Hofesh Schechter's Sun (Tour – Salford)

Hofesh Schechter’s Sun begins at the end. An announcement from the renowned composer-choreographer tells us in the opening moments of the show that “it’s all going to be just fine”, before, to prove the point, we fast forward to a fleeting glimpse of a jubilant finale. It’s strangely unnerving; an act of reassurance that only serves to confuse and intrigue. This idea of contradictions, of opposites is one that beats throughout the piece, as loud and bold as Schechter’s self-composed score.

The follow up to the acclaimed Political Mother, this full-length dance piece presents a world where wolves meet sheep, clowns move amongst violent mobs, and silence breaks against harsh walls of sound. The effect is sometimes sinister, sometimes bonkers. At the hand of these frequents shifts, we are never allowed to get too comfortable. As Nat King Cole, Wagner and a bagpiped version of Abide With Me puncture the pounding and grinding of Schechter’s original music, there is a sense of something unexpected lurking under the surface, a growing feeling of unease.

Bathed in blinding light before being plunged into near darkness, the performers (dressed in a style that might be described as pastoral-meets-Pierrot) move as a mass, then as soloists, then as mini flocks. It’s like looking at a collage, where space and depth and energy become almost textures.

Though the dancers are clad in neutral tones, the performances are anything but. Flitting between controlled and relaxed movement during the silences of the piece to the more rhythmic, frantic sections as the show builds towards its climax, the performers switch between the primal and the sublime with a brilliance that raises serious doubts on whether we really are all part of the same species.

There were times that I didn’t know what was going on, but I didn’t mind. Yes, it is barmy sometimes, but knowingly so. With Sun, Schechter displays a joy in the possibilities of dance that is contagious. It’s interesting, it’s daring and that’s very exciting.

This is theatre that plays, that pushes itself and its audience; theatre that doesn’t pretend that any of us have (or need to have) all the answers. And that’s pretty exhilarating.

Hofesh Schechter's Sun is currently on tour until 23 March.

– Sara Cocker