Rarely is such exquisite contemporary dance showcased outside of London – but as Deborah Colker takes her athletic Brazilian ensemble on tour across the UK – Cardiff’s audience was graced with a slice of dance of the highest calibre coming from the ultimate school of cool.
Colker’s work has glaring references to other great modern choreographers – the skimpy black undies and revolving sets have a hint of Matthew Bourne’s daring Dorian Gray – and Cruel by Colker, performed at Wales Millennium Centre, resonates the same tones of the dark salacious drive which can destroy a relationship.
The opening sequence is enough to keep you enraptured – the dancers draped in silky 1920s dresses perform a couples ritual under a huge globe of light. Soon the steps leave the symmetry of a familiar minuet and ease you into Colker’s statement moves for the piece – hand flicks, low back bends and spinning lifts are all performed in pairs with togetherness and slick timing.
