Tap dancing is a form usually associated with those wonderful old Hollywood musicals of the 1930s and '40s, but the RB company brings this dance art into the 21st Century with an extraordinary production that also incorporates jazz dance and rap. Stories is a very meta narrative that recounts the experience of Icarus, a young actor who is playing a newspaper worker in a film. While the myth of Icarus is usually seen as a commentary on the hubris of a youth who misuses the invention of his father, in this version things are flipped so that the enthusiastic younger man is trapped in a power relationship with the Daedalus-like figure of his director. That dynamic is also mirrored in the story of the film which is being made – a naïve young worker is first abused by his boss and then lured into a struggle with a gambling gang lord. Stories explores these overlapping tales of manipulation and creativity in a manner that is wonderfully original and totally enthralling. The dance sequences are absolutely breathtaking and the coordination of the movement is impeccable. As Icarus, Paul Redier is simply outstanding and he seems to have absolutely boundless stamina. Indeed, the energy of the dancers is only matched by the ingenuity of Romain Rachline Borgeaud's thrilling choreography. Federica Mugnai has created an incredibly versatile set which is ingeniously adaptable to mimic a wide variety of spaces, and Alex Hardellet's lighting effects are absolutely stunning. The coordination of the dancers' gestures with the various light cues is simply amazing. Stories is thought provoking entertainment that brings new life to a dance form that is too often seen as dated.
Rated: ★★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Aline Gérard
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