IT'S DANCE - but the work of the Henri Oguike Dance Company, on their fourth date of a national tour tonight in Cardiff, bears as much relation to the rhythmic jerks you can see in any nightclub as the Bilbao Guggenheim does to a Wendy House.
The innovative modern dance company have won acclaim from pretty much anyone who matters on the contemporary scene for their wild and exciting pieces.
Founded in the autumn of 1999, their work consistently surprises, challenges and delights and has been praised by the Independent, the Telegraph, the Times, and London's Evening Standard.
Henri, the company's choreographer and artistic director, trained at the London Contemporary Dance School and was a founder member of the Richard Alston Dance Company.
The repertoire for tonight's performance begins with Front Line, Oguike's signature piece. A sextet danced to Shostakovich's 9th Quartet in E Flat, the dancers constantly shift their moods to accompany the rapid changes within the wild, animalistic music.
White Space is a new work, illuminated by Scarlatti's bright and rhythmic pieces for harpsichord. Seven dancers explore the dynamics and design of the work on stage and on film, where Oguike brings his choreographer's eye to the camera.
The theme is elaborated on in the next piece, where the man himself takes centre stage in the two-part FPS, or Frames Per Second.
Made in collaboration with lighting designer Guy Hoare, the piece is set first to the Kronos Quartet's string version of Bill Evan's Piece Peace, and in its second phase returns to the original piano version to create a new duet.
And the Finale, performed to the Latin-tinged rhythms of French composer Rene Aubry, features the whole company in a dance of celebration. The Henri Oguike Dance Company's Spring Season comes to the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, tonight at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12 or £10 concessions from the box office on 02920 646900.
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