What can we say about Motionhouse Dance Theatre that hasn’t already been written? Well, probably quite a lot since our book ‘Motionhouse The Untold Story, Living The Dream with Very Little Cash’ couldn’t find a publisher.
Having previously toured the country with works involving scaffolding (‘Volatile’), mountains of sand (‘Perfect’), too many objects for words (‘Driven’) and huge diggers (‘Road to the Beach’) the company have decided to make things easy for themselves this time out by touring with a giant half pipe ramp made out of fibre glass!
‘Scattered’ is all about water which thankfully remains mostly virtual and there are no silly ‘Flashdance’ moments to be seen.
The aforementioned ramp also acts as a projection screen for numerous motion graphics all with a water theme. When all goes well (which is 99% of the time) the dancers interact with said graphics to good effect.
Motionhouse say this much of ‘Scattered’;
“Scattered combines Motionhouse’s trademark highly physical dance theatre and mesmerizing aerial imagery with film and graphics, to create a unique visual performance event. Performed on a huge curved floor (think of a half pipe), which disappears skywards upstage, Scattered uses projection technology to create a world in which the dancers move in, on and through the image.
Scattered delves into the majesty and savagery of water, a fundamental force in our lives as seven dancers plunge into an ocean, tumble down a waterfall, gasp with thirst under a scorching sun and slide on an avalanche to a frozen landscape of arctic beauty.
In Scattered Motionhouse are creating a startling interaction between film and live performance, where dancers glide in the air or rapidly move around the space using aerial silks and harnesses.”
The work continues touring throughout the year alongside its smaller, more portable, little brother entitled ‘Underground’. Check the company’s website for touring information.
‘Scattered’ is performed by Junior Cunningham, Phillip Stummer, Claire Benson, Olivia Quayle, Alistair Stewart, Laura Peña Nuñez and Giorgio de Carolis with music by Sophy Smith and Tim Dickinson.