A riot of rhythm, athleticism and theatrical exuberance, RB Dance Company’s Stories is an irresistible, pulse-quickening spectacle.
If Maman and Papa had named their child Jean or Pierre, he would have enjoyed an easier life.
Instead, they named him Icarus (Thimeo Garin) and, by the conventions of nominative determinism, he is destined for a roller coaster life – and we are treated to this striking popcorn-chomping triumph.
Icarus will rise high, as an up-and-coming actor – albeit fending off the menacing attentions of his director (Jerome Louis) – and he will sink low – jailed, beaten and defamed in the casinos and jazz joints of this steamy city.
All the time though, he will dance. They all will. Whatever fate delivers for this motley band of crooners, misfits, femmes fatales and gangsters, they will succumb to an irrepressible urge to express themselves via movement.
The back story
From the neon signs, we must assume this is the noirish America of the 1930s. From the cigarettes and the Gallic insouciance, we can discern this ensemble is French.
Some history here. Stories, launched in 2019, is presented by the RB Dance Company, which is the brainchild of multi-hyphenate extraordinaire Roman Rachline Borgeaud (writer, composer, director, choreographer, producer).
Formed in 2018, the company was immediately successful, becoming finalists in France’s Got Talent. They repeated the feat in 2024 and in the years in between and since have been a regular presence on TV.
Hard-wired into its DNA, therefore, is the YouTube aesthetic – a sense of spectacle, story and accessibility. Every one of the 22 dance sequences is a perfectly formed unit coming together to present a single narrative. New to dance? This is your primer.
The tap turned off
There’s a soupçon of Les Mis, a sprinkle of Disney. It is overtly and unashamedly flashy and if the plot doesn’t quite hold together, there’s another stomp in a couple of minutes to divert your attention.
Strangely for a “tap sensation” there is only a thin scattering of tap, instead we have jazz fusions and urban rhapsodies delivered with muscular precision and athleticism.
This singular vision encompasses set design (Federica Mugnai) with its swirling staircases; lighting (Alex Hardellet) with its stark brilliance; costume (Janie Loriault) and, above all, music.
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Ahh, the music. Relentless beats, repeated chants (in English), catchy riffs. Think the hypnotic rhythms of Moby, think the propulsive beats of Fatboy Slim, think the urgency of Eminem’s Lose Yourself: all percussive, persuasive and pulse-quickening.
Stories is a phenomenon, its exuberance as meticulously engineered as it is irresistible.
Stories runs at Sadlers Wells Peacock Theatre until 31 October, 2026.
This review first appeared in The Spy In The Stalls.