PRISM

Sadler’s Wells East

★★★★★

“a true ensemble piece where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”

Mirrors reflect endlessly, but what hides behind all that light? Tentacle Tribe’s UK premiere of ‘PRISM’ explores the seen and unseen through a mesmerising melange of dance styles warped by a kaleidoscope of mirrors. It’s bold, beautiful and presented by Breakin’ Convention – miss it and you’ll miss out.

‘PRISM’ charts a hypnotically abstract journey through complex themes. From light and dark, distorted realities and the multiplicity of nature, each section pulses with its own energy yet together breathes as one.

Choreographed by Tentacle Tribe co-founders Emmanuelle Lê Phan and Elon Höglund, ‘PRISM’ draws from a wealth of dance vocabularies to create a unique fusion of hip hop, contemporary, breakdance, freestyle and even the raw rhythms of nature. The forms ripple and collide, with innovative use of space and levels. Gathered groupings, threading movements and intimate lifts create togetherness, while solos, duets and clever canons isolate the dancers. Humans and animals merge, the appearance of a sinuous octopus a particularly pleasing moment. Freestyle sections fire off impressively fast spins, kicks and flips, and a final introspective moment takes everything in – including the audience. Choreographic brilliance unleashed in full force.

What elevates it further is the exquisite integration with set (Charles Cormier and Rahime Gay-Labbé), a mirrored floor and walls multiplying and separating the dancers to spectacular effect. When the cast converges in mirrored corners, they suddenly appear infinite, amplifying their dazzling talent a hundredfold. When mirrored wall sections split and move, the cast is isolated, cast into darkness or sometimes suspended like jellyfish, released from gravity and seemingly time. Most impressively, mirrored panels can shift and tilt, bending space and distorting reflections even further. Suddenly, walls become floors and the seemingly impenetrable barrier reveals hidden passageways through which dancers can vanish and reemerge as they cross between shadow and light. The angles are changed to concentrate or disperse light, reveal or conceal. I’ve never seen such well-integrated choreography – the mirrors almost deserve a credit of their own.

Set to Elon Höglund’s original score, the soundscape pulses with abstract textures, spoken word surfacing just once. With nature sounds, mechanical samples, synth, reverse audio and thumping bass beats, the soundtrack is pleasingly layered and complex. Each section moves straight into the other, with only a couple of pauses, driving the dance towards a stirring climax before falling away again. To hear in the post-show talk that Höglund composed this, sometimes in real time alongside choreographing and dancing, is impressive to say the least.

Benoit Larivière’s architectural lighting is another precisely sculpted, fully integrated element, utilising technical prowess and the laws of physics to perfectly compliment the movement. Carefully placed spotlights pierce the darkness, focusing or diffusing light depending on the mirror arrangement, and the smoky auditorium evocatively tracks every beam. The boldly coloured costumes, representing the main colours of the rainbow, is a clever detail, making the prismatic spectrum tangible and solid.

The cast (Lê Phan, Höglund, Rahime Gay-Labbé, Céline Richard-Robichon, Mecdy Jean-Pierre) is spectacular, executing the innovative fusion of styles with grace and flair. Fluid one moment, staccato the next, each section appears effortless and seamless – a true ensemble piece where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

A triumph of artistic collaboration, ‘PRISM’ is a mesmerising fusion of form and feeling. This spectacular UK debut is a real treat for dance lovers and theatre goers alike – don’t miss your chance to catch this reflection of brilliance.

PRISM

Sadler’s Wells East

Reviewed on 8th October 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Do Phan Hoi

PRISM

Hampstead Theatre announces its Autumn season for the Main Stage:

• The world premiere of Prism, based on the life of legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff, is written and directed by Terry Johnson and will star Robert Lindsay and Claire Skinner.

• The world premiere of Nicholas Wright’s The Slaves of Solitude, adapted from the acclaimed novel by Patrick Hamilton, will be directed by Jonathan Kent.

• The first production of Simon Gray’s Cell Mates since 1995 will be directed by Artistic Director Edward Hall.

New Initiatives

• Hampstead Theatre’s Inspire: The Next Playwright Programme is an opportunity for playwrights with new ideas, talent and energy to develop their craft under the mentorship of award-winning playwright Roy Williams.

• The Downstairs Club, a free membership scheme for under 30s, will provide better access to Hampstead’s cheaper tickets across the Main Stage and Downstairs.

Artistic Director Edward Hall said:

‘I’m extremely proud to announce such an exciting body of work at Hampstead Theatre this autumn. With two world premieres on the Main Stage, Terry Johnson’s Prism and Nicholas Wright’s adaptation of The Slaves of Solitude, and a long overdue revival of Simon Gray’s Cell Mates, our aim is to continue to provide endless nights of top quality and entertaining theatre for hundreds of thousands of theatregoers. I’m personally looking forward to Gray’s gripping espionage thriller and I hope to help it gain its rightful place in the repertoire as a serious, brilliant piece of British drama.
I’m also proud to introduce ‘Inspire: The Next Playwright Programme’, where 18 – 25 years olds have the opportunity to be mentored by Roy Williams for a year, developing their writing skills and script ideas. We also hope our new membership scheme for under 30s will provide even better access to our cheaper tickets across both of our auditoria. This scheme will offer priority booking ensuring that great theatre remains accessible to the next generation and is an expression of our commitment at Hampstead Theatre to audiences of the future.’

Tag Archives: Prism

PRISM

★★★★★

Sadler’s Wells East

PRISM

Sadler’s Wells East

★★★★★

“a true ensemble piece where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”