THIS IS RAMBERT

Rambert celebrates 100 years of groundbreaking dance
Rambert is one of the United Kingdom’s leading dance companies. For 100 years, Rambert has been a pioneering force in the international dance world: a company that gives space to new choreographic voices, pushes boundaries and continues to show where dance can move next. For the anniversary programme THIS IS RAMBERT, Rambert chooses not nostalgia, but urgency: dance that lives in the now, with voices, visions and ideas shaping our world today.

This evening places Rambert’s dancers centre stage, while the programme itself is shaped by work from different international makers. Hop(e)storm is created by (LA)HORDE, the French choreographic collective behind Ballet National de Marseille, known for their post-internet dance, collective movement and the boundary between social protest and art. Gallery of Consequence is by choreographer and director Emma Evelein, a Dutch maker with an international practice, who connects physical intensity with cinematic storytelling. Together, these works show how Rambert celebrates its anniversary: not by looking back, but by bringing together new voices, styles and ideas.

Lindy Hop and rave as collective energy
In Hop(e)storm, dance becomes a form of resistance, freedom and collective joy. (LA)HORDE blends the uplifting swing of Lindy Hop with the raw intensity of rave culture, viewing this historic dance form through a contemporary, post-internet lens. Lindy Hop emerged in the 1920s and 1930s within the African American communities of Harlem, New York, and became the defining swing dance of its time. The style is known for its playful partner work, lightning-fast footwork, acrobatic energy and constant exchange between freedom and togetherness. Fascinating to watch: light-footed and joyful on the surface, yet full of rhythm, history and physical precision. Combined with contemporary club energy, Hop(e)storm creates an explosive dance language that keeps pulling your gaze back in.

Gallery of Consequence: choosing, departing and leaving something behind
Gallery of Consequence by Emma Evelein takes place in the in-between space of an airport: a place of waiting, choosing, departing and leaving something behind. Every gate tells a story, every movement carries the consequence of a choice. With intense sound and striking visual design, Rambert’s dancers bring to life the chaos, quiet and human connections that emerge in places of transit. Evelein makes the emotional tension of decision-making tangible: the silence before a leap, the unrest of doubt and the moments of contact that continue to resonate long after.

A unique glimpse into the future of dance
THIS IS RAMBERT is a carefully curated anniversary programme by a company that, after 100 years, is still searching, challenging and moving forward. A unique experience in which dance styles, generations and ideas strengthen one another, and in which Rambert shows why it has belonged to the international forefront for a century.

⭑⭑⭑⭑ “Hop(e)storm, is a standout piece of (LA)HORDE choreography … It opens with a series of quiet collisions across the stage and builds … a complete joy to watch.” 
- Diana Evans, Financial Times

“At the absolute cutting-edge of dance.”
- The Telegraph, Mark Monahan

Video: Behind Gallery of Consequence
In this video Dutch choreographer and director Emma Evelein takes you inside the creative process behind Gallery of Consequence. She reflects on the ideas that sparked the piece, her collaboration with Rambert’s dancers and how her physical, cinematic style finds its place within the company.