David Bellan on why Daley dances off with the best piece

Five very different pieces got the first evening of Dancin’ Oxford off to a flying start, but they varied widely in terms of quality.

Dancers should avoid pretentious write-ups of their work: “Racing with the Sun is a collective and internal reflection upon the instinctive body’s memorisation.” And that’s only the last sentence!

Four dancers enter to sit on a wheelchair, two chairs and a stool. They spend a lot of time on the floor, lying or twitching. Eventually, to some tuneful guitar, they dance, still mainly floor-bound. There were good moments, but this does not do what it says on the tin — whatever that is. Technically, Marina Collard’s Am I Here Again is no great shakes, but in an intense and interesting solo she struggles for stability in a “landscape made unsuitable by time”.

There is always something compelling about Emma Webb’s performances. In One Two Wonder she begins slowly, with a feeling of anguish. Projections on her abdomen metamorphose into a young girl, who at first is unseen behind her, providing her with an extra pair of arms and legs. This turns out to be the delightful Edie Michael, with whom Webb dances playfully, creating a powerful, close relationship.

Politics of Love, from the Unlock the Chains Collective, was by far the most impressive piece of the evening. Euton Daley, who wrote this work, gives an impassioned rant about the desires, the frustrations and the eventual letdowns of love, using extracts from his own poetic works. Allan Hutson and Nicola Moses-Thrower, joint choreographers, represent the desired ones, the eventual betrayers, giving a strong impression that they are the real couple in this complex trio. But it’s Daley who holds the stage in a non-stop outpouring of emotion, from unrestrained love to bitterness and regret. “Let me die in the tears or my own sorrow” he begs towards then end. It’s a masterful performance.

To end the show on a lighter note we had Sole Rebel Tap in a tribute to the optimism of the 1950s. Every Grain is a joyous piece, danced in 50’s style swimsuits, on a make-believe beach. There is some quality dancing, but what brings this so enjoyably to life is the charm and personality of the cast.