THE RITE OF SPRING / MIRROR

Sadler’s Wells East

★★★★

“a thrilling fusion of disciplines”

The world premiere of Alexander Whitley’s ‘The Rite of Spring / Mirror’ is fierce, confronting and visually arresting. Using real-time generative AI and motion capture technology, this double bill stunningly interrogates AI’s accelerating influence and our ability to keep up.

We open with ‘Mirror’, inspired by Shannon Vallor’s book “The AI Mirror”, illuminating the distortions AI throws back at us. Charting the shifting relationship between two humans and an increasingly intelligent machine, it’s a vivid study of how AI stands to reshape the world around us.

Whitley’s collaboration with creative technologist, Luca Biada, seamlessly fuses dance and technology, creating a series of sharp, unsettling observations. Whitley’s choreography is exhilarating, opening with the full force and beauty of unenhanced humanity. But AI suddenly intrudes – without warning, the dancers are tracked in real time before ghostly avatars emerge from the darkness. With dramaturgy by Sasha Milavic Davies and technical direction from Dom Martin, the interplay between dance and technology expertly reveals the power shift from human to machine, and before long a far darker, more distorted world emerges.

Dancers Gabriel Ciulli and Daisy Dancer deliver the sequences with thrilling precision, holding the audience rapt with their control, power and impossibly clean lines. They also draw out the emotional undercurrent with real clarity, shifting effortlessly between trepidation, playfulness and fear. Set to a gripping abstract score by Galya Bisengalieva – sometimes expansive, sometimes frenetic – the work melds music and movement into an utterly cohesive whole.

Mirella Weingarten’s set design is relatively simple, with a ring of seven poles hosting the all-seeing infrared cameras, providing a striking frame for Biada’s generative AI spectacle. Weingarten’s inverted monochrome unitards, speckled with motion capture dots, cut cleanly against the AI visual riot. Joshie Harriette’s lighting design, with associate Sarah Danielle Martin, extends the visual tension, shifting from stark geometric patterns to swirling galactic chaos. The sound design packs a punch, increasing the tension with some aggressively loud sections.

And then comes ‘The Rite of Spring’, an expansive, cinematic reimagining of Stravinsky’s avant garde ballet. Whitley’s interpretation trades ancient pagan gods for all powerful AI, re-examining human sacrifice through a contemporary lens and pressing us to question how much has really changed.

Whitley and Biada once again fuse technology and dance, using motion capture to turn five performers into a mesmeric, shape shifting multitude. Circles dominate the choreography and AI imagery, generating a hypnotic wormhole of endless cycles. The climactic scene erupts in an epic, incendiary self-sacrifice, though visual spectacle perhaps eclipses choreographic craft in places. This time, technology reads more as translation than interrogation, making me wonder if the two works might land more impactfully in the opposite order.

Ciulli and Dancer are joined by Nafisah Baba, Natnael Dawit and Elaini Lalousis, who channel a fierce, primal energy, moving as though seized by the very force driving the piece. Stravinsky’s iconic score blazes in all its discordant glory. Oppressive, driving, and primal, it keeps the whole piece on edge.

Weingarten’s ring of cameras sprouts ropes, sprawling like a giant neurone before ensnaring their next victim. The earthier costumes contain ominous hints, such as bloodstains tracing the dancers’ spines. Harriette and Martin’s lighting becomes increasingly infernal, further charged with searching red spots lights.

‘The Rite of Spring / Mirror’ is a thrilling fusion of disciplines, raising urgent existential questions for a society on the brink of AI revolution. Though ‘Mirror’ feels more resonant, both works are stunning blends of dance and AI that will quite literally never be the same twice. Catch them while you can!

THE RITE OF SPRING / MIRROR

Sadler’s Wells East

Reviewed on 18th March 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Oskein

THE RITE OF SPRING

★★★

“blends stand up and storytelling into a hilarious, cohesive whole”

How do you survive losing the love of your life? Comedian Sam Morrison’s answer is laughter. His one-person show, ‘Sugar Daddy’, turns grief into big-hearted, belly-laughing comedy, even if it never gets past the denial phase.

Sam Morrison’s had a hellish few years. The love of his life tragically dies in the pandemic, he’s diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and to top it off, he’s attacked by seagulls. His coping strategy? Turn it into cathartic theatre! Though try as they may, his grief counsellor can’t get him to sit in his feelings for long.

Morrison’s set blends stand up and storytelling into a hilarious, cohesive whole. His whimsical yet biting style skewers everything from death to diabetes to being grateful your plus sized partner has ashes to spare. The laughs are big, interleaving with cycles of reflection which cleverly mirror the ebb and flow of grief. It’s great strength is the balance of humour and emotion, really connecting with the audience in deeper moments. But there’s a real snag: every time things get vulnerable, Morrison pulls back. This happens repeatedly and the show ends without clear progression or payoff. Perhaps it’s an honest glimpse into grief’s open endedness? But as a show it never quite opens up, leaving it feeling a little stuck. Plus, the number of cycles makes time harder to track, and the grief counsellor feels underdeveloped.

That said, Morrison is undeniably funny, owning the room with sharp timing and fearless crowd work. He connects effortlessly with the audience, ad-libbing with impressive ease – at one point he warmly welcomes a late arriving silver fox while blanking their younger companion, bringing the house down. In full flow, he’s a breathless delight, before easing into more emotional beats. Though the transitions could be slicker in places, Morrison clearly knows how to command a stage.

Amrou Al Kadhi’s assured direction steers the show with aplomb, weaving in theatrical flourishes that lift the stand up and drive the narrative. The energy rises and falls naturally, and the pacing matches the emotional tone. Though the cycles could use further shaping to clarify the narrative and build emotional momentum, overall the staging lands with flair.

Hugo Dodsworth’s set summons a beach house with a sweep of gauzy curtains, complete with decking, dune grass and playful hints of what’s to come. A pew like row of chairs, complete with Bibles, comes into its own. Chuma Emembolu’s lighting tracks the show’s emotional shifts with precision, peaking in a striking moment in ITU. Slick transitions keep everything flowing confidently. Dodsworth’s video design has some standout moments, with demonically deranged seagulls and a darkly ironic death scene. Stylist Gabrielle Vazquez gives Morrison a polished lost boy look, pairing a simple vest and shorts with a glitzy brooch and chic scarf.

‘Sugar Daddy’ is a show about feeling lost which – perhaps fittingly – feels a little lost itself. But Morrison’s barbed jokes, incisive style and commanding stage presence make it well worth a watch.

Tag Archives: Hannah Bothelton

THE RITE OF SPRING / MIRROR

★★★★

Sadler’s Wells East

THE RITE OF SPRING / MIRROR

Sadler’s Wells East

★★★★

“a thrilling fusion of disciplines”