THE spotlight fell last night on local dance companies in the ambitious year- long Merseyside dance festival LEAP – and they acquitted themselves pretty well.

There were four of them, although the group, Movema, offered a film rather than a dance work. In the event, it was one of the most exhilarating 12 minutes of the night.

It certainly went a long way to explaining the power of dance by showing short clips of people dancing from across the world, some taken from YouTube.

Here was a boy dancing in a snowy street, three dancers performing in an urban setting, break-dancing, ethnic dance, someone moving on a small frozen pond, mass dancing at a festival and even someone dancing on the moving pavement at an airport. These were not professionals for the most part, but simply people who liked to dance.

The dance scenes were intercut with interviews with different people who enjoyed dancing and tried to explain why. Sometimes there were single images, often up to four running at the same time.

Presented like an internet browse complete with grainy pictures, type and peculiar sound, the cumulative effect was a great outpouring of dance energy and enthusiasm.

Fragmented Performance Company, made up of graduates from John Moores University, also used film in their work Persistent Motion.

With a country/folk music score from the John Butler Trio, the four female performers appeared in black and white on the big screen and live on stage.

The companies had all been given the theme “technology and/or communication” by LEAP organisers Merseyside Dance Initiative, but this work seemed more abstract than most.

The Jo Cork Company, from LIPA, also offered four female dancers in We Must Because We Can to a peculiar accompaniment by Adam Webster who made screeching noises on a cello. Ms Cork choreographed some quirky movement which included dancers leaping on the backs of others and strange shapes being created. The occasional touch of humour was welcome in what was a bit of a curiosity.

Highlight of the night was the Taciturn company with Grapple, danced to an insinuating Philip Glass score. Four more female dancers, this time dressed in black trouser suits, performed some outstanding dance moves with a sense of purpose and ingenuity. A ticking clock opened the piece with the dancers acting like clock mechanisms.

This time, the dancers did seem to communicate with each other and – my goodness – we even had some smiles. The music and lighting were well chosen and the choreography by Lisa Perry was outstanding.

At just 17 minutes, I would have liked to have seen more, so it is good to note the company is now working on a complete evening of dance. It will be worth looking out for it.