Created by Australian choreographer Stephanie Lake, this exhilarating contemporary work transforms a large group of performers into a single, constantly evolving organism. Colossus’sunique touring model has the show performed by 50 dance students in each venue it is performed. This London performance at Queen Elizabth Hall, Southbank Centre, features undergraduate students from the world-leading London Contemporary Dance School at The Place and the result is spellbinding.

As the audience enter the auditorium, the company are already positioned on stage lying in a perfect circle, with feet pointing in and arms by their sides.

As the first delicate movements ripple through the circle, a chain reaction unfolds. Tiny gestures pass from one dancer to the next, creating waves that seem almost organic. Accompanied by an abstract pulsing soundtrack, by composer Robin Fox, the company resembles a giant living creature. Harriet Oxley has created as many outfits as there are dancers, but a sense of uniformity is achieved with all black clothing.

The precision and unity Lake has achieved is demonstrated by the fact that the dancers, are unable to see one another while lying on the floor, relying instead on touch, timing and sound to pass movements seamlessly around the circle.

As Colossus develops, the energy continually shifts. One moment the dancers race across the stage like a murmuration of starlings, somehow avoiding collisions despite the apparent chaos. The next, darkness falls as the company creates a cacophony of sounds. When the lights return, they stand neatly arranged in rows, obediently responding to a disembodied voice that dictates their every movement. Shaw’s lighting turns their movements into silhouettes, shadows drifting and folding along the rear wall.

A notable aspect of Lake’s work is the way that featured dancers seem to randomly emerge from the crowd as if by chance. There is a strong sense of interaction in the work, with dancers often coming closely face-to-face. Several of the sequences involve dancers directing the other dancers, giving a sense of spontaneity.

The work’s emotional core arrives unexpectedly. What begins as friendly chatter gradually becomes more aggressive as cries of “Me!” and “You!” echo around the stage. Within moments, the crowd isolates a single vulnerable dancer. Against the distant sounds of a playground, the sequence becomes a chilling reflection on bullying, conformity and the frightening ease with which groups can turn against an individual.

Lake makes percussive use of breath, thigh slaps and pounding or tapping on the floor. In an intense central sequence, dancers move in distinct groups without music, their footsteps and breaths providing the crisp rhythm.

Colossus is an unforgettable experience, visually stunning, and a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when dozens of artists move, quite literally, as one.

Reviewed by Nina Gardner

Five Stars.

Photo credit Camilla Greenwell.

Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre Friday 26th & 27th June

For further details and tickets see link below

https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/colossus/book/

Colossus

Choreographer: Stephanie Lake
Lighting Designer: Bosco Shaw
Composition & Sound Designer: Robin Fox
Costume Designer: Harriet Oxley

Production Manager: Emily O’Brien
Lead Rehearsal Director: Nicole Muscat

Rehearsal Director: Sarah McCrorie

Executive Producer: Beth Raywood Cross

Technical Manager: Robert Larson

International Agent: Aurora Nova

Dancers

London Contemporary Dance School at The Place