Far from marking a milestone in a low key manner expected of centenarians, an exhilarating, energetic and explosion of supreme talent is turbocharging Britain’s oldest contemporary dance company’s into the next century.

Founded by Polish-born Dame Marie Rambert in 1926, This Is Rambert features all the hallmarks of a trailblazer which evolved from a classical dance company and is lauded for its epic influence on British dance.

Renowned for consistently pushing the boundaries of convention to attract new audiences, the centenary production smashes Rambert’s commitment to deliver dance that is alive with urgency, energy and relevance.

It brings together a trio of handpicked, bite-size, high-impact works from European and American choreographers and artists that that burst with intensity and reflect the here and now.

Mesmerising, thought-provoking, and, at times, confusing until I stopped overthinking every nuance, they could not have been more diverse.

The first piece, In Crimson, a brand new commissioned by US based Director-choreographers Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, is set in a dimly lit piano bar with a pianist playing Bach and Bizet.

Any sense of normality stops here as a surreal series of interactions is acted out through the extreme passion, sensuality, and intensity of seven dancers trapped in a reverie.

Playing out a complexity of terse, negative, and sometimes aggressive emotions, it is a masterpiece of originality from the creators whose work spans dance, opera, theatre and film.

While the ferocious pace did not let up, the mood transformed from one of foreboding as a drum emits an ominous tone – to one of levity in the second presentation, Hop(e)storm.

The high-octane presentation, which premiered in 2025 at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, seeks to reimagines dance as a catalyst of resistance, rhythm and resilience. We experience a joyous, upbeat rendition of Lindy Hop, a dance devised by Black American communities in Harlem known for its bouncy rhythm, fluid footwork, and iconic ‘swing out’ moves.

Delivering themes of power, equality, and connection (at one point it was redolent of Michael Flatley meets Strictly), the feelgood factor it evoked permeated the theatre.

Gallery of Consequence, which debuted at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre in 2025, completes the hat-trick. Depicting stressed passengers against a chaotic, airport backdrop, it is designed to be a metaphor for the decisions which shape us.

The set is brilliant – as is the dancers’ gamut of emotions as the piece evolves into disorder. An enormous departure board spirals out of control, rocketing the pace of the destinations’ counter to reflect the acceleration of passengers’ inner angst and turbulence.

The clinical nature of the setting with everyone focused on their own challenges takes a new turn when a traveller suffers an attack and fellow passengers rally round to assist him. With consideration and care in short supply up to this point, this cameo was very human.

Gallery of Consequence is another example of artistic genius fusing the chaos of uncertainty and the quiet moments of connection in airports that we can relate to. It was devised by Dutch choreographer and filmmaker, Emma Evelein, who blends instinctive physicality with cinematic storytelling.

The multi-cultural performers are supremely talented, setting and sustaining a mind-blowing pace that did not let up for a second. The audience’s thunderous appreciation reenforced that Rambert’s legendary Artistic director, Benoit Swan Pouffer, had achieved his goal to shake things up and prove there’s nothing geriatric about this centenarian.

For the centenary, I didn’t want to look back. I wanted to define who we are today. This programme is called This is Rambert because it captures the moment in time. It’s about living, evolving art, not a museum of past achievements. It shows our dancers, collaborators, and the energy of where we are now.

At 100 years young the Rambert Dance Company, an undisputed tour de force, is ‘just getting started’. Indomitable, evolutionary and groundbreaking, I can vouch that this unstoppable whirlwind will blow you away.

This is Rambert plays until Wednesday, June 17 at Newcastle Theatre Royal. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.

For details of the UK tour which includes Sadlers Wells, London (June 10-13), Festival Dei Due Mondi, Italy (June 26-29) and Festival Theatre Edinburgh (July 2-4) and Lowry, Salford (July 7-9) visit THIS IS RAMBERT - Rambert