2FaCeD Dance Company's State of Matter at The Courtyard, Hereford

11:07am Tuesday 4th November 2008

ONE hour and seven men added up to 60 high-octane minutes of dance as 2FaCed Dance Company brought State of Matter, their current sell-out show, to their home at The Courtyard last night.

And every one of those 60 minutes was made to count, as a seamless performance by the company fused a dazzling array of dance styles to hypnotic effect.

Gravity defying handstands and headspins, breakdancing and body-popping were synthesised with balletic agility and grace to create a work that defies pigeon-holing. Intricate choreography by Tamsin Fitzgerald combined with the dancers’ exhilarating physicality to produce a breathtaking performance which held the audience spellbound throughout.

And when you thought it couldn’t get any better, an outrageously infectious finale which saw Fred Astaire footwork given a 2FaCeD twist, raised rapturous applause and whoops of approval.

This show was a powerful demonstration by a company that’s clearly going places - and with new sponsorship and a sell-out tour of the UK under its belt, Hereford should breathe a huge sigh of relief that the brick wall the company faced earlier in the year, with the withdrawal of its Arts Council funding, has for now been demolished.