What do you do when the beats are on point? You dance, of course. And that is exactly what the Masters of Choreography troupe did last Tuesday night.
We recently made our way over to The Peacock Theatre, London, to watch Australian dance group Masters of Choreography perform in their latest production ‘Beats on Pointe’. Fusing together two entirely different genres of dance – hip-hop and ballet – we were certainly intrigued to see how the choreography would turn out.
Having been dancers ourselves when we were younger, the little that we did know was that these two genres require a lot of skill, but also a lot of conflicting techniques. In hip hop, the range of movement is meant to be quite free and natural, while in ballet, movements are far more controlled. That being said, we were interested to observe the way in which Masters of Choreography would combine the two to create a smooth and coherent dance routine.
The performance opened strong, with a sea of black-clad dancers taking the stage as a dramatic strings track played in the background. It was evident from the get-go that these dancers could take on a variety of styles and were not restricted one genre or the other. As a collective, the group could seamlessly transition from hip-hop to ballet in mere seconds, transcending the commonplace stereotype that a street dancer cannot perform ballet and vice versa.
Aside from near impeccable technique, formation and stage presence, this production had a killer soundtrack, too. Think Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’, The Temper Trap’s ‘Sweet Disposition’ and all-time fave ‘Faded’ by Zhu, alongside so many other great tracks. Well, it would make sense that when a show names itself ‘Beats on Pointe’, the beats probably should be on point.
The two hour long production also had enough versatility to remain entertaining. We found ourselves in hysterics throughout scenes of comedic relief, and immersed in the diversity of skill for the most part. Head-spins, graceful leaps, beat-boxing intermissions, intense backflip sequences and pirouettes were just few among the extensive display of technique. Admittedly, our minds wondered elsewhere in a couple of the longer dance scenes, however the group did a great job of chopping and changing scenes quickly enough to re-centre our focus.
All in all, the production was entirely enjoyable, and one we’d watch again without hesitation. While the talented troupe have flown back home now, Australians can still get the chance revel in the excellence of Masters of Choreography and can find more information on upcoming shows here.
★★★★1/2 4.5/5 stars
Image: beatsonpointe.com
