Dance review: Louise Lecavalier

DANCERS have notoriously short career spans, but happily for audiences at this year's New Territories festival, not everyone is willing to hang up their leotards at 35.

Louise Lecavalier was an integral part of Canadian dance troupe La La La Human Steps from 1981 to 1999, and at the age of 52 is still going strong.

Not only is her compelling stage presence undiminished, but Lecavalier is still in possession of a formidable technique, and has the energy level of a five-year-old on a sugar rush.

Her long blonde hair still whips around her face as she twists and leaps, and anything which may have been lost in the passing of youth has been made up for with emotional maturity.

What let her down slightly here was the material. Choreographed by DV8 co-founder Nigel Charnock, Children was a passionate duet between Lecavalier and Patrick Lamothe.

There were several moments of undeniable brilliance, most notably the sections of tight unison performed with a rare urgency, and Charnock's musical choices were inspired. At 50 minutes, however, the piece felt unnecessarily padded.

A Few Minutes of Lock, on the other hand, was far too brief. Filled with Lecavalier's trademark barrel jumps (a kind of horizontal pirouette) and quick-fire entrechats, this short piece for three dancers was taken from two works by La La La's douard Lock – choreography that looked as natural as breathing for Lecavalier. Now, 50 minutes of that I could have happily sat through.