Hall for Cornwall: Motionhouse, Hidden

It can be hard to know what you are going to get when you visit the theatre.  You read a few lines but most of the time, you just don't know.  Maybe its a musical you know some of the songs to, a play you know the story or genre of, a music artist  or celebrity dancers that you know.  Its good not to always see the familiar though and take a risk.

When I saw Hidden in the listings for the Hall for Cornwall, I knew I wanted to see it.  Described as dance circus, I thought it would be stunning and pictured a series of dance performance acts.

We had good tickets, brought early and had a great view.  We were in the side slips and sometimes you can miss a little of the action on the edges of the stage closest to you and the closest back corner.  This production though took place on a large floor covering that finished a metre or so before the sides of the stage, so there was literally nothing we missed.

Unfortunately, my husband ended up not being able to go so I took a friend instead.  It was so good, I still have not told my husband much about it as I don't want to spoil it.  It's actually back in the South West next February at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter for two nights.  I am hoping to go again with him.

It's described as dance circus and it was.  Imagine the very best contemporary dancers, but they also have training in acrobatics and can pull of towers and drops more commonly seen in cheerleading.  They are not doing these things in the precise clean style of acrobatics or cheerleading though, instead they are doing them as dancers, in a truly lyrical and expressive way.  The moves were astounding and some of the things I saw were just...

But it was the artistic and emotive aspect of it that elevated it.  I couldn't tell you what it was about exactly...  but it resonated.  I felt it.  I experienced it.  

The creative use of the set was astounding as well and I really don't want to spoil that either.  They used it in so many different ways.  There were things I had never seen before.

If you like contemporary dance at all, go and see this production.

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