URS DIETIRICH, in his solo dance piece And Suddenly ... at the Peacock last night, proved to be a highly-skilled performer, his well-trained body precision controlled so that he was able to execute movements in slow motion and hold difficult poses effortlessly. Unfortunately, the piece itself, which he choreographed with Susanne Linke, was self-indulgent and repetitive. Though it lasted only 55 minutes without interval, it would have been twice as effective with ten minutes removed.

An ambulance siren prepared us for the motionless body revealed in a pool of light at the opening and close, while in between we saw how it arrived there, hinted at by the rows of empty bottles across the back of the stage. We followed the man's day: rising, dressing, walking, running and, above all, drinking. Swinging a bottle like an indian club, the bottle soon began to take control until it was swinging him, his long limbs weaving in an out of each other as he drifted towards disaster.

There was no programme, so I cannot credit those responsible for the excellent lighting and the collage of sound, which included rain, ticking clocks, plain chant, flash photography, percussion and keyboard. An interesting concept, but what a pity the superb discipline of the dancing was not applied to the choreography.