Scottish Dance Theatre, Spring Tour '09

 

Scottish Dance Theatre's 2009 tour is thought-provoking and chilling, and an outstanding display of the abilities of its dancers.

The repertoire at Aberdeen’s His Majesty’s Theatre opened with a new work, ‘The Long and Short of It’, choreographed and performed by Caroline Bowditch, SDT’s Dance Agent For Change and Tom Pritchard, the company’s tallest dancer. This short and witty duet is an exploration of proportion. It is a simple yet bold piece, and it sets the audience thinking about the perception of disability, proving that dance is able to address complex issues in a direct, forthright manner.

‘I Thought I Heard Someone Calling’, an in-house collaboration between director and choreographer Janet Smith and the SDT dancers, is an exploration of the possibilities of dance. Primarily looking at cohesion and separation, through movement and the grasping of costume it also becomes a fluid study of line and form. The striking lighting by Bruno Poet and the effective use of a reflective dance surface enhances the structure of this visually stunning piece.

‘The Visitation’, by Norwegian choreographer Ina Christel Johannessen, is quite haunting and is ideally suited to HMT’s traditional and imposing auditorium.

With five mannequins, five ghosts and five people on stage, ‘The Visitation’ is based on the writing of Bruno Schultz. It is a truly chilling interpretation of our views on the supernatural, spanning the real and imagined, and is enhanced by a wonderfully ambient score by Norwegian composers Svarte Greiner and Elegi.

This is a fascinating programme that not only entertains but also leaves you thinking – and just a little spooked.