Visceral performance from an incredible ensemble – demands the audience’s attention.

Hofesh Shechter brings his award winning company Shechter II on a tour of Europe with his latest show – Contemporary Dance 2.0. The production looks to unleash the intensity of Shechter’s signature ensemble work accompanied by an eclectic sound score with intense throbbing bass beats.

Perhaps the most exciting part of this company is the dancers are all 18-25 – emerging artists that are carefully developed under Hofesh Shechter’s experienced eye. The talent of this company of 8 at the Oxford Playhouse was staggering – their professionalism, fluidity and passion flooded the stage and captivated the audience for the hour long show.

Promising to explore both pop culture and Shecter’s own unique style with a sprinkling of irony Contemporary Dance 2.0 is a great introduction to contemporary dance. However – it must be flagged that the choreography’s more ironic references might be a little harder to pick up. I always feel with contemporary dance it’s important to suspend any preconceptions about what contemporary dance is – this performance is not sweeping leg arcs, low dips or a more modern take on classical pieces. This is a raw visceral performance that relies on the music’s heavy beats and the dancers charged movements to ripple through the audience and demand their attention.

Broken into five parts, Pop, With Feelings, Mother, Contemporary Dance/Peace and The End, we’re taken on an exploration through an intense choreography that pushes the 8 dancers to their limits. There’s a definite repetition of choreographed pieces throughout the piece that surprisingly works throughout without becoming boring or feeling like we’ve seen it before. The first three acts passed in the blink of an eye and a heavy bass beat. However I did find myself disconnecting with the performance during Contemporary Dance/Peace – here it felt like the tongue and cheek references to what one might expect from contemporary dance and music became a bit too obvious – the choreography here felt at odds with the music behind it and for me just didn’t work. The End as a finale did bring me back to life and on board with the production but I felt that the choice of music ‘My Way’ was a little contrived.

Overall an enjoyable hour with some incredible dancers and a strong programme.