(LA) Horde’s collaboration with Rambert, Bring Your Own, is an ambitious attempt to bottle the unruly energy of nightlife and stage it as contemporary performance. Over the course of several distinct pieces, the production draws on social dance, rave culture, and acrobatic spectacle, pushing the 14-strong Rambert ensemble into a space where technique meets abandon. The result is fast, furious, and undeniably compelling, though not always as coherent as it aspires to be.
The opening section, Hopestorm, is a striking fusion of Lindyhop and rave. Dancers charge through fifteen minutes of relentless partnering and synchronised group work, with echoes of Broadway chorus lines interlaced with rock ’n’ roll. Snatches of Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” surface beneath a pounding rave soundscape, while Eric Wurtz’s lighting design ricochets between red, green, and stark white, evoking both the vintage dance hall and the strobe of a modern club.
Weather Is Sweet shifts the atmosphere into something more intimate and unsettling. Highly sexualised choreography sees bodies folding, bending, and intertwining with gymnastic fluidity. There is both virtuosity and provocation here, with the dimly lit staging blurring lines between seduction and discomfort. Themes of intimacy, consent, and promiscuity are there if you lean in, though their presentation at times feels a bit blunt, drawing an occasional ripple of giggles from the audience.
The second half, an excerpt of Room With a View, sees sequences moving between the euphoric abandon of a rave and the violent chaos of what looks like a street brawl, middle fingers flying at the audience repeatedly, before settling into a tableau of the ensemble facing the dawn together. It is hedonistic, primal and chaotic with a moment of unity of not wanting the party to end.
At its best, the precision of the ensemble is thrilling, though moments of slow-motion sequencing reveal occasional blips to the eagle-eyed, briefly wobbling the otherwise seamless momentum.
Rambert’s work remains like marmite – you either get swept along in the clear athleticism of the dancers or feel like you’re stood with your nose pushed against the window, scrambling to comprehend the themes they portray.
The soundtrack, by RONE, seemingly designed to drill into the senses, sometimes overwhelms, while the sheer relentlessness of the pace leaves little room for reflection.
Ultimately, La Horde and Rambert deliver a bold experiment in translating club culture into modern dance, but for some the work is overpowering as it teeters between exhilaration and excess.
For more dates and information visit https://thelowry.com/whats-on/rambert-x-la-horde-qj1t
Reviewer: Lou Steggals
Reviewed: 16th September 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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