It takes a very brave choreographer to tackle Le Jeune Homme et la Morte, previously immortalised by Roland Petit, but not only did Carlos Pons Guerra do exactly that for DeNada Dance Theatre, but he accomplished it with a hell of a lot of flair, effortlessly banishing the likes of Barysnikov, Nureyev and Vasiliev in the opening moments.

Unfortunately, the intensity of Young Man! (a direct translation of 'Jeune Homme') also had the effect of banishing the programme notes, which explained that it was based in post-Franco Spain, "a time of sexual liberation", and that the two androgynous dancers were in fact both women.

Choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra's only nod to Petit's version is the opening scene, which sees Sabrina Ribes Bonet lying on a table, smoking a cigarette as the lights come up. She then munches on an ever-present chorizo before launching into an anguished solo with dramatic gestures and flair.

Death - Victoria Da Silva - arrives in a spotlight, a sultry, ubercool and androgynous figure, hellbent on tormenting Sabrina and destroying her confidence and virility, trying to provoke her however possible - including a very original use of a ham as a prop.

Young Man! opens with an explosive start, and sustains such high energy for much of the piece, it's unsurprising that the energy levels ebb towards the end of the piece, while Sabrina wrestles with her demons. That's the only low point in this piece, however: Carlos Pons Guerra has created a richly entertaining and enjoyable work with inventive and vivid storytelling and imagery, with fantastic performances from both of his dancers. Young Man! is a piece which deserves to go far - and it teaches the audience two lessons: Spanish women are feisty lovers... and never leave your ham unattended.


Resolution! companies normally have enough challenges to contend with - for example, lack of funding, availability of rehearsal space and dancers, and never enough rehearsals - without the obstacles faced by Diciembre Dance Group, with Lucía Piquero now based in Malta and Sara Accetura in Italy; they had precisely 4.5 hours of rehearsal before this performance.

While the story of Diciembre Dance Group's Yerma's Nights may be obscure to the audience, it takes Federico García Lorca's short story 'Yerma', of a woman obsessed by motherhood despite her barrenness, to the extreme that she murders her husband, thus destroying any chance she could ever have of bearing children. In Yerma's Nights, Sara Accetura portrays the figure of Yerma, while Lucía Piquero is a younger, modern woman discovering the story and the questions it raises for her, with her gradually absorbing Yerma's life and character. Torn pages are used to represent the presence of Lorca's story: from Lucía's discovery and absorption of it to her final rejection of the story - or of no longer needing its presence.

Sara Accetura portrays a tormented, anguished character, predominantly expressing herself through frenzied movement and fecundity references; Lucía Piquero's character is far more pensive, with freshness and optimism to offset Sara's resignation and weariness.

Yerma's Nights is a contemplative work with much use of stillness and unhurried movement: it can either be a big gamble to create in this way, or an indication of choreographic confidence. It isn't Diciembre Dance Group's strongest work, but Lucía and Sara are to be congratulated for what they achieved in such a short space of time. And the live accompaniment by Alberto García and Victor Gil was absolutely exquisite.


The Typewriters' Adaptors was a work in two parts - or three, if you include the sections with the dancers milling about or dancing exuberantly in their underwear. Seeking to explore gender differences, especially in relationships, the first half largely fell flat, with an overreliance on minimalism, seemingly to to inject more drama into the characters and their choreography. With a cast of seven dancers, they used small deliberate movements - brushing laps, adjusting seating positions, leaning - offset by more dynamic solos.

The second half saw the dancers swap their unfinished clothing, with the men donning skirts and makeup, and the women adopting male behaviour: exaggerated stances, sniffing loudly and hacking, and of course grabbing their crotches. This half was far more successful, if lacking refinement: Ria Uttridge aggressively tried to seduce Daniel DeLuca, who whimpered and slapped her, but the highlight was an endearing duet between Udifydance's Christopher Reynolds and Daniel DeLuca.