Following a weekend of scorching heat and loud, constant street entertainment as part of the Fringe in Brighton, an evening of dance in the cool, dark Corn Exchange seemed the perfect way to wind down on a Sunday evening. 

The second and final night of the Charles Linehan Company featured a double bill of new works, which were offered in stark contrast.

The show started with a black and white film that spied on figures below, their long shadows revealing skillful jumps and twists in every day life, accompanied by a pulsating soundtrack that created a sense of heavy foreboding. 

‘My Mother’s Tears,’ pitted two dancers against each other in a conceptual, historical performance that joked and teased, using traditional moves in an unpredictable style. 

Following the interval, ‘A Quarter Plus Green’ was vibrant, progressive and provoking, much more accessible, and built to crescendos and peaks from a team of passionate dancers.  

The fluidity and control of the dancers and the pedestrian costumes linked the pieces, but the themes were vastly different, with the second half of the show more easy to relate to. 

This was an evening of sophisticated but challenging contemporary dance, which deconstructed traditionalism from its very roots.