Theatre Review: The Sacrafice, Wales Millenium Centre
Summary
Rating: ★★★
Running Dates: Tuesday 4th of April - Wednesday 5th of April
Where to see it: Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff; Hull New Theatre, Hull; Theatre Royal, Newcastle Upon Tyne (UK Tour)
Duration: 1 hour 5 minutes (no interval)
Keywords: Dance, Heritage, Contemporary
Review
A retelling of The Rite of Spring rooted in unique choreography incorporating Tswana dance (native to Botswana), the show opens to Dada delicately dancing across a dimly lit stage as the three musicians take us into beautifully complex melodies from the get go. The woman is bare chested and the combination is joyful in her experience but we know she is vulnerable. As the stage clears, a maternal character enters and slowly exits stage to mellowing music, establishing a contrast.
We next meet Dada in nature, amongst the trees where she is joined by her troupe in an upbeat, fun dance with playful interactions between the dancers and musicians. The dancers are fluid, rhythmic and the room is full of energy and giggles as the audience is made to feel part of the tradition, play and community on stage. As the music shifts, Dada continues to dance and play in a carefree manner but we see the energy change around her. As this winds down, she is presented a White Cala Lily (native to South Africa) signifying innocence, purity and sympathy.
As we come to an end, our ensemble is clad in white, Dada moves back and forth between her energetic beat and the more subdued background before becoming still and being reunited with the maternal figure we met earlier. She is cradled and several White Cala Lillies are brought to them as everyone grieves and heals together.
Overall this was a captivating performance that took the audience through a range of emotions from fun to apprehensive to intrigued in a beautiful way. We were lucky enough to get the incredible team’s perspective and discover that the on stage chemistry was the direct result of intentional teamwork and play from day one of the rehearsal. It was of particular importance to respect their own communities and this was incorporated beautifully by the vocalisation of everyone’s ancestral names.
The group are continuing their UK tour in Hull and Newcastle Upon Tyne, grab yourself tickets for the perfect city break activity!
Standout Moment: The choreography and tailored live music!
See If: You love fresh and unique storytelling that combine art, history, and classics
Last Impression: A beautiful, joyous and thought provoking performance by an incredibly talented and warm team!
Written by Mishail Farooq