I have to confess that I love and adore contemporary dance. Not all of it of course, but as a grand sweeping statement then I find that it is my favourite art form. What a treat is was then to be invited to see the last date of VERVE - the international touring dance company of Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) - as they complete their latest tour at the Leeds Playhouse.

The tour features a triple bill of contemporary dance works that had been promised to "inspire, challenge and engage audiences through bold, thought-provoking choreography that redefines the boundaries of contemporary dance." Blimey!

VERVE is the postgraduate company of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and features 16 exceptionally talented dancers from eight different countries. These young artists, trained at some of the world’s most prestigious conservatoires, are on the cusp of launching their professional careers and their dynamic performances are at the heart of this diverse and boundary-pushing programme.This year's performance is a ravishing triple bill featuring works by Luca Signoretti, Thanh-Tú 'Sattva' Nguyen and Bosmat Nossan, who each bring their own style and artistic voice to the stage.

But before that even started we were treated to a beautiful curtain raiser called The Distance In Between, choreographed by Bruce Wong, performed by students from The Centre for Advanced Training (CAT). CAT is supported by the Music and Dance scheme from the Department for Education, and helps train dancers aged 13-18 years at NSCD's home in Chapeltown, Leeds.


Artistic Director of VERVE, Matteo Marfoglia
Matteo graduated from Codarts in Rotterdam and danced for many years with Introdans in the Netherlands and National Dance Company Wales in the UK, performing works by international choreographers including Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Roy Assaf, Alexander Ekman, William Forsythe, Christopher Bruce, Johan Inger, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, Inbal Pinto and Angelin Preljocaj. In 2011 Matteo danced in the multi-disciplinary project Nierka created by Satore Studio in London, directed by Tupac Martir and choreographed by Fernando Hernando Magadan (Netherlands Dance Theater)

The three pieces were:

Let me in: Luca Signoretti

With beautiful lighting effects coming from under lit umbrellas and a fabulous thumping, driving soundtrack this piece could easily be from a 1970s Prog Rock album. Just add a rear projection of a Roger Dean poster and we’d be living inside a Yes, King Crimson or Robert Fripp album. A fantastic choice of music by Godspeed You! (Black Emperor - Job's Lament/First of the Last Glaciers) drove a beautiful performance to its inescapable conclusion.

Starting with a completely transparent narrative it rapidly descended into deliberate chaos. Abstract and about as linear as the lyrics from an early Genesis album, the excitement of the music builds as the dancing becomes more frenetic.

We’re really excited to bring this new triple bill to audiences on the tour. Each choreographer offers a distinct perspective, and we’re looking forward to seeing how these works connect and resonate with people. It’s an opportunity for the dancers to push themselves, and for the audience to experience something new and exciting in contemporary dance.

Lotus: Thanh-Tú 'Sattva' Nguyen

A bouncing soundtrack drives a story of guilty aimless wandering that eventually turns into an infectious delight and joy with the discovery that doing nothing can be ok. This piece is an antidote to the conventions embedded in us from childhood; do something; fill your time purposefully; have a plan and execute it.



Ro-Mass

Ro-Mas uses form, rhythm and movement to explore and evolve from disorder and chaos to a new ordered state. From twisted, distorted, intertwined masses the piece takes formless entities and confined spaces and navigates through stages of separation and disorder to find a common wordless language and finds connections despite differences. Another beautiful piece with a great soundtrack featuring Enfantillages Pittoresques by Erik Satie, selected by sound designer Matan Daskel.


We were offered an evening that would "inspire, challenge and engage audiences through bold, thought-provoking choreography" and I can confirm that this performance fully delivered on that promise. It made for a tremendously engaging evening with stellar dancing giving it passion, heart and, yes, verve.