Missing and Bird's Eye View @ Dancebase, 6-17 Aug

Missing, by Mad Dogs Dance Theatre, is a visceral enactment of the rage and alienation a couple experience after the loss of their child. Aggressive and ferocious, it is choreographed by Douglas Thorpe, known for his work with Phoenix Dance Theatre, and danced superbly by Ruth Janssen and Riccardo Meneghini.  

The couple hurl themselves at each other across leaves strewn on the floor and their scuffling adds a mournful accompaniment. My only cavil is that there is no indication at the start that the male partner is experiencing grief. This could be a domestic abuse scenario. Perhaps we would sympathise more if he showed tenderness and empathy prior to the breakdown? But the reconciliation is evoked movingly to the sound of church bells tolling, dirge-like horns, howling winds and the panting breaths. There's a heart-breaking ending where they separate and he's left alone walking through the dark.

A different kind of solitude is explored by Simona Bertozzi of Nexus in Bird's Eye View, a virtuoso solo embodying perspectives of flight – both human and bird-like. Strained neck tendons and muscularity evoke the Expressionist portraits of Egon Schiele in this breathtaking, technically demanding piece. [Stephanie Green]