Red Bus Londinium Life

Sadler’s Wells East transforms into a night club in this collaboration between boundary-blurring choreographer Sharon Eyal, creative partner Gai Behar, London dancers Young and club DJ Call Super. It offers a compelling fusion of nightlife and contemporary performance.

Eyal and Behar met in a nightclub in the late 90s. Over time, they have sought to reflect their appreciation for the intensity and collective release of nightlife and to dissolve the formal separation between performer and audience by removing the stage and the orchestra pit. R.O.S.E. is a product of these desires – a nightclub interspersed with contemporary performance. 

While rooted in the clubbing experience, the night is truly elevated by Eyal’s striking dance sections, which captivate the crowd – with people drawn in, mesmerised and eager to catch a glimpse of the compelling visual spectacle. Performing with razor-sharp control and an almost mechanical grace, the dancers bring a touch of surreal, otherworldly edge – cool, detached, and oddly hypnotic. These moments offer a striking contrast to the otherwise high-energy, communal vibe of the night. The crowd pause their own dance to focus and part ways to make space for the performers amongst them.

Like Eyal, DJ Call Super (London-born artist Joseph Richmond Seaton) has also been described as boundary blurring and is well known on the international circuit. Much of the crowd is undoubtedly drawn to Stratford to see him in this more intimate setting and the response to his layered rhythms, pulsing with haunting textures and tension, was enthusiastic.

R.O.S.E. has a running time of three hours. The evening unfolds in three parts: the first and final half hour are given over to free-form dancing by the audience, while the middle section is where the performance from Eyal’s dancers (affiliated with Young, a London-based music and arts organisation) punctuate events. Audiences are free to move within the space and even head to the foyer bars and outdoor terraces during the run time. There is some capacity to sit but the experience is better from amongst the crowd.

This is an event, not a traditional show. Those willing to step onto the dance floor and fully take part will be rewarded with a shared, communal energy and moments of technically impressive dance woven into the experience.

[Thank you to Sadler’s Wells East who provided a gifted ticket in exchange for an honest review. Co-reviewed with my daughter.]