One of life’s strange truisms is that you can feel most alone when surrounded by people. Dutch choreographer Emma Evelein captures this with astute sensitivity in her enthralling new work, Gallery Of Consequence. In a busy airport lounge, dominated by a flickering departures board, 16 dancers lead individual lives. Each focuses on their own suitcase, destination, story, brushing briefly against each other as their paths intersect. 

Evelein’s movement style, a captivating blend of contemporary and urban, turns the performers into stylised beings. Staccato steps and languid strides reminiscent of robots, marionettes or computer-game characters remove their humanity, as does the lip-synched gibberish that halts communication. And yet, despite these barriers, connections emerge. Strangers come together, narratives intertwine, and loneliness briefly subsides in joyous, beat-driven displays of dancefloor abandonment. 

Until we arrive at an unexpectedly existential place (beautifully soundtracked by Jeff Alexander’s 1960s song ‘Come Wander With Me’) and our excited hearts start to melt. Evelein already has a mantelpiece overflowing with awards from her various dance films and commercials, and if there’s any justice she’ll soon have works being performed by dance companies across the world. 

The second half of Kismet takes us in a completely different direction, but one thing holds true for the entire show: the current crop of Rambert dancers are incredible. Their capacity to lend and bend their bodies to the individual choreographer’s needs, while retaining a triumphant individuality, is a true pleasure to behold. Originally created for Nederlands Dans Theater in 2014, Johan Inger’s B.R.I.S.A was inspired by the Spanish word for ‘breeze’. And, as temperatures rise, the work (which centres around the dancers’ quest for fresh air) feels timelier than ever.

Following Evelein’s new piece would be a challenge for anyone, even long-revered Swedish choreographer Inger, and as such B.R.I.S.A never quite hits the spot as squarely. But there is still brilliance to be found in these magnificent bodies, as they traverse a dark, soil-like carpet with a mix of wide earthy leg movements and tiny foot shuffles. Despite the deadly serious issue of chasing cool air in a hot climate, Inger manages to inject a fair bit of humour into the piece. A myriad of apparatus, from fans to hairdryers, are used by the dancers to combat the heat, each one increasing in size as the problem (on-stage and on earth) grows. 

Rambert: Kismet is at Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, until Saturday 5 July, Theatre Royal, Bath, Thursday 6–Saturday 8 November; picture: Yiling Zhao.