Lived Fiction, Stopgap Dance Company Review
Written by Jasmine for Theatre and Tonic.
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.
Part of Southbank Centre’s Unlimited & You Belong Here series, Stopgap’s Lived Fiction is described as ‘the manifestation of Stopgap’s twenty-year history, a timely intervention that can shape the future of contemporary dance’. I would argue it points to possibilities that should shape the future of not only contemporary dance but theatre too.
Lived Fiction is a beautiful expression of creativity, which doesn’t ask you to suspend your disbelief, but rather to be entirely present with them, to feel part of this personal and tender dance show. The way that the audio description is not purely a functional aspect, but a spoken word piece that does not only describe what the dancers do but at times how they feel, what they imagine, and how they affect one another, is what makes this production stand out. The words blend in with and sometimes even make the music so that the dance and the sound feel even more inextricably linked than they would in a traditional dance piece.
There is throughout the show always an emphasis, even in the collective moments, on how the dance is not a fixed series of moves, but rather something each dancer takes into their body and expresses in a way that is unique to them. Even when they are all together, their individuality is never lost, nor is their connection with each other. It means you can really get a sense of how this show was devised, of how each of the performers unique approaches are valued by this performance. Watching this show, therefore, feels like a privilege, as we get to see the different styles of each of the dancers - whether its Hannah Sampson’s hips (and incredible trousers!) or the way Nadenh Poan turns his world upside down, each of their moments in the spotlight feel like expressions of how each performer loves to move.
Lily Norton, the audio describer and co-writer, has a beautiful relationship with the dancers onstage, and the way they and their desks would move in and out of the outskirts of the piece was one of the most inventive aspects of Lived Fiction. The writing shows how fun and inventive audio description can be when you make it an integral part of your show - sometimes this doesn’t even need to look like words, at the start of Act 2 it looks like the sound itself being shown on the projector. I also loved the inclusion of the ‘Voice of DAN’ - an audio describing voice which is often surprised by what happens onstage and which creates another really fun level to the performance.
Another way they have incorporated accessibility into the show itself, is through Jackie Shemsh’s creating lighting design which they know will work for relaxed performances with the house lights up. In the Queen Elizabeth Hall for example, there were moments where lighting across the stage created silhouettes of the performers all the way up the walls - it was beautiful. Another lovely aspect was when the light created corridors on the stage, and the dancers would base their movement on that line. As with most aspects of this show, it wasn’t something that happened separate from the performers but was rather something they could actively interact with.
Lived Fiction is going on tour, so if you missed this production you still have opportunities to see the show in Salford, Ipswich or Berlin. All access information is available here including what to expect, a visual story, and a sonic story. It is truly a lovely room to be in, so I’d really recommend going if you have the opportunity.
★ ★ ★ ★
