The Place's annual grab-bag of new choreography, Resolution!, celebrates its 25th birthday this year with 72 companies performing across 24 triple-bills. This year's festival sees some welcome returns alongside a host of newcomers – all with the thrilling (if slight) possibility that you could be about to watch the next big thing in dance.
Fans of Punchdrunk might be interested to drop in on 14 January for Punchdrunk dancer James Finnemore's new piece OH|GLORY, inspired by West Virginian author Breece D'J Pancake's short stories. Richard Alston dancer Ishaan De Banya collaborates with Protein's Kenny Wing Tao Ho for Casting Shadows on 18 January, in a duet that promises blurred lines of an altogether more refined kind.
Lovers of hip-hop and urban dance are well-served by this year's programme: Nomadic Souls, who opened last year's Breakin' Convention, give their take on the 2011 London Riots on 24 January; while Botis Seva's company Far From The Norm presents a dark contemplation of "explosive disorder" on 1 February.
Returning to the festival are the reliably quirky Ieva Kuniskis with a new quartet, Women's Tales, on 6 Febuary; Anaish Nathan's Porkpie Dance Theatre with a lighthearted study of arranged marriage on 7 February; and Moxie Brawl's solo exploration of life and love through the songs of Jason Donovan on 15 February. Look out also for Jenni Wren's Slanjayvah Danza on 11 February, exposing what dancers put their bodies through in the name of art in Minor Tears.
Dance fans will already be well aware that the nature of the festival is one of experiment, with memorable performances jostling against those you'd sooner forget. But that's always been part of the pleasure of Resolution! – our advice is to pick an evening you like the sound of, and enjoy it as it comes.
Resolution! 2014 is at The Place, Robin Howard Theatre, Duke's Road, WC1H 9PY from Tuesday 14 January to Saturday 15 February. Tickets £14 (£11 concs). Book on 020 7121 1100 or at www.theplace.org.uk
