Jazz Conversations Review

September 21, 2024

Jazz Conversations Review

20th – 21st September 2024

After a hectic week, I couldn’t have been more excited to take time out and attend last night’s performance of Jazz Conversations at The Place. Miles Davis, a live jazz band and jazz dance on a Friday night was the tonic I thought I was looking for. Not an inch of guilt set in as I made myself comfortable in the auditorium.

Body of People (BOP) Jazz Theatre Company brought us Jazz Conversations: Footprints in Jazz & Touches of Miles. A performance of two halves, Act one was introduced by guest performers Impact Dance – a youth dance company for 11-19 year olds whose aim is to empower young people through dance training, mentoring and national performances. The company last night comprised eight female dancers with poise, attitude and an incredible talent. They gave an energetic and uplifting performance to a catchy backing track, providing us with a gutsy, eye catching, brilliant urban dance routine. What a talented group of young people. Bravo – I enjoyed every minute, and their choice of music was ear-worm perfect. For a dance performance with musical accompaniment, the choice of music is almost as important as the dance itself – it must captivate and inspire.

“gorgeous movement”

Between the end of Impact Dance’s routine and the start of BOP Theatre Company’s first dance, there was silence, and an empty stage, for too long. For a completely successful production, the transition between acts and dances needs to blend seamlessly. Even some backing music and lighting would suffice.

The first dance by BOP was called ‘Footprints in Jazz’. Two male dancers enter the stage (Oraine Frater and Bafana Matea), shortly to be followed by the whole company. The music is an original track by Paul Jenkins of BOP, and is an African-inspired jazz track. The dance was great, but the music was very much on one level for the whole piece, and could benefit from some chord variations.

The second dance, Last Dance with my Father was a solo performed by Valentina Dolci. An emotional piece, Dolci is an accomplished dancer.

This led into a group dance performed by the whole company, and a few of the dancers stood out, namely Frater and Nafisah Baba. A few of the dancers struggled with some of the moves, notably the leg holds, which was a shame.

We moved into Tapestry of Life, performed by Baba. Baba is so striking, and you can’t take your eyes of her, however, this piece was very samey, and could have benefitted from some musical and choreographic variation. Baba is, however, a beautiful and captivating dancer.

The last dance of Act One, comprised the ladies from The Company with accompanying music ‘All Rise’. Their opening moves were almost harem-like, with the queen in the centre. Again, gorgeous movement, but the music was very much at one level.

After the interval, the live jazz band was present and waiting to perform. The MD Paul Jenkins led a six-piece comprising Rob Barron on Piano, Jihad Darwish on double bass, Noah Ojumu on drums, Jay Phelps on trumpet, Tyroneissascstuart on alto sax and a tenor saxophonist who was not listed on the programme at the time of writing. The audience were excited, shouting “yeah”, and the lighting (designed by Joshua Harriette) was a perfect ‘a kind of blue’. The second act ran through a series of Miles Davis tracks from All Blues, Four, Flamenco Sketches and Milestones to collaborations and arrangements by Paul Jenkins of BOP. Some of the dances were jazztastic such as Milestones featuring Ilaria Breshchi, Dolci, Alice Miano, Lara Renaud, Frater and Matea, and So What! Featuring Dolci, Miano and Renaud, and ticked every box as far as music, costume and choreography were concerned. Others such as ‘The Man I Love’ featured moves such as the splits, which were slightly clunky in their delivery.

The show ended with an instrumental, which was a shame, given the evening was about both music and dance, and was a bit of an anticlimax.

The dancers and musicians of BOP Theatre Company are so talented, but the production let them down last night. More fluid transitions between dances, more chord variation in the original pieces, and perhaps even more emphasis on the band would have made for a more heartfelt evening. I would look forward to seeing what more BOP has to offer, and of course Impact Dance.

BOP Theatre Company dancers comprise:

Nafisah Baba
Chloe Bertinie
Ilaria Breschi
Valentina Dolci
Alice Miano
Lara Renaud
Oraine Frater
Bafana Matea
Harley Charles

BOP Artistic Directors:
Dollie Henry MBE
Paul Jenkins