like an odd programme choice, quaint by comparison, with its painted backdrop, melodic score and theatricality, but compellingly crafted choreography doesn’t date and neither does divine dancing. [...] 

In Killer Pig, by Sharon Eyal with Gai Behar, this aggression and the sheer volume at its climax becomes stressful. But that brazen intensity is part of its power and it’s the standout work. Part club, part catwalk, there’s spikiness and sass. [...] It’s exactly the kind of work a young company like Rambert2 should be doing: edgy, cool, challenging, excellent. Full review...

You pays your money and you takes your choice.

For me a lot of modern dance is a bit like a Rorschach test. I do not necessarily know what is going on, what the choreographer is trying to say, so I watch and let my mind roam where it will.

Rambert2 BBC London news piece - Nov 2018:

I will leave the final word with the Telegraph: "An impressively danced but oddly programmed evening, then, one that seems to suggest an effervescently creative past and a tediously one-note future – a bizarrely undesirable mission statement. The evening is far from a failure, but those 13 bright young things deserved a fairer choreographic wind on their maiden voyage. " Full review...