Northern Youth Dance Company
Performance Reviews || Wednesday, 8 November, 2006
Youth dance companies are in abundance across the UK at present. With that in mind you often approach a performance by one of these groups with more than a little trepidation because you get the feeling they have been set up to meet funding goals rather than achieve anything of substance for those involved.
Northern Youth Dance Company has a good pedigree however and despite a minor funding problem which caused it to vanish for a time the company is back and on tour across the North of England.
Performing five works by five choreographers the evening kicks off with ‘Flip Flopping Between Agony & Ecstasy’ by Debbi Purtill set to music by Mozart. Wisely, Ms Purtill focuses on solid choreographic construction to allow the young dancers to ply their craft. Without shying away from complex set pieces and strong solos the dancers are never patronised by the much more experienced dance maker and are treated as dancers and not ‘youth dancers’. One of the strongest pieces on show during the evening, the dancers were professional, composed and well rehearsed and executed the work with a great deal of class.
Jumping to the last piece of the evening (focusing on the good stuff first) we have ‘How Do You Like Your Eggs In The Morning’ by Vivien Wood. Like ‘Flip Flopping’ Ms Wood emphasises strong dance making over misplaced drama (overlooking the opening posturing by the male dancers) or heavy ‘art’. Set to music by Dick Haymes, velvet voiced crooner from the 30’s and 40’s, we have a very different mood from the first piece with the girls decked out in flowing dresses and the boys in white shirts and trousers, much flirting ensues.
The dancers work their way through some solid ensemble sections interspersed with duets, solos, and so-on, some rhythmic gymnastic ribbons make a very effective appearance late on. A choreographic revolution it’s not but then again it’s not supposed to be. Vivien Wood, DV8 and Michael Clark and Company, has spent the time where it should be spent, letting the dancers dance and allowing them to take their talent out for a spin (that’s an awful pun, Ed!).
Sad to say that the other three works performed by the company exhibited no such restraint and went full speed into choreographic and artistic melt down. ‘Carnival Under Aurora Borealis’ by Wayne Summerbell was notable only for the bizarre costumes (brown stripy pants) the dancers were presumably coerced into wearing. ‘Un-Said’ by Hilary Stainsby tried hard to be emotive but the music by Mazzy Star seemed to be there for nothing more than decoration, the dancers movements had little connection to it, however hard they tried.
‘Imagine A World Without Guns’ by Janet Archer is the final piece to come under this particular microscope. The dancers have to actually say the title of the piece out loud, along with a lot of other things that were inaudible, and this only adds to the cheesy attempt to make a piece with a message. It reminds you of the beauty queen during a competition who declares that she ‘wants everybody in the world to hold hands so they can’t hit each other’. Movement and music were forgettable.
The first and last piece of the evening were illustrations by the dancers of their top notch skills when presented with solid choreography that is well rehearsed. Each of the dancers could make the transition to full time training and then on to a career in dance should they choose to do so. In future however the powers that be need to ask a lot more of some of the dance makers employed to work with these young dancers because 2 out of 5 is not good enough.
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