LAST NIGHT, TONIGHT AND TOMORROW AT 8 P.M. SATURDAY MATINEE AT 4.30 P.M.

*** Steve Love's New York Express Roller Dance Company gave Bermuda an evening of racy, rip-rollicking, roller fun last night at the Ruth Seaton James Theatre and the capacity audience was ecstatic over it.

Making their Festival debut, the company's diversely talented dancers presented a mind-boggling mix of jazz, hip-hop, break dance, mime and acrobatics.

This would be an achievement on solid ground but all of this was executed at break-neck speed on wheels.

Born out of the roller skating craze of the '80s and riding on the in-line skating frenzy of the '90s, Love's roller dance company has made a name for itself across the US and around the world.

Its eight dancers can all lay claim to an impressive list of achievements in everything from ice skating to classical ballet and have worked with a host of stars from the stage and screen.

And with each of the skaters appearing solo, or in duets and trios there was plenty of opportunity for individual expression.

Over the course of a two-hour programme packed with a mesmerising 22 dances, spectators saw everything from the quirky to the serene.

Most memorable by far were the solo works to which performers had obviously contributed their own powers of creativity.

Company numbers tended towards the hum-drum. The choreography lacked inspiration, going for the flashy rather than playing up the artistry and technique which is clearly involved in this kind of work.

Dated lighting and some awkward costumes didn't help. There were occasional moments when the whole thing smacked of summer seaside revue.

However, Love has attracted some serious talent to his troupe with a plethora of skills, and it is his male dancers who steal the limelight. With his effortless grace, classical technique and truly elasticated limbs, Juan Tocino brought a refined musicality to his solos performed to the Gypsy Kings latin inspired "Volare'' and Louis Armstrong's "It's A Wonderful World''.

In sharp contrast was comic rapper cum hip-hop artist extraordinaire Roger G, who along with fellow skaters Dee Upshaw and Terrell Ferguson stole the hearts of last night's theatre-goers.

The dancers were as vocal as the audience in performance and pumping up the crowds in "Ramblin'', Roger G was the ring-leader here. In "Enigma'' he combined acrobatics with optical illusion to perform some clever tricks with a face mask. And he had everyone in stitches with his impression of pop idol Michael Jackson.

Upshaw and Ferguson turned up the heat with their club-style funk and, along with leader Love, turned some breath-taking spins.

Love's duets with principle dancer Rachel Carrillo created the illusion of skating on ice, so smooth was their account of some difficult moves. I have never seen a death-spiral on wheels before and pirouettes were tight and dizzying.

Technique and precision played a part throughout although it was often overshadowed by the thrills and spills. J.S. Bach's "Air On A G String'', featuring Tocino, Carrillo, Tanya Burke and Shari Clark, however, told a different story.

Here the skaters worked in an unbroken flow of harmonious movement which demonstrated that roller dance is more than light-weight entertainment.

Love's New York Express roller dance company shows tonight and tomorrow evening. Tickets are hard to come by but worth the effort. This one is fun for all the family.

LOUISE FOISTER