Since this was my first experience of seeing a contemporary dance production, I was unsure of how I would respond to it, and as such, I’m quite surprised that I came away with some strong impressions and interpretations, which I’ll put down to the strength of the performance rather than any great insight on my own part.

If there’s one thing that really stuck out to me about Sutra that was completely unexpected, it was its playful, childlike aspect. This quality, I felt, not only helped elucidate what seemed to me to be the production’s big themes (e.g. teaching and learning, the value of simplicity, and a notion that the potential of mind and body goes beyond their physical reality), but also allowed for a greater accessibility: even when left bemused and bewildered by the cryptic and symbolic nature of the action, no one in the audience could fail to be captivated by the incredible energy and enthusiasm of the child performer – the “little monk”.

Read the full review