scattered

Scattered

The Old Rep, Birmingham

****

KEVIN Finnan is a world renowned choreographer and artistic director of Motionhouse, the company he started in 1988 in Leamington Spa with Louise Richards.

The company’s work has earned a worldwide reputation and their current production, Scattered, connects us to the natural world, specifically water. This performance is part of a trilogy which includes Charge, which will premier in October this year and Broken, which premiered in 2013. This programme explores the relationship between humanity and the earth.

Motionhouse are innovative and exciting and the strong presence of young audience members show that the company are paving the way to a new and current genre of dance. Perhaps this is because technology and projection is used as a main factor within the performance.

Simon Dormon’s set is simple, with an arching platform downstage that acts as a prop for the dancers to launch off and slide upon. The set is made into something fascinating and new due to its incredible projection of moving image and film by Logela Multimedia.

From the opening the audience are treated to stunning visuals with the constant feeling of being underwater. Flashes of blue waves and changing motions from scene to scene show us the ways in which the world uses, and at times, takes for granted the vast amounts of water that is freely available to us.

The dancers of the company are fluid and become one with the constantly changing visuals. They adopt a fish-like quality within their movements and sequences and truly capture the essence of the metaphorical effects of our relationship and responsibility towards water.

The cast of seven which includes Martina Bussi, Daniel Connor, Junior Cunningham, Chris Knight, Luka Owen, Naomi Tadevossian, Alasdair Stewart and Rebecca Williams bring the fascinating examples of Finnan’s mind to life.

Each dancer is incredibly strong and each give a sheer force of talent, from diving off the Twenty-foot platform, to demonstrating grounded images with their fabulous bodies. The dancers capture the fluid essence of the importance of water, and it gives a worldly effect that reminds us of our ethical responsibilities for the world around us.

With impeccable timing, keeping in tune to the video projection, the dancers have no room for errors. Their focus and strength make it easy to be reminded of our role as humans alongside the natural state of the earth, where water dictates how the earth moves and has the power to be as forceful or gentle as it wishes. No matter how hard we try, we cannot change nature.

The composition of music by Sophy Smith and Tim Dickinson blends in beautifully with the fast-paced and dynamic production. The delicate sounds have tones that remind us of all continents of the world, giving way to the pace and feel of the overall performance.

This is a beautifully visceral piece which has a breath-taking power to excite audiences and connect us to the beautiful nature of the earth. Finnan’s current and imaginative mind gives way to a genre of dance theatre that is open to the new generation. With the addition of technology and an incredibly talented pool of dancers, Scattered takes us to a different world, in order for us to think about our own. To 03-02-17

Elizabeth Halpin

31-01-17 

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