Read on blog or Reader

Review: The Flock and Moving Cloud – Scottish Dance Theatre, Dundee Rep

Dominic Corr

May 28

The Flock - Concept and Direction by Roser Lopez Espinosa

Moving Cloud - Choreography by Sofia Nappi

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Tickets

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Ask most of us what special gift we could wish for, and a significant portion would express our innate desire to fly. A celebration of two company's roots in Scottish culture and Scottish Dance Theatre, Roser López Espinosa's The Flock captures our fascination with migratory birds and the envy we have for their freedom. While Sofia Nappi's Moving Cloud is the ceilidh we all want to be invited to, full of ingenuity, music, and moves that duck and weave their way from traditional to contemporary, to outright fun and energy.

Ahead of the double-bill's run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the Made in Scotland showcase, The Flock and Moving Cloud transports audiences at the Dundee Rep to unique realms and to look at experiences of the human condition in a fresh light.

Jou Serra's lighting transitions us through time and season, the entire troupe movements correlating to the migratory birds' paths to and from the warmer climates to escape the harshness of winter – and along the way, we spot recognisable moments of love, of companionship, and comradery in our avian fellows. Often light-limbed and in unison, flights of fancy make up a lot of Espinosa's choreography (created with the dance team) but still possess a strong central core of lifts and more jovial movements to capture both the updraft of flight and the sturdiness to convey precision in footwork and open space of breath.

Where The Flock achieves serenity with the sound and flow of movements at the centre of its construction, The Cloud has one tremendous addition to their performance tonight with live music provided by the fantastic Trip, following their initial partnership with Moving Cloud as part of the Celtic Connections Festival 2023. Now, they return, flooding the space with kindred Celtic traditional music, thundered out with a contemporary pulse. The music becomes the counterpoint and beat, expectantly, but is so tightly incorporated the pair become inseparable – despite their talents and mingles with Donald Shaw's original composition in a manner which, just about, makes the music the most impressive element of the night.

It's explosive – Nappi's structure switching between a post-wedding shindig (with some exceptionally creative costuming from Alison Brown) and a cypher, where the dancers form a circle – almost in a street battle sense to showcase their various techniques and styles. But it always to a grand sense of comradery and energy, with an intense line directly to rich emotions, which has a distinct way of breaking the habits one may expect with a movement piece.

There's a sense of hope and momentum for new movement present in both pieces, regardless of their differing styles and energies. Bookended, the pacing is snappy, enough to bring forth a narrative and life without overcomplicating matters. Come for the feathery flights, stay for the bombastic celebration of emotions. The Flock and Moving Cloud is an absolute must-see for dynamic storytelling and dance enthusiasts at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Celebration of Movement

The Flock and Moving Cloud were performed at the Dundee Rep May 24th - 25th.
Running time; The Flock,- forty minutes. Moving Cloud - twenty minutes.
Photo credit - Brian Hartley

Review by Dominic Corr

Editor for Corr Blimey, and a freelance critic for Scottish publications, Dominic has been writing freelance for several established and respected publications such as BBC Radio Scotland, The Skinny, Edinburgh Festival Magazine, The Reviews Hub, In Their Own League The Wee Review and Edinburgh Guide. As of 2023, he is a member of the Critic's Award for Theatre Scotland (CATS) and a member of the UK Film Critics.

contact@corrblimey.uk