Last night, Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) hosted a boundary-pushing, multi-media production from revolutionary dance company Stopgap. Lived Fiction, directed and choreographed by Lucy Bennett, features entrancing performances from six dancers, who are variously Disabled, Neurodivergent and Non-Disabled. The result is a mind-opening exploration on the nature of communal dance and how the art form can be experienced by audiences. 

On entering MAC’s theatre space, the dancers of Stopgap are already in position, cycling through a series of stage-spanning movements. Each dancer is unique in their dancing style - which somehow enhances their collective movement - and they bring that personal style into each setpiece, whether performing solo, in pairs or in unison. 

The first solo performance of the evening showcased the talents of Nadenh Poan, who was seated throughout in his dance wheelchair, and later joined by standing dancer Emily Lue-Fong. Their duet was exquisite - a romantic dream, bathed in the golden lighting design of Jackie Shemesh - with a gentle interface of the pair’s bodies and strength.

Further duets bring the contrasting dance styles of the company into focus. A piece performed by Hannah Sampson and Jannick Moth begins as a birdlike ‘call and response’ sequence, and becomes a touching and tentative display, narrated by recordings of the two performers. 

Monique Dior Jarrett and Christian Brinklow’s dance uses the difference in the performers’ stature to explore ideas of power, and the physical connection between the two. In a live audio description, Lily Norton poses a question when one looms over the other - is this a cage, a shelter, a trap?

The interplay between dance, words and music is sustained throughout the production. Norton’s audio description, sometimes joined by the recorded voice of Dan Watson, becomes a spoken and projected poem, extrapolating the dancers’ performances and expanding the meaning of their movements - while leaving plenty of room for the audience to create their own interpretations along the way. 

The music and sound design of Dougie Evans also seamlessly functions as an extension and extra dimension of the performers’ bodies and movements. A reoccurring musical theme is an intoxicating close-harmony composition which seems to resonate with the dancers’ bodies. Added to this soundscape are physical noise-makers built into the costumes, designed by Ryan Dawson Laight - rattling zips, jangling keys or snapping suspenders - so the dancers can be distinguished by audience members who are relying on sound, not sight, to enjoy the performance. 

Lived Fiction is on one hand a warm, gentle celebration of difference, and on the other, a radical showcase of skill, which explores how multi-faceted and enriching integrated dance can be - confronting expectations along the way. Don’t miss Stopgap next time they visit the Midlands - and keep an eye on MAC’s programme for more boundary-pushing productions. 

Five Stars

Lived Fiction was reviewed on Thursday 23 April by Jessica Clixby at Midlands Arts Centre (MAC).