GRIM

Broken Rhythms retells some bloody dark fairytales that grab you by the heart. Each scene sweeps us into a new nightmare of pained princesses and tortured creatures, seducing us into the shadows. Don’t expect a classical ballet – this is elegantly elemental. It’s also refreshingly female with the focus on heroines sans heroes. The show starts with Sleeping Beauties, mattress maidens writhing in and out of bed. The dancers throw themselves into the music with such emotional abandon that I was hopelessly entranced.

This is an abstract storybook with few recognizable signposts. The veiled narrative was frustrating at times and I wished for more physical hints to follow (but it would have been easier if I’d been able to snag a program before the music started). GRIM is more about feeling than understanding, but I wish I could have identified the tales being told by the action on the stage, not by reading the program. The most magnetic scenes did feature familiar props, such as the magic mirror from Snow White, which was featured in an innovative dance by Snow White that gave me shivers and made my hair stand on end – it felt like genius. She was every woman.

Overall, Dyana Sonik-Henderson’s choreography can be stunning, but it features some non-traditional I movements, like running on the spot and crawling on all fours, that I found less enchanting. The awkward transitions between scenes broke the spell for me somewhat, but this show is the kind of kiss that wakes you up. Both feral and frenetic, GRIM will leave you blissfully tangled in its thorns.

– CVV Magazine, Leah Callen