A must for reggae lovers, and anyone in the market for an hour of low-key skanking, Free belongs to the category of shows that try to blur the boundary between dancing yourself and watching dancing. It’s something that is hard to pull off, melting the fourth wall and fusing those two experiences. Not just giving people permission to dance, unselfconsciously, but to tap into what the performers are expressing – in this case, the hopeful freedom and defiant joy of reggae culture.
There are five main dancers but these Sadler’s Wells East shows also have a supporting cast of students and elders. It’s a splendidly diverse setup, making the point that everyone is invited. They get us on our feet (there are seats for people who need them), but also arguably form a kind of curtain between audience and the main performers. Still, they’ve got a good vibe.
Choreographer Akeim Toussaint Buck has not only created the dance, but also written and sung the dub, reggae and jazz-tinged soundtrack for the show with his band, the Magnificence. The bass comes through the speakers, volume pushed up to distortion, like a fuzzy-edged bullet you take to the chest. It’s a slow heartbeat of rhythm, the two and the four, that carries the show. You feel it like a call and response in your own dancing, step on one, catch the beat in your body on two. The dancers expand on this, the reverb bouncing through them. They sync up in laid-back routines, get lost in their own worlds, the moves easy and earthy, souls feeding on sounds.
The mood is warmth, community, smiles, a little samey. Then one dancer clutches his hands to his face and chest, pushing out his voice to call for freedom for the world and for Palestine (there have been protests over Sadler’s Wells accepting sponsorship from Barclays, which provides financial services to defence companies supplying Israel, so it’s a live topic here). The other dancers surround him and he is absorbed back into the dance. It’s an interesting bit of grit, but the party soon resumes. Free is an enjoyable gathering, but there’s a stronger piece of theatre in there potentially.
• At Sadler’s Wells East, London, until 8 November then at Bradford Arts Centre on 21 November
