In The Dust

Some dance shows make you itch to jump up and start dancing; without any doubt In the Dust is one of these shows. 2Faced Dance Company mesmerizes the audience with a triple bill of contemporary dance interwoven with break dance and some capoeira. As the eight dancers of this male company swept the stage with jumps, pirouettes and nervous jogs, the energy propelled from the performers to the spectators was palpable.

In the Dust is a vibrant piece of urban contemporary dance, vibrating with dark, explosive energy. Each piece explores darkness from a different angle. In Subterrania the omens of an impending catastrophe awaiting human kind come alive on stage on the rhythm of percussions and base line.

Politicking Oath is a dystopian enactment of the Olympics that sees the dancers competing against each other until they drop down exhausted. 7.0, inspired by a trip to Haiti a year after the earthquake that destroyed it, deals with destruction and the uncertainty that follow life-changing events such as natural disasters.

Albeit each of the three components of In the Dust has its own character, they flow smoothly one into the other, and the quality of the show, its dancing and energy, are even throughout the production. Music and choreography are well integrated and the dancers do an amazing job in embodying abstract concepts such as destruction, fear, and anger.

The length of the show was perfectly calculated: five more minutes and it would have felt rather repetitive. But on leaving the theatre I couldn’t help looking forward to seeing another production by 2Faced Dance Company.