Double diamond

Emanuel Gat’s Winter Variations is not just another male duet. It is also an intense dance piece which captivates viewers from the opening sequence with its unique interplay of movement, music and enthralling performance. Created in collaboration with Roy Assaf, who performs it with Gat, this new work explores the choreographic motifs and ideas first seen in Gat’s 2004 Winter Voyage. But you don’t need to be familiar with the previous creation in order to appreciate the sheer beauty of the new piece.

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Julie Burchill

The glamour and grit of J.K. Rowling

Referred to as an ‘intimate’ duet in the programme note, Winter Variations never slips into any of the easy clichés that populate the long history of dances that have been created for two men. The intimacy mentioned in the programme manifests itself as a charismatic game of perfectly synchronised actions and masterly ideas, which relies on the hypnotic interaction of a perfectly attuned couple.

The emptiness of the stage highlights the lyrical, humorous and competitive play between the two performers, as well as heightening the crescendo of emotions. Indeed, emotions, more than the diamond-like technical bravura of the two interpreters, are what this work stands out for. And I am not referring to any soppy sentimentality, but to the wide gamut of psychological reactions that the two dancers’ interplay elicits from the audience. I only wish there were more works like this around.

Masculine prowess seemed to be one of the main ingredients of Balé de Rua at the Peacock Theatre, too. The company was created by Fernando Narduchi, Marco Antônio Garcia and José Marciel Silva to give numerous Brazilian youngsters who had been living rough on the street — the rua in the company’s name — a chance to change their lives through dance.