While sometimes you're lucky enough to get a Resolution! night where all or most of the pieces are of a high standard, there are also those evenings where the majority of the works on offer are a little rougher or a little less impressive. This was one of those evenings, although it concluded with a standout performance by James Löffler.

The opening piece of the evening was Greyscale by penny & jules dance company, about two women at the breaking point of suicidal thoughts. It started with an introspective solo by Kate Szolar, varying between fast movement and pauses. This led into a confrontational duet in near-darkness, showing the support and friction between the two women, with one of them in near-despair. The choreography later picked up pace, but told us less than their initial duet, despite the use of creative lighting.


There's something irresistable about watching a shadowy topless man dancing against a backdrop of haze, and Tomos Young of TYDC took full advantage of this, performing a very dramatic and enjoyable capoeria-inflenced solo at the start of Breaking Point. Unfortunately the rest of his piece didn't live up to this early promise, with limited repetitive choreography for the five women in his company. At one point, Young returned onstage, as though to reproach the women for their half-hearted performance by showing how his range of motion and fluidity outstripped  theirs.  


The final piece of the evening, LFO by James Löffler, had been highly recommended, and did not disappoint. A piece for four men and three women, it displayed Löffler's versatility with markedly different styles for the men and women. In addition to his sharp choreography, Löffler showed a strong musicality, no doubt helped by having edited, partly-composed and mixed the music. Löffler also maximised the physicality of his choreography through extensions and suspensions. There was an edge to his dancers' duets; at one point, there were two male duets onstage, one with near-violent feel to it while the other duet was tender and sensitive by comparison.

The choreography for his male dancers was fast, powerful and dynamic - 2Faced Dance need to watch out or commission Loffler to create a work for them! The choreography for his female dancers showed influences of Wayne McGregor and Michael Clark, and the '80s throwback feeling wasn't helped by the women's costumes of sports bra and underwear. But while Löffler showed initial McGregor influences, he was determined to shatter these by the end in an aggressive group section, accompanied kickboxing, cage-dancing and gunfire sounds, followed by a beautiful solo by Sonoya Mizuno. James Löffler has the makings of one to watch - let's look forward to seeing what he creates next!