Of all the works toured by George Piper Dances last year it was Russell Maliphant's Critical Mass which most justified Michael Nunn and William Trevitt making their bid for life outside a ballet company.
Not only was this improvisatory duet a piece that could never be danced in a conventional classical programme, it also showed the two men (aka The Ballet Boyz) engaged in an avid exploration of a new body language and responding to each other with an intimacy and directness that prince roles could never allow.
So it's good to see that the Boyz' second company commission, Torsion, is a brand new duet from Maliphant, allowing them to work with the choreographer from scratch. It's also good to see that the chemistry between the dancers and the choreographer is as fascinating as everybody had hoped.
While Nunn and Trevitt lend their particular blend of stubble, grit and classical finesse to the meticulous poetry of Maliphant's vision, he has them dancing with a mesmerising alertness to physical and emotional nuance.
On a basic level Torsion is about the forging of a male bond. During its opening section, the momentum of Richard English's score - sounds of cars and crowds swerving against a fast drum beat - propels the pair through two separate solos.
Framed on opposite sides of the stage, in the burnt umber glow of Michael Hull's ravishing lighting, Nunn's blunt, pugnacious energy contrasts almost competitively with Trevitt's more fluent suppleness. When the two finally cross the dark space that divides them and start to dance with each other they handle the situation with a taunting wariness.
But then, the choreography dares them into a mutual virtuosity of lifts and balances that's both touching and thrilling to watch. The Boyz fans will rightly love it.
The evening though is as much about Maliphant as it is about Nunn and Trevitt, with the former's own com pany dancing two duets (premiered last season) which show Maliphant at his purest. Knot is a close textured puzzle for himself and Yuval Pick, whose moves seems to be powered by opposing forces of intimacy and frustration.
Sheer is a passionate, private dialogue between Maliphant and his (real life) partner Dana Fouras, in which moments of snagged wariness, unconscious accord and bold, beautiful grace seem to offer snapshot glimpses into a long and evolving marriage.
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