Ascension Dance brings a mesmerising, beautifully crafted show to The Egg.
Ashley Jordan as Weave and Francesca Goodinson as Willow | Photo © Richard Tomlinson
The tale of Willow and Weave is an immersive dance piece, completely nonverbal, as two friends play and explore their world.
Performed by Ashley Jordan (Weave) and Francesca Goodinson (Willow) both of whom are accomplished and utterly engaging throughout.
They respond with ease to the young audience and at times spontaneously using their responses in the performance. This intimacy is precious as it breaks all boundaries and ensures the piece is inclusive, shared and enjoyed by all, regardless of age.
The ease of their engagement allows safety and unsurprisingly all are happy to stay and play after the show finishes.
The set, designed and made by Serena de la Hey, is entirely created from wicker, as are all props used throughout. This natural sense of play and imagination propels the story with in an organic and natural way.
A soundscape accompanies the production, propelling the characters through the various emotions within the story.
Whilst the dance is hugely technical, the approach makes it accessible and it is easy to forget the difficulty of such execution.
The original performance concept was created by Hannah LeFeuve and has been developed and restaged by Ashley Jordan.
This is probably one of the most perfect shows for young theatre goers, it has a huge heart and the warmth of the performers build strong connections with all the audience.
It will be harder to find a more stripped back, effective and simpler way of story telling which results in a hugely accessible and glorious celebration of all that Theatre for the young should be.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Reviewer: Petra Schofield
