On View: Quintet

Five dancers, five video screens and multiple layers of image and movement make this a moving and at times psychedelic experience. Indeed, there are moments in On View: Quintet that border on euphoria. Sue Healey’s shimmering cinematic vision, combining film, portraiture and the sheer splendour of the human form, is one of the most potent and elegant live ‘multimedia’ experiences you could wish to see.

The video elements here are superb. Beautifully filmed, wonderfully edited and powerfully employed, they create a mesmeric backdrop for a quintet of very different dancers. Benjamin Hancock’s elastic androgyny juxtaposes with Raghav Handa’s lithe athleticism and Martin del Amo’s groundedness and strength. Meanwhile, Shona Erskine and Nalina Wait span playful sensuality and taut power. 

If at times you don’t quite know where to look, the clever syncing of video and dancer soon draws you back into the trance, and although there are certainly flat moments here, they’re far outweighed by engaging ones. 

Backed by some very slick tech, On View: Quintet is much more than a smartly devised fusion. It’s a hymn; a song in itself – a gorgeous, hypnotic and precise ode to the body and to its place in nature, the city and art. Embodied by five passionate, committed performances, it is also a kind of prayer to the immediacy of dance in an era of the digital screen.