Rambert does comedy

THERE are those who say that music and dance are the key to life. And where would one be without the other?

In recent years the arrival of the Rambert Dance Company in Edinburgh would see the musicians of the London Musici make the trek north to accompany Britain's premier contemporary dance troupe. No more.

"In recent years, Rambert Dance Company has seen the role of music become ever more central to our thinking and planning, under artistic director Mark Baldwin," explains the company's music director Paul Hoskins.

"After a very long and happy association, London Musici has decided to focus on different kinds of projects. I am very excited that our exceptional players will now come under the same roof as our wonderful dancers, and we all see this new arrangement as a logical and hugely beneficial step in Rambert's evolution.

"The existence of Rambert Orchestra leads to all kinds of creative possibilities, and enhances our ambitious plans for the future."

Of course, dance still lies at the heart of Rambert's output, and at the Festival Theatre next week the company's 22 dancers will demonstrate why they have acquired a reputation for being some of the finest and most versatile in the world, when they perform a triple bill of works, including one which looks to Charles Darwin for its inspiration.

To mark the 200th anniversary of his birth and the 150th of the publication of On The Origin of Species, artistic director Mark Baldwin looks to the world of science for his third major work for Rambert Dance Company, Comedy Of Change.

Known for creating his productions around collabor-ations, Baldwin's Comedy Of Change was kick-started by his long-standing friend Stephen Keynes, Darwin's great-grandson. Combining the fascinating and exuberant worlds of evolution and dance, he describes the piece as "a vigorous and beautiful new work".

In Comedy Of Change, which received its premiere in Amsterdam on 8 September last year, courtship dances, display and nature's use of camouflage are all enhanced with a specially commissioned score by renowned British composer Julian Anderson and design by French-Algerian artist, Kader Attia.

Next week's programme also includes Hush, a lighthearted and affectionate look at family life by icon of British dance, Christopher Bruce, and Itzik Galili's sensational samba-inspired A Linha Curva, which has wowed audiences wherever it has been seen.

One of Britain's best-loved choreographers, Bruce revives Hush which has been performed to great critical acclaim in America and the UK in the past. Set to music by Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma, this piece, originally created in 2006 promises to 'lift your spirits' and 'keep your toes tapping'.

A Linha Curva, meanwhile, is danced on a chequerboard stage and is filled with rhythmic pulses and sexual tension, with irresistible samba-inspired lines and curves, blended with a Brazilian-style and contem-porary dance techniques. This new version for Rambert by one of Israel's most talented choreographers has been hailed a real crowd-pleaser.

Comedy Of Change Tour 2009, Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, Wednesday-Friday, 7.30pm, 11.50-25.50, 0131-529 6000