Irresistible: Scottish Dance Theatre in The Flock & Moving Cloud

Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock
September 11, 2024

While The Flock and Moving Cloud, the two works that comprise Scottish Dance Theatre’s latest double bill, are very different in many ways, common to both is a powerful sense of community. But communities are full of individuals, and both works equally allow space for dancers’ own voices while never forgetting they are part of a greater whole.

An evening of always arresting, dynamic dance, the choreography is sometimes beautiful, sometimes playful. And the finale of Moving Cloud is one of the most joyous five minutes or so I’ve witnessed on stage in a long time. It’s easy to see why the programme was such a success at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Originally created in 2017 for the National Dance Production of Catalonia and now reimagined for Scottish Dance Theatre, The Flock by Roser López Espinosa was inspired by the migration of birds.

The opening sequence builds beautifully. Standing in formation, it’s as if the dancers are initially stretching their wings before taking to the air. The choreography itself is almost metronomic, the movement gradually becoming more complex, the dance more structurally intricate as take off is achieved.

But all journeys have their difficult moments, as The Flock acknowledges. After the dancers collapse with exhaustion, there’s a powerful sense of helping, caring, supporting one another. A duet for Ben McEwen and Luigi Nardone sees one almost lifeless, the other trying to help him stand and fly once more. Full of exceptional partnering (a feature of the whole evening), it’s strong and powerful, but also smooth, fluid and quite beautiful. Others then similarly lift, carry and attempt to revive their friends.

Another section brings in acrobatic dance, almost all smooth with very little telegraphed. A solo by Pauline Torzuloli sees her falling, rolling, as if she is trying to get her body to work but things keep going wrong. Again, support comes from the others.

The notion of the dancers as a flock of birds comes back powerfully towards the end. Freedom shines through as, like a murmuration of starlings, they circle, swoop, dive and roll, the ensemble occasionally giving way to a smaller group before reforming. One duet hints at capoeira. It’s exhilarating stuff, the cast of eight making it feel like double that number.

Moving Cloud by Sofia Nappi is a fabulous fusion of contemporary dance and traditional Celtic music.

It starts slowly, placing greater emphasis on the individual. As the dancers make their way into the scene, their movement is strangely contorted. It’s also incredibly studied, intricate and detailed, right down to fingerwork. Helped by the smoky lighting and the largely white costumes, especially the oversize shirts worn by some, there’s a mystical atmosphere. Although we are seeing people of today, there’s a sense that they are equally inhabited by spirits from the past.

But slowly and surely it builds and the mood changes. A highlight comes in a light, folksy duet for Kai Tomioka and Kassichana Okene-Jameson. But even better follows as it develops into a wonderfully ecstatic celebration of music and movement. As the irresistible, infectious, foot-tapping score of Scottish folk music by Donald Shaw and Glasgow-based music collective TRIP takes over the whole theatre, it’s like a ceilidh where everyone has had at least one dram too many. With their baggy shirts and silt-like skirts billowing, the dancers swoop across the space. It’s such great fun, you just want to join in. A wonderful end to a super evening.

Espinosa and Nappi may be new names to most British audiences. But if The Flock and Moving Cloud are anything to go by, we’ll be hearing a lot more of them.

Scottish Dance Theatre’s The Flock & Moving Cloud programme is at The Place, London on September 17 & 18, 2024. Running time approximately 90 minutes including an interval.