大象传媒

The Nigerian-Welsh choreographer Henri Oguike has been described as Britain鈥檚 most innovative talent ever since he established his company in 1999 and his ingenious movement style is still poking and prodding his dancers and audiences in unexpected ways. He gave modern dance the shake-up it needed and a licence to play.

Let鈥檚 face it, sometimes bodies just look funny. The way they can flail and shake about. It reminds us our bodies are instruments that aren鈥檛 always under complete control. Nor are the dancers merely stylised puppets of Oguike - there is a collaborative approach bringing out the individuality of the dancers who have joined his company from around the world.

Little Red (c) Hugo Glendinning

But it was the relationship between music and movement that resonated most. From Vivaldi鈥檚 violin concerti to hypnotic tribal tones to a special treat of live moody jazz, the entire bill lit up the intimate connection between music and movement, prompting a question from the audience later: 鈥淲hich comes first, the music or the dance?鈥�

Well, that depends on the repertoire. The explosive, velvety Little Red was inspired first by the music, but in the intimate and pared down In Touching All & All Around, it was the movement - but also simply the breath. There were moments you could only hear the dancers鈥� exhalation and their limbs working the stage floor.

Finally, in Green in Blue, the live musicians and dancers share the stage creating a potent new energy or a magical power.

Which is exactly what it was 鈥� along with the perfect conclusion to a highly-charged foray into modern dance.