dance

Plan A for the latest triple bill by the nine member Richard Alston Dance Company: take Andrew Robinson and Darshan Singh Bhuller dancing a duet, a nice bit of Mahler and a movie. Nice idea, but the trouble with a lean, hungry nine-strong dance company is that if one lean, hungry dancer should accidentally fall you are 10 per cent below strength. Accordingly, plan B moves into position: Andrew Robinson dancing a solo, a nice bit of John Adams, and a movie of Andrew Robinson dancing a solo. Alerted to its vulnerability on the manpower front, the company is holding auditions in May for three new company members.

The rethink of the new work is called Orange Peel and is in a triple bill with Ben Wright's NOW (in fragments), another new piece performed by five dancers. As with all really good contemporary dance, at least half the interest is supplied by the music, in this case live accompaniment by the ubiquitous clarinet virtuoso Roger Heaton, cellist Sophie Harris and the extraordinary soprano Melanie Pappenheim. The third element of the triple bill is furnished by Ben Wright and Andrew Robinson's Tank (below). This duet for two men is modern dance's answer to the buddy movie and is danced in the confined space of a 13ft square of light.

Richard Alston Dance Company 26-29 Apr. The Place Theatre, Duke's Road, WC1 (0171 387 0031) 8pm £8 (£6)

Independent readers can buy two tickets for the price of one for Thursday's show. Either take this page along when you book or book by phone mentioning The Independent then take the page along when you collect your tickets. Subject to availability, maximum four per page.