Migration forms part of our human existence, a necessary step to salvation, escaping a reality incapable of protection, hope and love. Whether you yourself have directly migrated, or from a lineage of those who have done so, this is a life altering experience that shapes communities. Drawing from this facet of humanity, dancers and choreographers Kristina and Sadé Alleyne present Far From Home, an existential dance work summing up what it means to be disconnected from loved ones out of necessity, and long for reunion.
Courtesy of Camilla Greenwell.
Cultivating an atmosphere of camaraderie, Far From Home channels what it means to long for your loved ones yet be torn apart from them by external forces, the Alleyne sisters drawing from the rooted, yet fluid qualities of West African dance – pertinent as Africa is considered to be the origin of humanity and perhaps where you could say migrations began.
Joined by an ensemble consisting of Kristina and Sadé Alleyne, Bryan Doisy, Giorgia Gasparetto, Juan Jesus Guiraldi and Iro Konti, we witness an arduous journey ingrained with challenge, hope, spirituality and connection. An ever moving trail carved out by the collective, each helping the other guide the way for the other. Holding each other up at points, mimicking one another – turning to the the spiritual realm – shadow play a mesmeric feature that begs pause and summons for something greater to bring guidance. Emanuele Salamanca’s earthy, tarnished set design establishing a no man’s land, a place with no name that embodies the confusion of displacement, Giuliano Modarelli and Nicki Wells’s ethereal sound compositions drawing on African and Southern American influences, a continual soundscape hypnotic in its intention.
Scatter Dance Company, directed by James Aiden Kay beautifully foster an optimism that inspires hope – the whole collective reuniting and rejoicing in sustained, unified West African sequences, here we see community, everyone on equal ground, unified. Kristina and Sadé are leading lights in the dance world currently, both showcasing their clear vision as to what the prominent issues of today are – migration an emotive topic that this performance is able to tap into powerfully.
Review written by Lucy Basaba.
Far From Home was shown from Friday 4th to Saturday 5th November 2022 at The Place. To find out more about the production, visit here…
Far From Home will also be play on Tuesday 11th April 2022 at Dance East, Ipswich and Friday 28th and Saturday 29 April 2023 at Dance City, Newcastle.
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