The latest showcase from RJC Dance Productions (it stands for reggae, jazz and contemporary) rounds off three years of club dance projects aimed at young people. The dancers - De-Napoli Clarke, Douglas Thorpe and artistic director Edward Lynch - home in on jazz, taking inspiration from the hoofing Nicholas brothers, among others.
J to R&B features 15 scenes that show the influence of jazz technique on today's club dance scene, via Latin, hip-hop, soul and rhythm and blues. The trio enter for a warm-up in tracksuits; they burst into reggae, then get down to their vests for syncopated, staccato bodywork and sharp acrobatics. This melts into Soulow, a solo for the elegantly fluid Thorpe. He is back after a nine-year break from dance, during which he lost none of his control. His expressive arms stretch for miles.
There is banter among the guys and even a bit of rap and audience participation. But things start to take off when James Squire takes the stage on haunting tenor sax. He and Lynch are almost duelling, note for steps, in Jazzin, Lynch's footwork fast and flashy as he follows the music. There is also some clever use of video footage, with Squire silhouetted on the screen.
In the mambo section, Salsarin, Clarke and Lynch are really cooking, hips swivelling wildly. In contrast, Clarke has a laugh as a Caribbean codger in Olde'e Skool, playing the creaky granddad who still thinks he is cool. The trio finally get into the old tradition in Jazzical, stepping out in sharply cut coats for an explosion of infectious choreography. When it comes to versatility of styles, RJC takes some beating.
