ZooNation Youth Company, Everland review ★★★★★

There’s nothing like a spot of hip-hop channelling the vibrancy of youth to kickstart a festival designed to highlight the talent of young dancers from across the world.

Watching the inaugural performance of the Next Generation Festival at the ROH Linbury Theatre by the 13 dancers of ZooNation Youth Company, I got to thinking that one advantage of growing older is that you forget how it feels to be a teenager, the anguish and confusion, the perceived hostility of the world around you, the certainty that everything is out to get you, the seemingly uncontrollable seesawing of your moods from joy to utter despair.

Everland, a brand-new work conceived by ZooNation Youth Company artistic director Kendra Horsburgh and co-choreographed by company members, is for oldies a powerful reminder of those years, while offering younger audience members a mirror in which they see their own reflection.

‘I’m only 18 and feel like I’m dying,’ go the lyrics of one number in DJ Walde’s original score. And a little further on, ‘I’m tired of the world hitting me.'

Of course, not everything is gloomy, and the work moves from long sequences of introspection to explosions of joy, when the talents of these hip-hop dancers come to the fore in thrilling manner.

The narrative explores the process of growing up through the figure of Parker. At first he refuses to acknowledge his shadow, nicely drawn in Joanne Marshall’s inventive lighting design. His journey to self-acceptance ends when he meets Avery and the two connect through their shadows.

There is, however, a structural imbalance, which means that the quieter, darker sequences of Everland, which symbolise Parker’s journey and make up the bulk of the work, go on too long, without appearing the move the narrative forward. It may well be that that is how life feels in adolescence, but it doesn’t quite work dramatically, and it’s a relief when normal, boisterous dancing returns to the stage.

ZooNation Youth Company has been going since 2006 and brings together the best young performers from across the UK. Seeing them dance and interact with each other, now together, now in friendly competition, is always a pleasure. And yes, of course, they should explore subjects that speak directly to their peers. With a little structural tweaking, Everland could become a powerful theatrical vehicle for such a dialogue.