Fluid fusion

H3: Bruno Beltrão and Grupo de Rua
Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Despite the intentional lack of bravura numbers — a feature of street dance, hip hop and break dance — there are many visually breathtaking moments, constructed cogently in a crescendo of heightened tension that can be read in myriad different ways. Moments of extreme physicality are masterly interwoven with more intimate sections, in which the dancers shed the traditional ‘macho/thug’ cool image to allow glimpses of more soft-toned feelings. The mix of silence, urban noises and effectively obsessive music, together with the now highly theatrical, now totally everyday lighting ideas, add greatly to the overall feeling of postmodern alienation. In my view H3 can be read as a powerful statement about art and anger, which explores, demystifies and challenges beliefs and tenets of our culture by using a movement vocabulary that is both popular and unusual.

As mentioned earlier, such use of street dance can be highly disconcerting for those who prefer it to be an entertaining display of bravura. Indeed, Beltrão and the powerful artists of his Grupo de Rua have moved a long, long way from what remains for many a carefree, immediate form of pure entertainment. And in that lies their success, for they bring something truly new to the stage. As for those who like their street dance to be less challenging and provocative, I strongly recommend tuning in to one of the many repeats of Britain’s Got Talent in order to enjoy the different, yet superb performances of both Diversity and their rivals, the equally splendid Flawless.