Credit: Julian Broad
Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Running at just 60 minutes long, Silent Lines is a beautifully seductive experience which bears all of the hallmarks of British choreographer Russell Maliphant’s visually rich style. A cast of five performers twist and drop, spin and shift, with athletic fluidity, to an ethereal and at times, tribal beat. The result is hauntingly hypnotic.
Since its creation in 1996, the Russell Maliphant Company has received two Olivier awards, two South Bank Show awards and three Critics’ Circle National Dance awards for best modern choreography, amongst many other international awards and nominations.
Silent Lines draws on Russell Maliphant’s extensive research and exploration of dance and anatomy. Favouring abstract originality over traditional narrative storytelling, his choreography borrows slices of movement from a range of genres, from classical ballet to capoeira and breakdancing. Blending highly original movement with often shadowy lighting, and animated video projection by Panagiotis Tomaras, Silent Lines seeks to explore and celebrate the range of poetic possibilities that can be expressed through movement.
At times the performers appear almost like holograms or ghost-like. Muscular, agile and graceful – they are truly beautiful to watch. In a stunning solo, Grace Jabbari billows, swirls and shifts, as light as air; Edd Arnold and Alethia Antonia are equally as mesmerising throughout their solos, fluid and sensual, and Moronfoluwa Odimayo and Will Thompson complete the dreamlike, and utterly compelling, ensemble.
The title, Silent Lines, leaves itself open to the audience’s interpretation – Maliphant doesn’t believe in spoon-feeding his audience ideas on how they should react to his work. However, whether you’re a contemporary-dance-curious newcomer or a die-hard fan of Maliphant’s exquisite vision and choreography, Silent Lines is a beautifully serene though sharply executed performance.
-Kristy Stott
Silent Lines will play at Wycombe Swan on 1 June 2019. For further tour dates please click here.