Celebrating identity

Last year, when I reviewed The Sum of Parts, the community-oriented piece produced by Connect, Sadler’s Wells Creative Learning department, I thought it wouldn’t be possible to do any better. Well, I was wrong, as this year’s Compass was an even more breathtaking experience. The new project, which involves more than 100 non-professional performers and a unique roster of artists, has been conceived at a time when World Cities 2012, Pina Bausch’s retrospective of works devoted to cities and cultures from around the world, is imminent. Compass, however, focuses only on London, which is a vibrant melting pot of diverse and complementary cultures.

It is this idea of celebrating distinct identities and of combining them in a dance communion of different skills, ages and abilities that is an absolute winner. The result is a one-hour-long visual and aural feast enhanced by filmic and photographic interventions by Tal Rosner and Gigi Giannella, and a great score by Donna McKevitt and Hannah Peel — partly played live by Peel herself and James Field.