Southbank Centre, London
Dewey Dell bring resonant energy to reinvent one of the most frequently revisited pieces in dance history

The backspinning b-boy spiders are a revelation. And the larger than life silkworm oozing along the ground, the stage a dimly lit cave, as if we’re witnessing the beginnings of life itself. In this visual feast of a piece, Italian company Dewey Dell embrace the fierce and brooding score of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring – one of the most frequently revisited in dance – in a way that feels both fantastical and resonant.

Stravinsky’s music was originally interpreted by Nijinsky and the Ballets Russes in 1913, based on the idea of the pagan sacrifice of a young maiden to usher in the spring. In this version, when a huge red flower blooms with a long protruding gold stamen, and two beautifully designed leaf insects come prowling up behind it, or as a fearsome mantis-type hunter fills the stage, you might also be reminded: nature is all sex and death. And beauty a useful tool to achieve its ends.

At the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, London, until 25 January. MimeLondon runs until 1 February.