(LA)HORDE’s high-octane, sexy and sometimes dark performance Age of Content explores our social media age and blurs the line between reality and fiction, anonymity and cult of personality. 75 minutes of ultra-palpitating energy with impeccable transitions, hot bodies, surprises and pure joy. 5 stars for sure!

The sold out show is staged at the newly-opened Sadler’s Wells East, as part of the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival in London, and brings adrenaline, both for the performers and the audience. Three nights that were truly highlights of this powerful programme platforming other artists such Ioannis Mandafounis /Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company and Soa Ratsifandrihana among others.

“In our work, the stage is always the place to question our online and offline environments. A safe but not sterile place. A place that has its own reality and where it is possible to collectively explore different embodiments while encountering conflict and desire, cohesion and dance. This new creation is a canvas that fuses dance and multimedia, inviting you to traverse the intricate tapestry of identity, media, and contemporary norms.” (LA)HORDE – Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel said.

Eighteen dancers from the Ballet National de Marseille move through a video game-inspired world, encountering different layers, filters, viral movements, and action-packed stunts. Trapped in a parallel metaverse that blends the atmosphere of an aircraft hangar and a nightclub, the young dancers exult powerful moves and draw inspiration from the surreal brilliance of the late American choreographer Bob Fosse, blending it with the TikTok generation’s energy.

The performance opens with a mechanical, ‘Mad-max like mechanical car’ controlled by a mysterious red-shirt character overlooking the industrial stage. While an anonymous light-green Juicy Couture-wearing character starts interacting with the giant car – from jumping and throwing themselves at it to seemingly making love to it (Agathe Rousselle’s Titane-inspired?) – they quickly start multiplying like clones and competing for its attention. This piece also recalls shows such as Squid Game and brings perfectly coordinated exhilaration.

The entrance to the second tableau sees the new character thrown from the ceiling. Is it funny or is it disturbing? Both reactions can be felt in the room. That’s ok because audiences quickly register that we’re now in a video-game inspired play where all characters start acting like avatars or toons. The gestures are fantastic and we quickly forget that this is actually reality. Yet, the jeans of the main dancer are half way through, revealing their muscular body parts. Desire and isn’t far off, here by reflecting online obsessions with sex. This part of the show quickly merges into stunning choreographic repetitions and prowess.

With remarkable transitions, the third tableau brings more humanity (or does it?) in the dancer’s appearance with forced smiles, recalling the golden age of American musicals, and finally energetic screams and shouting. It’s fun and pulsating again.

LA(HORDE) is a French choreographic collective founded by choreographers and directors Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, and Arthur Harel. The collective is known for exploring contemporary themes, such as the intersection of technology, identity, and social issues, through experimental dance and performance art. They are particularly recognised for combining different dance styles, including hip-hop, contemporary, voguing, and street dance, often engaging with digital media and immersive environments in their performances. They were recently called by Madonna to choreograph the icon’s latest tour and also presented an exhibition at the ICA Miami, at the crossroads between dance and contemporary art.

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