Ek/ Forsythe/ Quagebeur at Sadler’s Wells Theatre

One of my worst kept resolutions is to see more dance. Seeing the Ek/ Forsythe/ Quagebeur triple bill at Sadler’s Wells Theatre was only a small step in fixing that but it was a very enjoyable step and one that confirmed sense of my resolution as well as the stupidity of my failure to keep to it.

The only part of the triple bill that had any recognition for me was the final part, The Rite of Spring choreographed Mats Ek. My first encounter with Ek is lost in the midst of time but it, and a few subsequent exposures, were enough for me to make the booking, Second Circle Row A Seat 5  for £35.

Being a matinee meant that I had to find somewhere to have lunch and Fox Garden Court Cafe, in the Sadler’s Wells complex but accessed through a different door, proved well up to the mark and I had a lovey spicy vegetarian mulligatawny soup. Having found it I shall be using the cafe again.

I love dance but have no idea how to describe it! The three pieces had some similar tropes in that they all used several dancers in varying numbers, were all modern in style and all focussed mostly on the limbs. The different styles of the three sets of music was the main difference between the dances, though I am sure that somebody who knows more about dance than me (not difficult) would spot significant stylistic differences.

I went primarily to see The Rite of Spring by Mats Ek and that was my favourite piece. The Stravinsky music, played by a live orchestra, helped as did the more astute choreography, there was just more going on and more of it was unusual. That said, all three pieces were thoroughly entertaining and very well received.

And I got a boost to my more dance resolution too. Sadler's Wells had screens in the front of house (and cafe) trailing some forthcoming shows and I was excited enough at the prospect of Bat out of Hell and their sister theatre, the Peacock, to book that for next February.