Sydney Dance Company's seminal and celebrated work begins with a simple representation of its title. A couple sit to one side (2), a solitary figure stands to the other (One) and the rest of the company (the Others) take centre stage. And so the theme - the diverse dynamics of human relationship - is set.
The first of four sections is played in near darkness, bodies in brief black leotards just visible, shafts of light picking out pale limbs in a richly expressive kaleidoscope of staccato gestures. The mood is discordant even as the ensemble moves in disciplined unison. The music is Oort by Spanish electro acoustic composer Murcof. Programme notes define this section as "welcome to our world."
The extraordinary power, flexibility and sophisticated skill of the company's dancers is quickly established and director Rafael Bonachela's reputation as a "movement junkie" is proven very true.
Legs lift effortlessly to startling angles, spines etch the deepest of curves, there are gravity defying leaps and tumbles, balances of every description, and always a beautiful, deep connection between the dancers as they move in and out of the choreographic complexities.
The initial urgency of Nick Wales score continues even through its diverse range of composers and styles - new classical, Baroque, Renaissance and original passages, sometimes spiked with the whispered words of contributing poet Samuel Webster.
