The Leather Jacket review of Oona Doherty's latest world premiere reveals a raw, visceral dance experience where eight dancers delight in their hard sweaty work under fluorescent lights at Bold Tendencies in Peckham. Doherty, known for her urgent and unfiltered voice, here strips back concept to focus on the physicality of movement.
A Shift from High Concept to Raw Physicality
After the high-concept Specky Clark, Doherty's Leather Jacket feels intentionally minimal. The dancers, clad in leather jackets, slap one foot to the ground in a heavy thud, building rhythm through foot slaps, thigh slaps, and bounces into a skewed Irish step dance. The electronic score shifts to Cormac Begley's experimental folk music as the dancers shed jackets, performing in underwear.
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Honest Exhaustion and Collective Joy
The unison is exacting but retains a human, flesh-and-blood feel. Between sections, dancers pant, sweat, swig water, and laugh with each other, saying, “Can you believe we got through that!” This honesty is what Doherty wants to show: the pushing, perspiring, and getting on with it. The movement itself is not hugely interesting, but the effort and presence are real.
Comparison with Doherty's Earlier Works
| Work | Concept Level | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Hope Hunt & Hard to be Soft | High | Urgent, unfiltered voice |
| Specky Clark | High | Conceptual dance |
| Leather Jacket | Low | Raw physicality, sweat, exhaustion |
The contrast is clear: earlier works knocked it out of the park, while Leather Jacket is more variable but utterly unique.
What Makes This Performance Stand Out
- Intimate setting in a multi-storey car park turned theatre
- Dancers' real-time exhaustion and camaraderie
- Comical theatrical flourishes like a dancer in sunglasses smoking
- A slight sinister undercurrent when jackets are slapped
FAQ
What is the Leather Jacket performance about?
Leather Jacket is a dance piece by choreographer Oona Doherty, featuring eight dancers in leather jackets performing repetitive foot slaps and rhythmic movement, highlighting the physical effort and collective joy of dance.
Where is the performance held?
The world premiere takes place at Bold Tendencies in Peckham, a multi-storey car park converted into a theatre space, under bright fluorescent lights.
How does Leather Jacket compare to Oona Doherty's earlier works?
Earlier works like Hope Hunt and Hard to be Soft were highly conceptual and urgent; Leather Jacket is lower concept, focusing on raw physicality and the dancers' sweat and exhaustion, making it a more variable but honest piece.
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