SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2024
Roots
Photo from Off The Rails Dance's Roots
A rare and real find, Eileen McClory's Roots, an Off The Rails Dance production, successfully and transcendently brings together multiple art forms for an intimate and idiosyncratic visual, melodic and poetic treat. In the setting of Belfast's Black Mountain Shared Space, where the potential for expression in all forms is enormous, McClory, dramaturg Hanna Slättne, poet Maria McManus, composer Isaac Gibson, glass artist Kerrie Hanna, designer Andy McCormack, costume designer Una Hickey and more join forces with teams of voice actors and dancers to fully envelop the audience in a state of tranquil, thoughtful entrancement.
What makes Roots unique, for me, is the level of sensitivity within the prose, music and movement, which somehow encourages us to gently reminisce and contemplate the substance without taking us away from the moment. It reads as an exercise in meditation and exploration for all involved, with the audience split up into groups of three, separated only by pink, purple and green coloured bibs. (On this occasion, I'm in the "pink team".) Each group experiences a different element of the production at the same time, excluding the enticing prologue and explosive epilogue, where the audience is united in full for a compelling exhibition of dance from Clara Kerr, Rosie Mullin, Ed Mitchell, Harry Wilson and Sarah Flavelle. In our ears, meanwhile, courtesy of the headphones we wear during the production, are sounds and music along with a narrative read by actors Ruby Campbell, Richard Clements, Helena Bereen, James Doran and Laura Hughes.
With such a staggering array of talent, you could be forgiven for thinking it may be a little too much. But it never is. The tone of this tremendously structured piece is beautifully handled, with each element finding a way to inspire and impress. In one segment, for example, initiative is prominent as we both admire the resources which arise from plant life and get involved with a form of gardening ourselves. Gardening is thought to be some kind of alternative therapy in this context, and the relaxing, elucidating effect in this instance of belonging and developing with nature's way and with one another is undeniable.
Photo from Off The Rails Dance's Roots
Later, we are invited to picture two dancers as a pair of trees. Perhaps the literal roots of the earth in search of light and life? Imagine, if you will, that the head and torso are the heart and the arms and legs are the branches, one in search of healing and love while the others, defined as much by their toughness as their fragility, reach out. So, in the form of dance, we get a bold and majestic tale of command and comfort and what drives the search for either.
From initiative, involvement and imagination, to almost pure contemplation, as we are able to appreciate the colour and detail of plant life along with enjoying dance, music and the spoken word as a form of finding peaceful respite amidst the commonly chaotic. It is as if various forms of expression have not only been exhibited but developed before our eyes, and we've been part of it every step of the way – so when the dancers come together for their finale, it feels like an emotive release for them while bringing breathtaking admiration from us. It's spectacular.
Roots is about more than the titular roots which grow in gardens - it is about where we come from, what we are and who we still can be. It illustrates the numerous aspects of its narrative in such a lively, bright and novel fashion that one can't help but surrender to the gentle but forceful magic within the dance, the spoken word, the compositions, the interactions and the landscape. It is the kind of work where it is impossible to hold back the tears near the end, for one can really sense that love and livelihood has been impeccably presented as a joyful counterpoint, blossoming mirror image and compelling complement to the tragic but equally truthful presentations of life's foundations in similarly stunning works of art. Roots is a masterpiece.
Simon Fallaha
Roots ran between Saturday August 10 and Sunday August 18 at Black Mountain Shared Space, Belfast. For more information, click here.