Advertisement

Motionhouse, dance review: Going through the motions

Dan Tucker
Dan Tucker

​A woman stands on top of a high wall, lifts her foot and steps into nothingness, falling face first. But the wall is curved and it catches her, her body gliding smoothly to the floor, eliciting a delighted gasp from the audience. This is the best moment of Motionhouse's Scattered, but the fact it happens about two minutes into the piece doesn't bode hugely well for the next 70 minutes.

Scattered, made in 2009, is a dance piece on the theme of water. But it's mainly an excuse to play with this great prop, the curved wall. The seven dancers slide and swoop down it, and then sprint up the vertical with an ease that would put Ninja Warrior winners to shame.

The dancers interact with aquatic visuals projected onto the wall: icebergs, cracked earth, waterfalls, running taps, morphing blobs of water, all in a style much like that of a 90s VJ. The world music-y soundtrack remains resolutely mid-tempo throughout, setting the tone for some rather dull choreography. There are athletic moves, lifts and partnerwork but somehow the effect manages to be pedestrian.

The dancers perform with an expression of smiling wonder on their faces but no sense of their purpose in being here. At one point two characters kiss. I have no idea why. The piece begins and ends with dancers shivering and clutching their bodies in distress. Maybe they're thirsty? Who knows. Presumably there's an environmental message here, but it feels pretty arbitrary.

There may be a few fun effects, but visually and choreographically this uninspiring show feels very dated.

Until 29 April , Peacock Theatre; peacocktheatre.com