The Fifth SunSamuel Beckett Theatre, Dublin★★★★★A rare artist creates something so moving that they seem to be channelling a divine universal truth. The choreographer Mufutau Yusuf has made The Fifth Sun for Luail, Ireland’s national dance company, and, like a conduit, he gently shapes the movement, allowing the message to pass through him to the dancers.In the process, layers of interpretation unfold. Lee Curran’s spare lighting reveals a hazy stage where shrouded figures ceremonially take their stance, facing away from the audience. After slowly lining up next to each other, they begin to tremor. Tom Lane’s soundscore includes noises that could be a metal door closing or the clattering of a fan, adding to a slight feeling of distress.This shakiness sets in motion what happens repeatedly: when one person moves, everyone else responds. As the energy shifts, the dancers turn to face the audience and each other with great consideration. Throughout, they interact with care and intention, creating a beautiful, touching interpretation of the nature of being alive and what it is like to grieve.Yusuf has a beguiling way of using individual gestures, such as small, subtle head rolls, within larger patterns of steps that reveal a marvellously prolific movement vocabulary. As Lane’s score gathers force, the steps become more primal, and the syncopation highlights how well the nine dancers work in tandem.Dublin Dance Festival 2026: Luail perform The Fifth Sun, choreographed by Mufutau Yusuf. Photograph: Luca Truffarelli Dublin Dance Festival 2026: Luail perform The Fifth Sun, choreographed by Mufutau Yusuf. Photograph: Luca Truffarelli As they gather power and move to more booming percussion, they display remarkable interconnectedness and instinctive co-operation. Hamza Pirimo dances around the others lying on the floor, energising them. Rosie Stebbing and Clara Kerr intertwine their upper bodies, leaning on each other, as the rest of the group embodies a similar sense of support. While countless tableaux in The Fifth Sun stand elegantly on their own, the individual sections, like so many moments in life, string together to make something much more profound.The Fifth Sun is at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, as part of Dublin Dance Festival, until Saturday, May 16th