A.. haha very late addition to the schedule, completely unexpected twelve hours previously and I am not sure where I didn’t think of checking before I left. But I remembered I had a voucher for Sadlers Wells, thanks to a cancelled event, thanks (again) to bloody train strikes… So I had a Saturday night in London completely free… So I decided to fill it…

Back to Dance. I thought this was going to be a Dance free weekend, but you know, it snuck in there a little bit.. and Sadlers Wells, it’s my go-to and why the hell not. So a late booking, I thought ok, lets go for a cheap seat, £12.. Back row.. how bad can it be..? Answer – Not bad at all to be honest. The view of the stage was clear. The only thing I couldn’t see was the projection screen at the very back of the stage, but that’s seven dance flooring mats deep backwards from the front of the stage. So I was happy with that for £12.

The seat was a left-side end-of-row seat, that was directly facing the staircase up from the second circle. It was really a fantastic view, and it gave me opportunity to see what the view would be like from other seats that interested me too. There is one for example a few rows lower, which is classed as a restricted view seat, on a row completely on its own. – Looked fine to me. Perhaps next time. I also saw what the view would be like from the side of the stage, and again, another option for me to consider in the future. The so-called restriction of view is the bar in-front of you.. I mean, the seats there aren’t fixed. Just move yourself up to the bar and you are fine.

So the seat was good and the row wasn’t full so nobody right next to me which was nice. The seats upstairs are smaller for sure. Had the arm rests well dug into my sides, I am sure I will bruise tomorrow, but again, for £12, or effectively – for free for me thanks to my voucher, bloody brilliant. I think for events I am booking in advance, I still prefer a seat in the Stalls. I’ve not been upset with any of the seats I have booked in the stalls as yet, so would happily go for those again.. But for last minute events, I see no issue with the seat I had up in the gods.

So what is Momentum.. Momentum was a collection of seven dance performances together on one program. From a dance company called the Fabula Collective. Personally I haven’t heard of them before, and it was a private hire of Sadlers Wells, so not part of their Season of Events, so there was very little I knew about it beforehand. What I did know is this:

MOMENTUM is a mixed bill of seven pieces on the theme of losing, finding and moving on after a profound change. Things can never go back to how they were – MOMENTUM is a call to embrace change and charge forward.

 

Sounded right up my street to be honest, and with this being the World Premiere.. I booked my seat. I arrived about 6:50pm at Sadlers Wells after a walk down The Strand from the Duchess Theatre towards Charring Cross Tube Station. Before I got on the tube, I found a Five Guys and treated myself to a cheeseburger and spicy fries and a bottomless coke. Was nice I guess. Something different. [I’ll get my steak tomorrow no doubt]. Afterwards it was down into the bowels of London again and on to the tube. It was Charring Cross so I was on the wrong Branch for Angel, so Google wanted me to go to Camden Town and change to the Bank Branch but (of course) I thought I knew better and went to Euston and changed branches there. It didn’t matter, I still made it to Angel and then started a slow walk down towards Sadlers Wells.

I got a water when I got there, a still water with ice and took it via the lifts to the second circle. There was seating and its own bar up there too, so I know that for next time. I sat there for about 20 minutes chilling out and the place started to fill up a little. Found the toilet before heading for my seat and getting settled. Managed to scoop a programme too, they were free!

It was perhaps 15 minutes or so from when I got into my seat till the lights went down and the show started. Before it did, the audience was invited to take part in a minute’s silence in honour of the Queen. It was respected, besides the odd cough here and there. Then the lights came up and the show started.

The seven pieces performed where called “Thou Art the Man”, “Blind to the Depths”, “Serious Game”, “I of the Storm”, “TRAJECTORY”, “CI” and “Eve”.

Most where I would say a combination of Modern and Contemporary Dance. I would say that my favourites would be “CI” and “Eve”. “CI” was choreographed and performed by James Pett. It was a solo piece and from my ‘experience’ of viewing Dance this year and from the past too, it takes a lot of skill, guts and energy to perform a solo piece. The composer of the piece was Sean Pett.

CI is:

I have a question for you.

“Where are we heading?”

Can we live with primal instincts over the superfluity of information.
Do our biomechanics resemble that of industrial machines.

An enigmatic singular meets the whole – resuscitation starts to happen.

 

This piece started and finished in the same position, so there was sympatry there. I enjoy that. Creative lighting and stage design together with a great composition, made this my performance of the evening by far. A solo performance too. Such skill outwardly on display. It was moving.

The second piece I enjoyed the most was the final piece which is ironically a based upon a story about Eve and the Serpent. I say ironically because on the train on the way down to London on Friday, I was listening to a chapter of Dr. Jordan Peterson’s audiobook “12 rules for life” which was talking about Adam and Eve, and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, and then seeing Dr. Peterson live in the flesh on the Friday night and having him talk briefly about the bible and Adam and Eve.. It was funny that something on a programme of seven random performances should have something to do with Adam and Eve, The Serpent and the bible in general. It was certainly alternative however, but incredibly well staged. There was more traditional ballet in this piece. So well performed. The combination of tradition together with classical experience and influences…  The sheer calibre of talent that has ensembled itself within the Fabula Collective is really damn good. I will be looking out for more of their performances in the future.

Glad I went for this last minute booking. I enjoyed it immensely. I will be adding this collective to my re-see list.