Richard Alston's touring company always brings the promise of a programme that is both striking and exhilarating. Musically inspired, articulate and expressive, Alston’s choreography continues to gather ever more enthusiastic audiences each year. "The audience for dance is building," he said. "I think music is a huge way of people relaxing and becoming involved in what the performers are doing and becoming excited by the energy of what they do." Alston is renowned for making dances that speak directly about the expressiveness of movement and music and their combined power to move and elate. Spring tour 2004 For his latest tour, Alston's company has put together a programme of three works in Grey Allegro, Shimmer and Brisk Singing. 
Shimmer featuring Jonathan Goddard and Ino Rigga. Picture: Tristram Kenton |
"We try and have a variety of music in the programme," explained Alston. The sharp clean moves and sunny temperament of Shimmer are accompanied by the sun-drenched music of Maurice Ravel. Played live by virtuoso pianist Jason Ridgway, Ravel's piano pieces balance lush impressionism with classical form. British fashion designer Julien Macdonald has designed the costumes for this piece, a designer who keeps British fashion's name up in lights as a maestro of glitz and glam, and as artistic director of Givenchy in Paris. Grey Allegro Choreographed by Alston's long time colleague, company dancer Martin Lawrence, Grey Allegro is driven by the feisty vigour of Domenico Scarletti's Sonatas for keyboards. They are complex and zippy and are played live by Jason Ridgway. This is the first time in the company's history that another choreographer's work has been introduced to the repertoire. The programme also includes the revival of one of Richard Alston's biggest hits of recent years, Brisk Singing. The music is from the opera Les Boréades by baroque genius Jean-Philippe Rameau. The movement in this piece is glorious, with limbs flung high and wide. An expansive and beautifully crafted work that sends audiences away with a smile. Alston admits, he's pleased to bring his company to Norwich as there's always an appreciative audience. "At theatre's like the Theatre Royal in Norwich they actually come up to us at the end of the show and tell us how much they've loved it," he said. | 
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