Renowned Dance Company Return To Playhouse

Presented as part of LEAP 2007, Merseyside Dance Initiative's annual festival of dance, Henri Oguike Dance Company makes a welcome return to the Playhouse after last year's sold out performance. With a mixed bill of work incorporating two world premières, Henri Oguike arrive at the Playhouse in the midst of a nationwide tour for two performances on Friday 2 March.

Renowned for his focus on the interplay between music and movement, Jerwood Choreography Award winner Henri Oguike and his company of eight dancers present five musically diverse for their latest bill at the Playhouse. The repertoires include the world premières of Green In Blue and Little Red as well as performances of their signatures pieces Tiger Dancing, Expression Lines and Front Line.

Green In Blue is the company's first foray into jazz and is a major new collaboration with saxophonist Iain Ballamy. The dancers spark off Ballamy's band to infuse a crisp yet playful energy into this full company work. By contrast, two of Vivaldi'smagnificent violin concertos breathe fire into Oguike's second premiere, Little Red.

Tiger Dancing, based on William Blake's poem The Tyger, employs Steve Martland's plucked strings to reflect the sinuous, feline physicality of the performers while Shostakovich's 9th Quartet in E Flat provides the inspiration for the searing and poignant Front Line;which will be performed for the final time on this tour. The quintet is completed by Expression Lines, Oguike's solo performance set to Ali Farka Toure's Saharan blues guitar in a vivid, harsh reflection of the contrasts between equatorial sand and sky.

The schools matinee will feature a behind the scenes insight into the GCSE syllabus-listed company, allowing students to experience their unique choreography process alongside their performances of Front Line and Expression Lines. The students will also be given the unique opportunity to engage in a question and answer session with the company. -- www.everymanplayhouse.com