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The Revolution Will be Live-streamed

One of the hottest entities of Europe’s dance world is surely (La)Horde. A collective of three artists—Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer and Arthur Harel—the French theatrical trio could not be more on trend. They’ve worked with Burberry, Madonna and Ivo Van Hove, they’ve even been featured in British Vogue—funds for this programme were partly raised by Vogue World. As directors of the Ballet National de Marseille they tour their “post-internet” work across the continent. Noted for a blending of institutional dance with a punky yet fashionable edge, it is only natural that Rambert, as the UK’s leading contemporary dance company, would want in on some of the action. Rambert x (La)Horde: ”Bring Your Own” is the product of this union, proudly on display at London’s Southbank Centre.

Performance

Rambert x (La)Horde: “Bring Your Own”

Place

Southbank Centre, London, UK, May 9, 2025

Words

Eoin Fenton

Rambert in “Room with a View.” Photograph by HugoGlendinning

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Marking the beginning of the collaboration is the world premiere “Hop(e)storm.” We see two lines facing each other; men and women split to their respective sides—a little like the awkward start of a school dance. Suddenly, one by one the women begin to charge at the men with full force. Once the rebellious ladies are wrestled and backed against the wall as if waiting for the firing squad, the Lindy Hopping begins. The dancers weave about stoically, as if at a passive aggressive line dancing class, before fusing into a moving wall of jitterbugging Rockettes.  

The energy switches up as lights begin to flash and some banging Gabber tracks blare through the brutalist Queen Elizabeth Hall. The Lindy Hopping persists through the clubby score, becoming more daring and riskier. There’s a great deal of humour in this clash of genres, like watching goths under a bridge dance to “Thomas the Tank Engine”—please look it up. What really stands out is the ability of the dancers who pull off some pretty impressive work as they gleefully toss one another in the air. I’m curious to see how a piece so tied to Lindy Hopping might look in the hands of the pros.

Rambert in “Hop(e)storm” by (La)Horde. Photograph by Hugo Glendinning

“Weather is Sweet” takes the action from the dance hall to the dark room as couples abandon swing for swinging. The piece is familiar to London audiences, having premiered in the Southbank during the Ballet National de Marseille’s tour in 2024. It is in fact an extract from “Age of Content”—a full-length theatrical exploration of power and manipulation that enjoyed a sell-out run earlier this year. Out of its original context and coming straight after the camaraderie of the Lindy Hop, it makes for a rather sharp turn. This bipolarity persists through much of the work we see tonight, the sort of emotional whiplash one experiences when scrolling through social media. It can get a little melodramatic, but melodrama seems welcome here.

What does manage to allure us through the tryst is the immense physicality of the Rambert ensemble. They are seemingly capable of doing anything with fluency, be it writhing seductively or hurtling themselves at each other with abandon. Still, while compelling in this tenebrous lighting and moody music, the gyrating feels like a surface level exploration of sex dynamics. 

Rambert in “Weather Is Sweet” by (La)Horde. Photograph by Hugo Glendinning

“Bring Your Own” ends with one of (La)Horde’s most iconic works from their tenure at Marseille, “Room with a View.” A rallying cry for the ID Magazine generation that enjoyed a warm reception during the London tour last year. We see a ragtag ensemble of fashionably dressed revolutionaries defiantly flip off the audience, they bundle together as they kiss and wail. In one sequence they execute what could only be described as extreme trust-falling, joyously shouting “fuck you!” before collapsing from a height into the arms of their tribe. While the sentiment of liberty is apparent, these antics feel superfluous, more Coachella than communal. In their trendy pret-à-porter attire and semi-convincing gruffness, the rage of the ensemble reads like angst. 

The work begins to pick up as the aggression becomes more palpable, less showy and more animalistic. Dancers smack their elbows threateningly, cower from invisible projectiles, hurtle themselves towards lines of riot police. The beats don’t stop as complex canons of movement ripple through the scrum, Lone’s thumping score pulling us in further and further. While full of agitation and anger, there is still a feeling of underlying hope as the crowd look out at us, singing their song of revolution—it’s very French. 

The American pundit Dan Savage described how during the AIDS crisis activists followed a standard routine: “we would bury our friends in the morning, protest in the afternoon, and we danced all night.” This danced manifesto, while perhaps a tad vague, is fresh and radical in a world where mobilisation has increasingly become a fact of life. This heroic ending quite neatly highlights (La)Horde’s canny ability to resonate with what is current. Their eye for spectacle, particularly in the capable hands of Rambert, provides the wow factor that sends us home on a high. It’s an elusive thing, that high, but all the more glorious when we finally reach the peak.

Eoin Fenton


Eoin (they/he) is a dance maker and writer based in Cork (Rep. of Ireland), and London (UK). They have danced across Ireland and London in venues including The Place, Project Arts Centre Dublin and Galway Cathedral. Eoin graduated with a BA in Choreography from Middlesex University in 2024 and began writing as part of the Resolution Reviews programme. They are a regular contributor to A Young(ish) Perspective. 

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