Founded in back in the vintage year of 1996 by Athens born dancer/ choreographer Toula Limnaios (known as "the philosopher of dance") and composer Ralf R. Ollertz, contemporary dance company cie.toula limnaios is now viewed as a tour de force on the higher-brow spectrum of the Berlin arts scene.

Adopting a former police gym just behind Prenzlauer Berg's current law enforcement establishment as their atmospheric rehearsal and performance base, there is nothing untoward or illegal occurring here, just physical art experiments of the highest order. And tonight is the dress rehearsal of a new work entitled simply, Wound, which eloquently integrates video, light, dance and performance-art to explore the age-old themes of dreams, pain and human fragility.

Despite the company's heart-on-sleeve conviction and a stirring intensity which underlines the whole piece, not once do they uncouthly bludgeon their emotions or thematic intentions on the audience. Rather, the performance is as gentle as it is powerful. Ute Pliestermann's facial expressions alone speak louder than a jab to heart. There is noticeably a kinship and chemistry between the on-stage dancers and refreshingly, never does it seem that any single individual is battling for the spotlight. Instead they dance as as a cohesive whole.

cie.toula limnaios display both a freshness and a cutting edge rawness often missing in established dance venues, yet  they do not lack anything in the way of talent, discipline or production values. Wound is sophisticated, inventive and moving. Considering cie.toula limnaio’s neighbors, it'd be a crime to overlook them.

Wound by Cie. Toula Limnaios runs at Halle Tanzbühne Berlin
Eberswalder Strasse 10-11, 10437 Berlin, from 14 to 15 and 19 to 22 November 2009. See www.toula.de for more info