Sadler’s Wells, London Rooted in traditional Greek dancing, the choreography only blooms when it ditches folky footwork for more elastic moves The Thread has the hallmarks of a particular kind of artistic product: a concept thought up by a cultural production company that pulls together a team of creatives, including at least one big name, to design a backable and saleable package, preferably with crossover audience appeal. In this case, the Greek production company Lavris invited Russell Maliphant (who comes with his long-standing lighting designer Michael Hulls) to intertwine his own world of contemporary choreography with that of Greek folk dance; and asked Vangelis – the 1980s synth-rock sensation who famously scored soundtracks for Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner – to compose the music. Continue reading...