Dark With Excessive Bright – Royal Opera House, London

Immersive choreography by Robert Binet, Dark With Excessive Bright is part of the Royal Opera House’s Festival of New Choreography.

Dark With Excessive Bright

Long-time readers know me well by now: I will happily go and see anything which involves creative, unexpected staging. I enjoyed Punchdrunk in Woolwich, I happily had a drink in Dido’s Bar at the Royal Docks. I’ve seen theatre on a bus, and even to a virtual reality opera right here at the Royal Opera House. So when I saw that there was a promenade-style, immersive performance as part of the Royal Opera House’s Festival of New Choreography, I jumped at the opportunity.

If the concept of a promenade performance is new to you, it essentially means that the audience is mobile and follows the performers around. In this case you’re not following anyone from Point A to Point B, it’s more a case of going between multiple stages and seeing them from different angles. Dark With Excessive Bright is the work of Robert Binet, now with the National Ballet of Canada but formerly a Choreographic Apprentice at the Royal Opera House under Wayne McGregor. His work is consistently innovative, and has been performed around the world.

The ROH’s website tells us that Dark With Excessive Bright “imagines the invisible forces of our universe in human form”. Other reviewers saw clear elemental inspiration such as dancers embodying water or air: my eye is not quite so finely tuned, I’m more of a dance enthusiast than an expert. But I could see nonetheless that the choreography was bold and fluid, with interesting pairings of dancers across the 45 minutes. The choreography also leaves room for choice (rather than improvisation) so every performance is slightly different.

The dancers move to music by Missy Mazzoli: Dark With Excessive Bright in musical terms is a 2018 concerto for stringed instruments. Again it is bold and modern, fitting well with the choreography and other design choices. The set, by Shizuka Hariu, consists of three stages raised only slightly off the floor, and marked out by steel cables. Thomas Tait’s costumes are similarly stripped back: almost literally in this case as the dancers wear flesh-toned outfits relieved by scraps of gauzy fabric. With little left to the imagination, their musculature and control are at the forefront.

To Promenade, Or To View From Above?

Ah yes, that is the question. The way Dark With Excessive Bright works is unlike most dance performances. You arrive, and receive a wristband. There’s an instructional video to watch, and you must check all coats and bags. Then you head into the Linbury Theatre. I was in the first cohort of the day, meaning we arrived and settled before the performance began. It sounds like later cohorts arrive with music and dance in full swing, which might be more fun. It would also allow you to make decisions about optimal viewing points.

Audiences can move freely during the performance: around the three stages or between the balcony and stalls levels. I started off downstairs, and enjoyed trying out different viewpoints. The fact that the stages aren’t raised is both a blessing and a curse, however. On the one hand you are so close to the dancers, with a very unique perspective. On the other, it’s very difficult to get a sense of what is going on on multiple stages at once. So after a while I headed up to the balcony for a bird’s eye view. This was less immediate but equally pleasing, particularly knowing I had the choice to go back down if I wished.

So I think overall it remained the idea which captivated me more than anything. I loved seeing a performance which used the space so differently. Which rethought barriers between audience and performers. When the big red clock counting down from 45 minutes reached 0, I walked back upstairs happy to have experienced something new. My focus was perhaps not the new choreography strictly speaking, but definitely enjoyment of an innovative and vibrant production. A taster which makes me regret not having had the opportunity to explore the rest of the festival.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3.5/5

Dark With Excessive Bright on until 20 February 2024 only. Festival of New Choreography on until 25 February 2024. More information here.