THE CIRCLE

There is an itchy sense of restlessness to Emanuel Gat's ephemeral piece with Scottish Dance Theatre, a heightened kind of hypervigilance with a dozen dancers onstage always looking over their shoulders. They appear primed to pounce at any time, all too aware of lurking predators.

Scottish Dance Theatre rounded off DIG 2019 in exuberant style, with the mercurial energies of Emanuel Gat’s The Circle. [...] Gat’s concept – that dancers would interact, respond and connect ‘in the moment’ – has probably acquired some favourite ‘set pieces’ but The Circle never feels routine or regimented.

The Circle, starts with a splash. The dancers look like a drop of paint in water, all colours and surreal textures and shapes in Thomas Bradley's costumes, flying around the stage. [...] They stalk and stare at one dancer, then fade in and out of trios and duets – marking each other, subtly switching leader. Watching it evolve is fascinating.

The show, which is choreographed by award-winning France-based choreographer Emanuel Gat, marked the first time UK audiences have seen his work since 2011. The Circle tells the story of 12 individuals and concentrates on the dancers’ relationships with each other on stage, creating a visually stunning and emotive performance.

Never has energy transference been more visible onstage, dancers seemingly taunting one another, hurling their energy across the stage to their mirrored counterpart. The only tragedy is that we simply cannot watch all 12 at once, you’re likely to find a pair whose routine catches your eye, but they have ways to combat this…

All this looks and feels strange to begin with, but Thomas Bradley’s costumes turn out to be the perfect gateway to Emanuel Gat’s choreography. Both have a freewheeling quality that challenges expectations, confounds interpretation and invites you to let go and enjoy.

Scottish Dance Theatre are always a good night out. Consistently strong, and not scared of working with mis-en-scène, their punchy attack combined with international choreographers is never less than impressive to watch.

Emanuel Gat's fluid and hypnotic piece, performed by the Scottish Dance Theatre, is a joy to watch. [...] At just thirty minutes long, The Circle is short but feels like exactly the right length – watching it feels like witnessing a refreshing burst of creativity.