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Dancers on their mettle for Alhambra season

3:08pm Wednesday 16th April 2008

The Alhambra's new dance season kicked off this week with performances by world-class modern dance company, Nederlands Dans Theater 1.

The Dutch company, which performed two pieces from their repertoire Silent Screen and Toss Of A Dice, is described as having written the rule book "of aspirations, artistry and sheer prowess in modern dance-making."

NDT1 constantly sets itself new challenges, the result being an ensemble where each dancer is a star in their own right and the repertoire is a treasure trove of bold, intelligent, visually stunning dance.

Sometimes dramatic, sometimes quirky or downright mischievous and sometimes exquisite movement pure and simple, the performances showcase virtuoso dancers at the top of their game.

The company performed two shows at the Alhambra this week; Silent Screen, a thrilling choreographic collage of specially-shot film footage and live dance set to music by Philip Glass, and Toss Of A Dice, a dance on a knife edge' with a multi-pointed sculpture surrounded by 12 dancers whose steps were equally razor-sharp. The breathtaking dance show thrilled with its bold radical movement and design.

The Alhambra's dance season, which follows its successful debut season last year, brings together a range of dance shows to suit various tastes.

Adam Renton, general manager of Bradford Theatres, says: "After the resounding success of last year's dance season in Bradford, I am delighted to present an equally thrilling season of the best in international dance at the Alhambra Theatre during 2008.

"Once again, this is an exciting time for us, presenting a second dance season in such a way, and we are delighted to be able to bring such a wide range of dance shows to the city of Bradford.

"There are visits from regulars Northern Ballet Theatre, with their inventive adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream; and Matthew Bourne with his production of Tchaikov-sky's Nut-cracker!

"And we continue to play host to world-class dance companies visiting the city for the very first time; Stephen Petronio Company and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, affectionately known as The Trocks."

Next month sees the return to Bradford of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker!

Billed as a "delicious theatrical feast", it's a fresh, hip, charmingly irreverent interpretation of the ballet classic, and features family-sized helpings of Bourne's trademark wit, pathos and magical fantasy set to Tchaikovsky's glorious score.

The next show in the season could well leave you lost for words, although amazing', fascinating' and incredible' are some of the words critics have used to describe Aluminum, embarking on its first UK tour.

It was devised by Ilan Azriel, a former dancer in Tel Aviv's Inbal Company, who has let his imagination run riot on the theme of aluminum in all its various industrial forms. The show is said to be a "joyous fantasy" incorporating dance, puppetry and special effects.

Northern Ballet Theatre returns to Bradford with its mischievous production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Set in the 1940s, it's a witty, colourful and hugely entertaining production capturing the stylish elegance of the era, transcended into a Technicolor dreamworld where Puck's magic weaves a tangled web of love.

Music from Mendelssohn and Brahms, played live by the Northern Ballet Theatre Orchestra, completes this striking adaptation of Shakespeare's enchanting comedy.

The Stephen Petronio Company visits the Alhambra for the first time in October. Master choreographer Stephen Petronio is as famed for his collaborations as for the quality of his dance. In two of the pieces to be performed in Bradford, Bud Suite and Bloom, his partnership with musician Rufus Wainwright takes his work to a new level.

Bloom also features a choir of local young people performing live.

The season closes with another first; Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo. Known as The Trocks', this company of professional male dancers presents a playful, entertaining view of classical ballet in parody form, an inspired blend of their love for and knowledge of dance and comic approach. The production shows that men can indeed dance en pointe without falling flat on their faces!

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