Dance Base Presents ... Rosie Kay Dance Company & Odd Johan Fritzoe

All the way from Norway to open up this boisterous bill come contemporary dance piece, 'Balls'. Choreographed in collaboration with visual artist Torild Berg, Odd Johan Fritzoe’s work is an interesting construction of comical contemporary movement.

Adorning the stage are four papier mache-style "balls", Dalmatian-like in colour, each varying in shape and size. Four male dancers creep from the shadows and begin to clamber all over these unusual props, and the dancing is complimented by unusual sounds coming from the balls. As the sources of the sound and the source of energy for each dancer, these oddly-shaped blobs become strangely life-like and form the structure for the dance as it begins to unfold.

The men are split from the start. Two are quite obviously break dancers whereas the other two are contemporary trained. The breaking and popping certainly catches the eye and provides a wow factor, but unfairly casts the complex contemporary dance into the shadows.

Dubbed as a "comic exploration of testosterone," this is a clever and playful piece drenched in masculinity. However, the attempted synthesis of the two strengths in this piece is unsuccessful and adds a somewhat disjointed element to the movement.

Rosie Kay follows with the gutsy 'Double Points: K'. This is an punchy duet in which the dancers mirror each other, creating sequences of parallels, reflections and echoes. As they bite into the movement, the intricacies of the light adds a touch of dazzle to the choreographed mirror effect. The duo effortlessly slice their way through the space without once pausing for breath.