Reviews of 'Consequences'
The Stage
Consequences - A Four, What If?, Pandemonium - Ludus Dance
By Kevin Berry, The Stage, Monday 18 October 2010
Dance with a smile, in fact many smiles and frequent broad grins. Consequences is a triple bill of specially commissioned works performed by the Lancaster- based Ludus Dance company.
As the audience files in, the dancers are putting the finishing touches to a surface of paper tiles, for Ben Wright's piece A Four. As the piece comes to a close the dancers roll the tiles into balls and hurl them, pantomime style, at the audience. Chaos does not ensue - the rapport, indeed the respect between dancers and, at this venue, a teenage audience is absolute.
The dancers all have the label dancer/teacher after their names. Their belief in their work is something to experience, they can act and they relish doing comedy. To call this programme accessible dance is to give it faint praise.
Yael Flexer's What If? has sharp dialogue and deliberately awful poetry. The dancers discuss putting on a show, wondering about the 'what ifs?' of performance decisions and then the 'what ifs?' of life. At the close Ellen Turner is left alone and ignored on stage, a little sad, but touchingly funny.
The very popular Nigel Charnock began his career with Ludus. His piece Pandemonium is exactly that - filled with noise, fun and vigorous dance. The dancers show character and full bodied comic reactions to whatever happens to them.
Consequences will be toured again next year. Ludus Dance is a regional, flag-flying treasure, but tour dates do go much further than the north-west.
Interested in booking the show?
We tailor packages to suit your needs, so if you're interested in booking the show or you'd like a general chat to find out more, call Gil Graystone, our Head of Touring, on 01524 389901 or email: gil.graystone@ludusdance.org
