Elements is a performance that does what the name implies. Bringing earth, wind, fire and water onto the stage and into the choreography, it takes the audience on a journey through time and space. Slipping in and out of genres it moves from traditional African dance to modern day derivatives thereof such as street dance and Jamaican dancehall, and then back again.

The eleven performers are not just dancers but actors, musicians, and singers. Lighting, sound, costumes, props, and film sequences all interact with the dancers to tell a captivating story.

Elements is a collaboration between "H" Patten of UK based Koromanti Arts, and F. Nii-Yartey, artistic director of Ghanaian dance company Noyam. Created with the intention to push the perceived boundaries of African and Caribbean dance, this piece touches our intellects as well as our emotions.

The performance is very theatrical and the dancers - at times unruly individuals, at times moving and breathing as one - convey a whole spectrum of emotion from joy to sadness. They marry strength and technique, energy and direction in a way that brings more life to the piece than what can be captured on a small stage.

As the dancers face the members of the audience but look through and beyond us, each and every one of us silently imagine what it is that they see. At that moment, as the audience is put to work, the true magic of live performance is achieved.

Reviewed by Jenny Enarsson