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

Previously reviewed at Sadler’s Wells’ venues:

A DECADE IN MOTION | ★★★★★ | September 2025

SHAW VS CHEKHOV | ★★★ | August 2025

PEAKY BLINDERS: RAMBERT’S THE REDEMPTION OF THOMAS SHELBY | ★★★★ | August 2025

SINBAD THE SAILOR | ★★★★★ | July 2025

R.O.S.E. | ★★★★★ | July 2025

QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET | ★★★★★ | June 2025

INSIDE GIOVANNI’S ROOM | ★★★★★ | June 2025

ALICE | ★★★★ | May 2025

BAT OUT OF HELL THE MUSICAL | ★★★★ | May 2025

SPECKY CLARK | ★★★ | May 2025

PRISM

★★★★★

“There’s an intimacy to the experience that’s both electrifying and disarming”

R.O.S.E. is a magnificent performance that’s hard to put into words. It defies easy explanation as everything in this show is so meticulously crafted, yet it flows with such raw, visceral energy that you feel more than you understand. It’s not just a dance performance; it’s a total sensory experience where music, movement, light, and presence come together in perfect harmony.

Choreographers Sharon Eyal and her long time creative partner Gai Behar have created something truly distinctive. Their vision for R.O.S.E. pushes the boundaries of contemporary dance, blending club culture, performance art, and avant-garde aesthetics into one hypnotic and unforgettable experience.

From the moment you enter the space, you’re no longer just an audience member, you’re a participant. The ambient, pulsing soundscape by DJ Call Super envelops you immediately, dissolving the edges of the room and transporting you to an otherworldly dimension. For a moment, it feels like being inside a dreamlike nightclub, rhythmic, immersive, and full of anticipation. You find yourself swaying, moving, waiting for something to shift.

And then it does.

The dancers emerge quietly, slipping through the crowd like phantoms. At first, you hardly notice them, then suddenly, you’re transfixed. Their presence is magnetic. Moving with ghostlike precision and supernatural control, they draw you into their world. The line between performer and observer blurs, and you become part of the choreography, part of the ritual.

You’ve likely never been this close to a dancer before. There’s an intimacy to the experience that’s both electrifying and disarming. Everyone in the room seems to fall under the same spell, united by a shared energy, a silent understanding. The performance unfolds like a collective trance: dark and intense, futuristic and androgynous, filled with repetitive, mesmerizing movements and astonishing physical discipline.

The lighting design (Alon Cohen) enhances the mood with extraordinary precision, fluctuating between shadowy minimalism and sudden, strobe-lit intensity. Haze and fog creep across the space, creating a dreamlike, almost cinematic texture to the air.

The costumes, created by Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, are a perfect extension of the dancers’ bodies. Skin-tight, sculptural, and subtly fluid, they seem to breathe and move with every flex of muscle and turn of the body. They aren’t just outfits, they’re part of the performance itself.

R.O.S.E. is a must-see for anyone willing to surrender to a different kind of night out, one that challenges the senses, dissolves boundaries, and redefines what live performance can be. If you’re curious about the future of contemporary dance or crave something raw, elegant, and utterly captivating, this is the show to experience.

PRISM

Sadler’s Wells East

★★★★★

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

PRISM

Sadler’s Wells East

Reviewed on 8th October 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Do Phan Hoi

Previously reviewed at Sadler’s Wells’ venues:

PRISM

PRISM

PRISM

R.O.S.E.

Sadler’s Wells East

★★★★★

“There’s an intimacy to the experience that’s both electrifying and disarming”

R.O.S.E.

Sadler’s Wells East

Reviewed on 10th July 2025

by Beatrice Morandi

Photography by Johan Persson

Last ten shows reviewed at Sadler’s Wells venues:

R.O.S.E.

R.O.S.E.

R.O.S.E.

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