Elvis with a new twist

The Cholmondeleys challenge the senses
10 April 2012

"We took all the best moves from the Elvis films," explains one of the dancers in Lea Anderson's Double Take, "and we put them together in our own show." The result is a funny, clever homage to the King of rock 'n' roll, with hips a-swivelling and more air guitar than an AC/DC concert. It's also a reminder that good choreography should make you laugh as well as make you think - something Anderson has been doing with her twin troupes The Cholmondeleys and The Featherstonehaughs for exactly 20 years.

The British choreographer is celebrating the anniversary with a double bill of work from the past two decades, only there's a twist: the all-female Cholmondeleys is now staffed by men, while the all-male Featherstonehaughs is staffed by women. In other words, work made for women is danced by men, and work for men is danced by women.

In a further twist, the men wear dresses and the women wear suits, only not in the gender parody the switch implies. Instead, there's a subtle exchange of ideas about how men and women move and what it might convey. This was especially true in Flesh and Blood, a pure dance piece first performed by women.

Now, it is danced by men, and their stronger, more substantial bodies lend a completely different hue to the choreography. The icon-like movement looks weightier but, curiously, it also looks every bit as softly sensuous as it did when danced by women.

After the serious first half came the larky Double Take, a medley of Anderson's short pieces made for men and now danced by women. The staging was intended to remind you of the pubs and clubs where the originals were performed, and included smoking, drinking and informal intros from the dancers, plus the excellent Victims of Death playing live at the back of the stage.

Particularly good was Greetings, a rhythmic nonsense duet about how people greet, as was Bar Stools, a gentle dig at our soppy imaginings when we're propping up the bar. Last came a brilliant high-kicking knees-up for both troupes, when Anderson allowed herself a little gender parody after all.

Cholmondeleys and Featherstonehaughs/Double Take, Queen Elizabeth Hall

Tonight only. Information: 0870 3800 400.

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