The Land of Yes and The Land of No Bonachela Dance Company Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe Review: Rosanna Rothery

IF you are used to the razzle dazzle performances à la Strictly or high-energy West End dance shows, the austerity of a production like this can be a jolt to the system. Yet, rather like a good novel, Rafael Bonachela's The Land of Yes and The Land of No held up a mirror to the more complex aspects of human experience.

Frustration, anger, confusion, violence, terror, anguish and feelings of being stuck were depicted through repetitive (sometimes claustrophobic) patterns, tortured solos and clockwork gestures. Some of the little touches were intriguing: sudden flicks of the toes or fingers, hand signals, intense looks. What did it all mean? There were some lovely softer moments, too: couples nuzzling against each other's skin or exchanging tentative shy little looks.

While personally I missed those aspects of dance I am more familiar with — egos, dazzling costumes, showmanship, fun — it was also true that none of these things had been allowed to upstage the choreography and the narrative of the movement itself. The only star of this show was the dance itself. And why shouldn't movement depict the darker side of existence sometimes? Bonachela gave us much to think about here.

Gifted dancers from North Devon were given an incredible opportunity to work with the company in a series of workshops to perform the night's curtain raiser, Spaghetti Junction. This piece had a pleasing fluid, organic feel to it, reminding me of waves wafting through tentacles of coral. Well done to them.