Maliphantworks4, The Coronet Theatre

Last Updated on June 16, 2026

Russell Maliphant Reprises Maliphantworks4 at The Coronet

5.0 out of 5.0 stars

Russell Maliphant likes the Coronet Theatre and it’s not hard to see why.  There is something uniquely appealing about the current incarnation of this 19th-century listed building in Notting Hill Gate.  Originally a theatre, a preferred haunt of royalty, and then for most of the 20th century a popular cinema, it fell into disrepair. However, it was rescued by Anda Winters in 2014 to start its new life as a daring, risk-taking international arts venue.

Candle-lit circular corridors dotted with quirky props, distressed plaster walls and surely the most stylish bar in London add to the very special atmosphere of its 195-seater auditorium raked so that every sight line is unimpeded, and a smaller studio space.

Taken together, all this creates the perfect setting for veteran dancer/choreographer Russell Maliphant’s latest strand of work: small-scale, intense, intimate and, as Maliphant himself puts it,  offering “a special relationship with the audience”.  Maliphantworks4 had its world premiere at the Coronet in March this year, and returns now for an all too brief reprise run.

The short programme is made up of two works danced live in the theatre, and two short experimental films running in the studio before the performance and during the interval.

The first live piece, In a Landscape, is a solo danced by Maliphant himself… no, scratch that. This immersive, mesmerising 30-minute piece is danced, too, by diaphanous drapes and shadows cast by Maliphant as a result of Panagiotis Tomaris’s extraordinarily ingenious lighting.

As it starts, a heavy off-white drape hanging upstage becomes translucent under Tomaris’s soft light to reveal the remarkably fit 63-year-old Maliphant wearing a stone-coloured boiler suit.  To a propulsive score composed by Dana Fouras, Maliphant’s artistic and life partner, he slowly strikes static poses – knees bend low, arms stretched out – reminiscent of ancient Greek statuary.  Gradually, these poses start to flow together into a harmonious, grounded continuum. Maliphant’s characteristic movement is made up of a combination of ballet, contemporary dance and martial arts, and is informed by Eastern philosophy.

The dancer emerges from behind the drape, and two flimsy rectangular curtains unfurl from above downstage.  And here the magic really happens: by a trick of lighting, Maliphant, standing in the centre where the drapes meet, casts two shadows that dance with him, creating the illusion of three independent, yet connected dancers, even as the gently swaying curtains do their own dance.

The second half of the programme is something else again.  Choreographed by Maliphant in 2009 as part of a Sadler’s Wells homage to Ballets Russes impresario Sergei Diaghilev, it was inspired by the great dancer Vaslav Nijinsky and created on another very special dancer, the Argentine Daniel Proietto.

Entitled Afterlight, it’s a 15-minute solo, set to Erik Satie’s dreamy Gnossiennes 1-4 and lit by Maliphant’s long-term collaborator Michael Hulls.

In a blood-red satin blouson and white woollen cap, razor-sharp cheekbones on a pale face beneath intense brown eyes, Proietto perfectly embodies the archetypal tormented artist.  

He starts turning very slowly within Hull’s ragged pool of subdued, milky light, which rotates along with him.  Proietto’s torso and head bend back as his arms stretch upwards.  It’s hard to put into words the hypnotic nature of his movement.

Later, the light will cover the whole stage, allowing Proietto to fairly devour the space, turning, lying on the floor, only to spring up again with feline agility.  As the Gnossiennes draw to an end, so the lit space gradually narrows to the original pool, trapping the dancer in an inescapable circle.

I’ve seen this piece a good four times before, and I never tire of if – in fact, I’m already looking forward to the time when I’ll get to see it again.

The two short films running in a loop in the studio are studies in movement.  The first offers the opportunity to watch Dana Fouras, who was herself a remarkable dancer both as a classical ballerina and later as a powerful interpreter of Maliphant movement. Backlit, she animates the generous folds of designer Stevie Stewart’s dark costume with her flowing arms and continuous turns.  In the second, Maliphant, suspended horizontally from an elastic band just above the ground, explores the possibilities of movement, balance and control.  Both films are worth seeing a couple of times over.

Maliphantworks4 runs 11/9 to 13/9. There will be a Q&A with Russell Maliphant after Friday’s performance. Free to ticket holders.

The Coronet Theatre
103 Notting Hill Gate
London W11 3LB

For more ballet and contemporary dance, do check our London Dance Previews