Phoenix Dance Theatre presents a striking mixed bill that brings together work by internationally acclaimed choreographers Travis Knight and James Pett (Pett & Clausen Knight), Ed Myhill, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, and Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director, Marcus Jarrell Willis. This dynamic programme celebrates creative collaboration, placing dialogue, contrast and connection at its heart.
Across duet and ensemble works, the evening explores themes of duality and shared authorship, revealing how distinct artistic voices can intersect to create something greater than the sum of their parts. Each piece offers a unique perspective, united by a bold physicality and a deep curiosity about human relationships, rhythm and collective experience.
Review by Richard Lambert
Sadler’s Wells East has a wonderfully creative atmosphere, with people meeting, rehearsing and taking part in a variety of activities throughout the building. Arriving early also gave the opportunity to sample the steak and fries from the kitchen, which were delicious and made for a great start to the evening.
The first piece, Next of Kin, was an exciting opening to the programme. It featured a range of interesting lifts, with entrances and exits flowing seamlessly between them. The costumes and lighting complemented the choreography and created an engaging visual experience.
The second piece, Why Are People Clapping?, was less successful. Five dancers begin by standing in an arc around centre stage, clapping rhythmic patterns. There is a centre-stage spike mark and a circular pool of light, yet the formation sits just slightly off symmetry. Rather than feeling like a deliberate artistic choice, it came across as a lack of precision and proved distracting.
The choreography developed around increasingly complex clapped rhythms, accompanied by movement that remained largely staccato in quality. Although the concept was clear, it did not evolve enough to sustain interest throughout. The decision to lay the dance floor upstage to downstage rather than across the stage also made the taped joins particularly noticeable from the auditorium.
The costumes appeared deliberately understated, resembling rehearsal attire. While this may have suited the work’s aesthetic, a little more polish in the overall presentation would have strengthened the sense of unity, particularly during the chair section.
The third piece, Small Talk, was the highlight of the evening. It featured inventive choreography that made imaginative use of a rug, standard lamp and chair throughout. The moment when the rug was flown and suspended horizontally was particularly memorable. The pastel blue tones of the rug, together with the blue costumes and chair, created a cohesive and visually pleasing palette, providing a strong conclusion to the first half.
After the interval came a hip hop work. It was energetic and showcased the dancers’ precision and stamina through a series of tightly rehearsed routines set to a range of music. The illuminated floor panels, colourful lighting and generous use of haze created an impressive visual spectacle. However, the choreography itself became somewhat repetitive over the course of the piece, with the technical elements ultimately proving more engaging than the dance. As a result, the work may have had greater impact at a shorter length rather than occupying the entire second half.
The Phoenix Dance Company presented eight exceptional dancers whose technical ability and commitment were evident throughout the evening. While the standard of performance was consistently high, the programme itself varied in how effectively it sustained engagement.
Photo credit: Drew Forsyth
Originally premiering in New York in 2013, Marcus Jarrell Willis’ Next of Kin has been newly reimagined for Phoenix Dance Theatre. The duet explores the subtle humour and tension between two kindred spirits navigating life together.
Ed Myhill’s Why Are People Clapping?! (restaged by Camille Giraudeau) is set to Steve Reich’s Clapping Music and uses rhythm as its driving force. With wit and precision, the choreography highlights the music of life – rhythm can be found in a tennis match, footsteps in an empty street and in the beat of our own hearts.
In Small Talk by Travis Knight and James Pett, two figures inhabit a shared yet distant space. Through quiet gestures and unresolved tension, the work reflects on relationships that fade not through catastrophe, but through the slow exhaustion of time. The work showcases a portrait of two people held in a fragile standoff, suspended between what they once knew and what they can no longer admit.
The evening concludes with a powerful new collaboration by Yusha-Marie Sorzano and Marcus Jarrell Willis. Inspired by ritual, meditation and the roots of hip-hop and house culture, Suite Release reclaims dance as instinct, resistance and communal connection, inviting audiences not only to witness movement, but to remember it.
Artistic Team & Credits
Company Dancers Dorna Ashory, Aaron Chaplin, Rory Clarke, Phikolwethu Luke, Hannah McGlashon, Yasmina Patel, Tony Polo, Dylan Springer
Junior Dancer Graciela Mariqueo-Smith
Next of Kin
Choreographer Marcus Jarrell Willis
Duration: 7 mins
Music
Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor,
BWV. 1003: II. Fuga Johann Sebastian
Bach – Yehudi Menuhin
Costumes realised by Melissa Parry
Lighting Design Alina Longmore
Why Are People Clapping?!
Choreographed by Ed Myhill / Restaged by Camille Giraudeau
Duration:13 mins
Music Clapping Music – Steve Reich
Costume Design Janne Beresford
Original Lighting Design (2018) Jose Tevar
Lighting Design (2026) Luke Haywood
Small Talk
Choreographer Pett Clausen-Knight
Duration: 25 mins
Music
Preludio Op. 28 No. 4 – “The Pain Room” (Re-Recorded Version) – Ezio Bosso,
String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810 “Death and the Maiden” (Quatuor Arod) – Franz Schubert,
Spiegel im Spiegel – Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà
Costume Design Janne Beresford
Lighting Design Alina Longmore
Suite Release
Choreographers Marcus Jarrell Willis & Yusha-Marie Sorzano
Duration: 35–40 mins
Music
How Great Thou Art – Labrinth
Blessed – Buju Banton
Start It Up – A Tribe Called Quest
United in Grief – Kendrick Lamar
Alright – Kendrick Lamar
These Sounds – Angel X
Costume Design Janne Beresford
Lighting Design Luke Haywood
Rehearsal Assistant Aaron Chaplin