Following the huge success of their duet ZERO, Torus is the second production by Humanhood, a dance company formed by Catalan / British duo Rudi Cole and Júlia Robert Parés. An ambitious piece for five dancers, Torus brings together ancient Eastern mysticism and cutting edge physics; the interdependent harmony of yin/yang, with a peculiar geometric form commonly found in the natural world. 

In topology, a torus is a two-dimensional space with one hole – a doughnut being the typical example. Topology itself is concerned with the properties of a geometric object that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, twisting, and bending. Of this, the dance piece Torus offers something spectacularly physical, visceral and conceptually demanding; dancers morphing into an infinity of forms that expand then turn back in on themselves, as the torus does. 

The creative elements of the piece: the staging, costumes, lights, special effects and music all developed in the same way, feeding into Torus in interdisciplinary evolution. The hand-painted costumes transformed with the development of movement, says Cole, facilitating its fluidity while revealing its restraint; precise controlled gestures inspired by Tai Chi. The music, a cosmic soundscape with a throbbing dogged rhythm, fuses the drums of Taiwanese percussion group Ten Drum with the music of British electronic duo EIF. 

“I want audiences to tap into where the dancers are on stage,” says Cole, suggesting that we too must form part of the voracious torus. Yet with the piece so complete, our ability to immerse ourselves is frustrated by its demands; one feels sucked in and spewed out to the point of exhaustion.