The marrying of music and dance is an indefatigable exploration. There are countless ways to fuse the two or play them off against one another, especially when musicians and dancers are physically sharing the stage.
In a UK premiere for Dance Umbrella festival, here is a 400-year-old piece of music, Carlos Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsoria, and six singers from baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants entwined with four dancers choreographed by Senegal-born, France-based Amala Dianor. They are not obvious bedfellows – a Muslim choreographer who started out in hip-hop, alongside sacred vocal music on the Passion of Jesus from 1611 – and the unexpected coupling brings consonance and dissonance.
