Commonly referred to as the Turner Prize for Dance, The Place Prize sees sixteen choreographic works compete for £35,000. To date, the biennial contemporary dance competition, sponsored by Bloomberg, has enabled the creation of 76 new works with many finalists going on to achieve international acclaim.

Yesterday evening four pieces battled it out for the remaining place in the finals, to be held in April 2011.

In his work, Slaughter, Drew McOnie added some West End theatricality to the contemporary themed competition. High-kicks and high-drama domineered, as the So You Think You Can Dance finalist transformed the Robin Howard Theatre into a glitzy down town nightclub.

The 13-strong cast moved seamlessly between sequences, performing in perfect sync to the conspicuous Slaughter on Tenth Avenue soundtrack. Prevailing themes of adultery and murder were reminiscent of a Bugsy Malone style gangster flick. McOnie’s decision to opt for in-your-face, musical theatre-esq stagecraft was brave, but nevertheless entertaining, considering the customary abstract creations that usually feature in the competition.

In direct choreographic contrast, Deborah Light’s solo, Cortex, was a little more difficult to decipher. The piece opened with a large-headed shadowy figure contorting erratically to an eerie musical backdrop. As the lights came-up, the large head turned out to be a voluminous blonde curly wig covering the entirety of her face. For the duration of the piece, Light staggered, shook and jerked across the stage. Despite changing wigs, the dynamics of the movement remained one-dimensional, making for some twitchy moments among audience members.

Although, Ricardo Buscarini and Antonio De La Fe Guedes’s, Cameo, was slow to start, it soon proved to be a strong contender for the competition.

Cameo reconfigured the traditional narrative of cinematic suspense. The piece begins with a woman rolling a dead man into a living room. The three performers (Buscarini, Guede’s and Marina Camiloti), moved fluidly between vignettes, as if retracing the events leading up to the death. For the most part, movement was simple enabling the turbulent chemistry and wry humour to take charge. A unique and intelligent concept performed immaculately through swift spatial interchanges.

Similarly, Rachel Lopez De La Nieta’s, The Devil and the Details, relied heavily on comedy but with a somewhat different mood. Assuming the role of the authoritarian choreographer, she directed dancer (Ben Ash), musician (Thom Rackett) and even the audience with military-like precision. As De La Nieta reeled off a never-ending list of instructions, Ash repeatedly performed a bizarre amalgamation of dance while Rackett beat boxed in accompaniment. But, as expected, both fail repeatedly to meet her high expectations. Adding to the humorous parody, is the final scene where Ash emerges in an all in one tartan cat suit to showcase the complete sequence.

Finalists

The four pieces going through to the finals of the Place Prize are:

Riccardo Buscarini & Antonio de la Fe Guedes
 Cameo


Ben Duke & Raquel Meseguer (Lost Dog)
 It Needs Horses

Freddie Opoku-Addaie & Frauke Requardt
 Fidelity Project


Eva Recacha
 Begin to Begin: a piece about dead ends

Three of the above finalists were selected by a panel of dance expert judges and one, the highest-rated of the 16 commissions as voted for by the audience. Tickets for the finals in April 2011 are on sale now so make sure you book soon and have a say in the destination of the most prestigious prize in British dance!