Richard Alston Dance Company, Snape Dances, Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Friday November 5

For new dance enthusiasts and seasoned lovers of dance, Richard Alston Dance Company provides the best quality performances this country. Every dancer is highly charged with energy, spirit and technical excellence. They can jump and leap higher, they turn on a pin and their footwork precise. They rise to the challenge with every note thrown at them with superb musicality. Everything you can expect from a company with a pedigree of performances dating from 1994 and its home at London Contemporary Dance.

This weekend performances were dedicated to Karen SU Ying Woo, beautiful and talented woman and a former member of their company who left them to train as a doctor and surgeon but was tragically shot in Kabul earlier this year whist working as a medical volunteer for an international charity.

The choice of programming was heavily based around work from Igor Stravinsky and Sergi Prokofiev. Two pieces which I found quite similar but this may have suited the core classical music lovers at Snape.

Although Movements from Petrushka and Out of the Strong were expertly played and superbly danced, the story telling light hearted with not too much angst, I did not feel lifted.

I really enjoyed the duet from Lachrymae and music by Benjamin Britten, which was dedicated to Karen and danced by Martin Lawrence her original partner and Charlotte Eatock. Although sad with the background knowledge of Karen, it was beautiful.

Shuffle It Right with music by Hoagy Carmichael proved to be the most popular piece of the evening. Rapid rhythms, fast footwork with quirky hips with all the fun, joy and energy that the company excel with ease. I could watch this again and again which is how I felt when I saw Gypsy Mixture.

Lynn Turner