Darting, dancing, moving together in layers upon layers of small groups of dancers, telling tales to each other with their bodies, the soundscape building and ebbing, absolute darkness enveloping all and razor-sharp focuses of light directing attention first one way then another. Internationally acclaimed choreographer Hofesh Schechter’s Theatre of Dreams totally immerses its audience into a multi-faceted dreamscape that holds the viewer captive for a full 90 minutes, blurring the edges between observer and participant at times as dancers sit in observation and we rise to dance. What results is something utterly remarkable and at times deeply unnerving.
From the first slow blinks of light, long black curtains frame different moving tableaus with each swing and reveal, this is a compulsive dive into the subconscious and fantasy. Frantic fights, passions, furious angles thrown as the beating bass behind the intense music builds like an all-powerful heartbeat birthing through consciousness and into the depths of the unknown. David Lynch, eat your heart out – this is unknown and disorientating, leaving indelible emotions in its wake, tapping into the fears and delights that leave aftermarks upon waking.
It’s also technically dazzling. The company are striking in their movements and intentions, smooth motions that belie gravity and seem to dance in mid air. The trio of musicians provide an impressive soundtrack that manoeuvres through the multitude of moods a dreamscape can throw up with seamless transitions, overwhelming at times in a wave of sound pulling with its own tide. And the staging beautifully adaptable to be confusing when needed, into welcoming, claustrophobic, and a pure blank canvas.
The result is a roller coaster of a ride. It was Shechter’s fiftieth birthday on the evening of the performance, which ended its standing ovation with a singalong of ‘Happy Birthday’ from the company and audience – a welcome touchstone to normality, sealing the shared experience of the show into a netherworld of wonder.
Brighton Dome, Concert Hall
