one4review | On 10, Aug 2025

We enter to find five young dancers already moving, as if the elements are waking before the lights go down. Elements trace air, water, fire and earth through bodies, light and a long silk that first reads as breeze or tide: four ripple underneath while one slips along the edge to Ayia’s “Easy”, then the mood tightens for Robot Koch’s “Manifold”. Power-Haus’s “Balder” opens space for short solos while the others writhe beneath the silk; soon a red wash signals Fire as the group snaps into sharp unison for “Mermaids” by Florence + the Machine. Green silk tops and white trousers (with a blue stripe) keep the palette clean, and there are intrinsic hand movements, neat flips and confident lifts that show off control without grandstanding.

From the seats, the experience swings from hush to surge. After “Mermaids”, the texture turns taut and prickly in Robot Koch’s “Manipura”. Breath becomes audible in Kenichi’s “One, Two, Three”, where timing locks so tight it borders on robotic, then a sudden drop into Forest Swords’ “Gathering” makes the movement heavier, more earthen. ORI’s “You Don’t Love Me” darkens the tone; “Freya” offers a quieter reset. Across these shifts, the ensemble stay in time with each other and the score, often circling a soloist before snapping back into clean lines. When they writhe under the silk, the stage seems to breathe; when they burst out, the room lifts.

What stands out is craft: clear spacing, musicality you can feel, and inventive use of silk as partner, cover and landscape. A couple of track changes land abruptly, which briefly breaks the flow, and the show ended about maybe ten minutes early, noticeable only because you want more. Still, the flow, symmetry and detail are excellent. For dance fans and curious newcomers alike, this is a vivid, finely made ride through the elements.

****

Reviewed by Matthew

TheSpace @ Surgeons Hall

12.55 (45 mins)

Until 16 Aug