Frank Gardner: Far Horizons

Patrick Wolf: The Bachelor (2009)

Pity poor Patrick Wolf, a man permanently at the end of his tether. A couple of years ago he announced his retirement from music on his fan discussion boards, an event that duly did not come to pass. In the promotional rounds for this, his fourth album, he told the website Drowned in Sound that he was leaving Britain because: “I think I’m misunderstood by a lot of journalists, by a lot of the English public.” Well, being misunderstood is likely to be the fate of androgynous blond men – “flamboyant” scarcely does him justice – with a penchant for Celtic folk. The Bachelor is the work of a hugely fertile imagination, skipping from the aforementioned Celtic folk to electro to glam, but one wonders how much more affecting Wolf might be if the grand passions were calmed down a little, the musical magpie impulses restrained a tad. For now, he’s a little too much of a good thing.
The Guardian

Bruno Beltrao

30.05.2009, Sadler’s Wells

Bruno Beltrão is well known in his native Brazil for pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance into brand new territory, drawing on diverse influences, including hip hop, to create an entirely fresh choreographic language.
In his latest work H3, nine dancers from Beltrão’s company Grupo de Rua create astonishing duets as they collide and balance against each other, incorporating elements of krumping, popping and floor-spins. A black mirrored stage picks up the screeching noises of the dancers’ shoes, which then return as samples in the pulsing electronic soundtrack.

Beltrão’s choreography has won him a string of accolades including ‘Upcoming Choreographer of the Year’ from Balletanz Magazine – don’t miss this chance to catch his remarkable fusion of hip hop and contemporary dance in London for the first time.