Working Title | In the Fall by Trisha Brown Dance Company & Noé Soulier review

The legacy company of the pioneering American choreographer Trisha Brown opened the Van Cleef & Arpels Dance Reflections Festival at Sadler’s Wells with a striking performance. Though Brown passed away in 2017, her Dance Company continues to honour her vision with a repertoire piece, Working Title, while also expanding its creative scope. The company’s second-ever commission by French choreographer Noé Soulier: In the Fall (2023). Soulier is another boundary-pushing choreographer and certainly one to watch, having choreographed for the Nederlands Dans Theatre, and as recently as January 2025, choreographed Crossings - an innovative piece performed in the desert sands, as part of the pre-opening programme of “Villa Hegra”, a new Saudi-French cultural institution in partnership with the Opéra national de Paris.

LEAD IMAGE Trisha Brown Dance Co, Working Title, Image Credit Joyce Baranova.

In the Fall unfolds on a stark stage, with no props and a black backdrop that amplifies the sharpness of the dancers’ movements. Florian Hecker’s costumes: bold in red, blue and yellow, enhance the striking visual contrasts. As the title suggests, the piece is a masterclass in how to fall. Most striking are the gravity-defying weight shifts and controlled ways in which they fall to the floor with ease. These are not ordinary falls but precise, highly athletic feats requiring exceptional strength and core control. The dancers’ movements are often counter intuitive and surprising, as bodies move slowly into impossible positions, supported on stage by a single, meagre part of the body such as a hip or knee, making the audience marvel at the capabilities of a honed dancer’s body. Soulier’s choreography no doubt challenges the athleticism of the dancers. An urban atmosphere is created by a soundscape blending distant traffic noise with the overlaid hum of cicadas, adding an element of meditative tension.

A vanguard of postmodern dance, Trisha Brown transformed contemporary choreography with works like Working Title, which remains a landmark piece. Soulier’s In the Fall feels more exacting and rigid, yet it carries an unmistakable trace of Brown’s influence, making for a seamless transition into Working Title. The staging maintains continuity, with the expansive, uncluttered stage differentiated only by the colourful lighting changes. Danced to Peter Zummo’s Six Songs, Working Title pulses with buoyant, flowing energy. Its looser movement quality, combined with the rhythmic patterns of the choreography and the vibrant costumes, creates a sense of exuberance that builds toward a joyful crescendo.

As a dedicated patron of the choreographic arts, Van Cleef & Arpels has supported Dance Reflections in various cities, most recently in London in 2022. Their curatorial approach spans from the classical—such as Giselle at the Royal Opera House—to the cutting-edge, including La Horde at Sadler’s Wells East and an array of accompanying workshops. Dance enthusiasts of all tastes are sure to find something to inspire them.

Date: 12 - 13 March 2025. Location: Sadler’s Wells, Roseberry Avenue London EC1R 4TH.

Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival continues until 8 April 2025.  dancereflections-vancleefarpels.com.

Review by Natascha Milsom