The Linbury Theatre in London recently played host to a powerful and compelling evening of contemporary dance. The Yorke Dance Project presented its programme, Modern Milestones, a bold collection that masterfully blended revered twentieth-century works with exciting new premieres.
A Tribute to Twentieth-Century Masters
The programme opened with a striking revival of Martha Graham's intense 1937 solo, Deep Song. Danced with formidable precision by Amy Thake, the piece is a response to the Spanish Civil War. In just six minutes, Thake conveyed a profound sense of exhaustion and resilience through Graham's iconic, stripped-back style. Every movement, from a powerfully thrust foot to a tautly stretched toe, was bristling with intention and emotional weight.
Another historical gem was Bella Lewitzky's Kinaesonata from 1970. The company executed this work with racing speed and millimetric accuracy, showcasing the enduring power and technical demands of these classic modern dance pieces.
World Premieres from Icons and New Voices
The evening also celebrated new creations. The most anticipated was Troubadour, the first new work in over a decade from celebrated choreographer Christopher Bruce, who is now eighty. Best known for Rooster set to the Rolling Stones, Bruce this time turned to the atmospheric music of Leonard Cohen.
Set against a backdrop evoking a smoky, half-remembered club, dancers in three-piece suits and wine-red dresses explored themes of love, desire, and human fallibility. Bruce avoided the obvious, offering inventive couplings and endless rhythmic variations within the songs' 4/4 frames, proving his choreographic craft remains sharply honed.
Up-and-coming choreographer Liam Francis presented Cast|X|, set to a fragmented soundtrack of film dialogue by composer Jethro Cooke. While drawing comparisons to Crystal Pite in its use of text, Francis's movement language was more amorphous, subtly conveying guilt, uncertainty, and interconnectedness in a promising and intriguing piece.
The Stark Beauty of Lacrymosa
Perhaps the most poignant work of the night was Lacrymosa, created for the company in 2015 by the late Robert Cohan. Inspired by the idea of Mary losing her son Jesus to his calling, the duet was danced with stark beauty by Jonathan Goddard and Eileih Muir. A former dancer with Martha Graham, Cohan employed a masterful economy of movement—every bold, stylised stroke resonated with deep humanity, saying volumes without a word of small talk.
This rich and excellent programme, Modern Milestones, ran at the Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, London, until 22 January. It served as a potent reminder of the enduring legacy of modern dance pioneers while confidently heralding the vitality of its future.
