Dance: An explosion of everyday joy

Phoenix Dance Theatre
Interplay
dancers Dorna Ashory, Aaron Chaplin, Rory Clarke, Phikolwethu Luke, Graciela Mariqueo-Smith, Hannah McGlashon, Yasmina Patel, Tony Polo, Dylan Springer
costumes Janne Beresford, Melissa Parry
lighting Luke Haywood, Alina Longmore
Sadler's Wells East, Stratford • 24-27.Jun.26 ★★★★

There's an unusual everyday quality to these four pieces by the Leeds-based Phoenix Dance Theatre, as these sparky young performers wear costumes that look like street clothes. And the beautifully fluid choreography mixes powerful dance moves with real-life interaction. The energy is infectious, filling the space with waves of physical joy.

First up is Next of Kin, choreographed by Marcus Jarrell Willis, a duet that ripples with the textures of a relationship. As this duo spin around the stage, they are expressing a full range of emotional realities in just 7 minutes, from fights to cuddles to moments in which they split apart and do their own thing. It's a remarkable display of extraordinary dance skill combined with physical theatre, as the quick and complex choreo expresses sparky wit, playfulness and dark intensity.

Ed Myhill's 13-minute piece Why Are People Clapping?! (restaged by Camille Giraudeau) is only accompanied by the sound of hands coming together. And it explores the rhythms of a range of activities, from a tennis match to a pounding heartbeat. The piece evolves from solos into duets and a full-group clapping circle that spurs faster and more complex moves. There's a sense that much of this is improvised, as performers mime various actions, cheering each other on with vibrant energy and impressive physicality, leading to a jubilant climax.

A bit longer, Small Talk by Travis Knight and James Pett is set to a classical score as two dancers intriguingly negotiate for space on the stage. This involves moving a large rug, a floor lamp and a chair around the space, interacting with them and each other to reflect how relationships shift over time. The performers dive into the elegant, demanding choreo, expressing full-bodied emotions. The push and pull between them is beautifully portrayed in duets and solos, with each light touch carrying remarkable weight. It's delicate and achingly honest.

Finally, Suite Release is a new 40-minute piece by Marcus Jarrell Willis and Yusha-Marie Sorzano that traces the origins of house music, opening with Labrinth's stunningly eerie rendition of How Great Thou Art. The set resembles a community space, cleverly echoing both a church and a nightclub, in which the dancers perform hugely physical choreography that evolves as the beat shifts through soul, disco and hip-hop, ultimately becoming a full-on party. It reverberates with groovy group energy that emerges from individual personalities coming together. It's clear that this company is gleefully celebrating bodies, music and life itself.

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photos by Drew Forsyth • 25.Jun.26