The audience were plummeted into a pitch black, free form, leaf -strewn Pegasus Theatre for last night's performance of Bridging the Void and then abandoned in the dark to their own devices. To begin with this felt disorientating and a little like being in a sensory-deprivation tank. Then, out of the dark, it sounded like everyone was shuffling around uneasily, unnerved, discombobulated and giggling uneasily - unsure where to go or what to do. Gradually the sounds of dawn filtered through this nervous chatter with the opening strains of James Welland's accomplished score. This underpinned the whole performance: ebbing and flowing in the preternatural dark and building to a dazzling crescendo matched by the projected dawn light over Primrose Hill, immaculately reflected in the technical staging of the piece.
As the sun rose three female performers began to dance and in so doing interacted extensively with the promenading audience. Initially the audience were reluctant participants in the drama unsure who the performers were or what they were doing, but with each movement the audience were provoked into spontaneous reaction – making space for dancers dramatically sashaying across the floor or using a nearby audience member for support – and as the sun rose, the music intensified and the audience warmed to its role as a central tenet of the piece. The performers seemed untroubled and relaxed with this free flowing approach and there appeared to be no flaws or hesitation in their performance in spite of the dangers of dancing amongst an audience which could easily have proved to be an almighty trip hazard. It would be fascinating to see an aerial view of
Bridging the Void in order to better perceive the complex group dynamics involved and to see the full effect of the immersion of the dancers amongst the audience. This approach also means each performance is unique and the dance feels spontaneous, personal and specific to the moment.
As well as being physically accomplished the dancers also directly touched the audience and projected many poignant emotions onto them. In addition to the soundtrack and audience sustaining the piece, the constant image of the sun rising over London was central in creating a dramatic performance. The full effect of this multi-media approach was evident by the end of the piece when the dancers were performing on film, on Primrose Hill in glorious sunshine. By which time the audience were full participants in the performance - several members of the audience were sat on the floor watching and one participant was so relaxed they had reclined to enjoy the spectacle as though enjoying the dance after a pleasant picnic. Indeed throughout the re-enactment of the sunrise there were aspects reminiscent of the dynamics of a festival from noises off to mosh pit barging.
As
Bridging the Void's creator, Rachel Johnson says in her interview in the Oxcast Extra her aim when creating the piece was to 'intrigue, entertain and engage' and this was clearly achieved in novel and unusual ways during last night's multi-media dance to the dawn.
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