As they state with pride, no two performances by Rambert Dance Company are the same. As they undertake a national tour of their latest work, Awakenings, based on the true story documented in the eponymous book by Dr. Oliver Sacks (once adapted into a Major Hollywood Motion Picture Event starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams), you wonder how this helps the dancers and the choreographers adapt to the atmosphere of each city and each audience, the weather that they bring with them and news of the day.
Awakenings documents through contemporary dance 'the sleeping sickness', where in the early twentieth century, a significant number of people across the world fell victim to a neurological disorder that left them in a state of paralytic slumber. Their subsequent awakenings drew some extraordinary responses.
'Wait - you mean to tell me that this is a dance piece about being paralysed?' Yes, okay, that sounds off but the inherent movement of minds that are alive and re-learning how to move beyond the awakenings anchor this piece, and a beautifully heartbreaking piece it is.
Rambert this week were made recipients of a £7million grant to develop a new state-of-the-art HQ. Strange, perhaps, given the extent of the cuts at the current time? No. Not if it's for Rambert.
