THIS IS RAMBERT - A review by Tre Tre

Rambert is celebrating 100 years — and doing it in absolute style with a national and international tour. I was at the opening night of THIS IS RAMBERT at the Lyric Theatre, The Lowry in Salford, and what unfolded was a three‑part contemporary dance experience that felt like three entirely different worlds colliding on one stage.

The programme consisted of-La Horde, Crimson, and Gallery of Consequence.
Each piece had its own personality, its own emotional temperature, and its own way of grabbing the audience by the collar.

La Horde — Precision, vulnerability, and absolute mastery. It began simply: a piano, a pianist, and a lone dancer. The melody was delicate, almost fragile, and the dancer moved with such intricacy, that I found myself wondering — is he improvising? The detail, the control, the memory required to execute choreography like that is staggering. And that’s the thing, this is where the professionalism of the Rambert dancers hits you in the face. They make the impossible look effortless.

Crimson — Old‑skool rave energy meets contemporary choreography.After a short interval, Crimson erupts. The music? Pure old‑skool rave. The kind that makes your ribcage vibrate and your head start bobbing before you even realise it. I had to physically restrain myself from getting up and dancing my booty off.The dancers channelled that rave energy with phenomenal precision. There was a few old skool ravers in the audience, they couldn’t help themselves, their heads were banging, and their shoulders bouncing. It was exhilarating, uplifting, and honestly, I loved every second. I was left wanting more!

Gallery of Consequence — Airport chaos, humour, and human behaviour.This final piece dropped you straight into the madness of an airport departure lounge. The rushing, the anxiety, the pointless small talk, the “are we boarding yet?” tension, all of it captured with sharp humour and clever choreography. It was chaotic in the best possible way, and we, the audience, adored it.

I took a friend with me, unsure of how he’d respond. I was quietly praying he’d enjoy it. I needn’t have worried. He walked out of that theatre transformed, energised, inspired, and already asking when are we going again? You gotta love him!

UK TOUR DATES.
Lowry Lyric Theatre, ends 9 July 2026, then continues to, Theatre Royal, Norwich 14th - 15th July 2026
Hall for Cornwall, Truro15th- 16th September 2026
Chelsea Arts Festival, London19th September 2026

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