Review: TROIKA’s ‘Rooted From The Ground Up’
[Written by Dale Butler]
‘Rooted from the Ground Up’ was an outstanding night of dance presented April 30 to May 2nd at the Earl Cameron Theater by Troika Bermuda, who are on a roll of professional productions. It was flawless. and the Young Choreographers Showcase featured “original choreography and emerging talent” executed with professional rigor and clarity.
The choice of music was captivating and they selected enough to glue you to the perfection of the dancers, who left an unforgettable imprint on our minds. Brilliant does not cover it. Fifteen young choreographers, eighteen dances, and every single one landed with the kind of clarity most adults spend decades chasing. I’ve sat for professionals flown in and seen dance all over the world – in fact, dance is the first thing I ask for when I visit a country [e.g. Vietnam, China, Australia, UK, USA, you name it]. This crew? They would have won.
What got me was the restraint. They flushed the music in short, deliberate cuts and stopped the moment you thought you’d figured out the story. Just when you were leaning in, they left you wanting more. No over-explaining, no padding. That’s confidence you don’t teach. And the costumes didn’t sit back and watch. They were creative, dazzling, electrifying – each piece a visual joy that matched the choreography’s nerve. No safe unitards here. These were looks that caught the light, shifted with the movement, and made you feel like the dancers weren’t just performing the ideas…they were wearing them.
The lighting tied it all together – absolutely timeless. It didn’t chase the dancers; it framed them, let the movement breathe and stayed impressionable long after the stage went dark.
‘Rooted from the Ground Up’ wasn’t promising for their age. This was work that stands next to the pros and doesn’t flinch. If this is Bermuda’s next generation, the island’s dance future is in ruthless, honest hands.
Troika has set very high standards in all aspects that make a great night out: outstanding programme, hosts, and refreshment table. The whole night was real polish deserving a AAA for the creative works of their directors and choreographers/creative cohorts, who all appear to be under 30. They took the talent of “a creative ensemble of young people” and gave us a night that would easily have also seen standing ovations on stages abroad.
Credit to the Executive Board and production team for the conditions that made this possible. They gave 15 choreographers a real stage, real trust and the space to create work that stood shoulder to shoulder with professionals. That doesn’t happen without leadership and coordination.
Now the reality: talent like this doesn’t run on applause alone. If Bermuda wants this to be the standard, not the exception, the funding has to catch up to the ambition. I salute the Bermuda Government, Department of Culture, and a number of local and exempt companies who financially supported this show. And I also salute all of our dance schools who take and develop them at various ages.
I hope the commitment of the schools and teachers will produce the financial support they need. This show was a visible return. Weeks later, I still feel and see it.
- Dale Butler is the Professor of Bermuda Music. When he was a school principal he ensured that the arts received the highest budget in his school and often used his own funds to take students to performances in Bermuda. He believes we are blessed to have so many outstanding teachers in all of the arts in Bermuda and he commends the parents who work hard to make it happen with their children.
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