Yorkshire Theatre Newsletter: What's On This Week (Nov 27-Dec 2)

There Is No Planet B: Climate Change Comes To Lincolnshire

Harmonica Breakdown was choreographed in 1938 by Jane Dudley (1912-2001), a member of Martha Graham’s company who went on to become a director of London Contemporary Dance School. A solo piece set to a riveting harmonica blues score by Sonny Terry, it speaks to the “misery and defiance” of an African-American woman caught up in the devastation of the American Dust Bowl. One of the five pieces presented by Phoenix Dance company to celebrate their 40th anniversary, I was bowled over by how fresh and radical it felt. And the implied ecological message is as relevant as it always was.

Forty Years Of Phoenix had a celebratory feel, and was a great opportunity for the Leeds company to develop the performance skills of its youngest members. For these youngsters, Covid came along at exactly the wrong time, so it was great to see them embracing a selection of repertoire from across the decades in public performance.

And watching the programme at York Theatre Royal in the company of a random subs…