Motionhouse: Hidden

Fri 10 Oct View Venues, Dates & Times

The world premier from the dance-circus company.

A brand new production from internationally renowned dance circus company Motionhouse.

Building on the success of acclaimed production Nobody, Hidden further develops the company’s unique dance-circus language, absorbing elements from other physical forms and encompassing them into a distinctive and visceral movement language, where breath-taking dance melts effortlessly into thrilling circus feats.

Audiences will witness seven performers as they delve into the world of Hidden, negotiating threats and obstacles to uncover hidden voices and push through to the light.

At times narrative, and at others abstract, the production promises to be a powerful integration of artforms. A pulsing, shifting, and ever-present soundscape transforms and drives the story forward as sound and raw physical movement work together. 

At the cutting edge of live performance and digital integration, the sound environment, movement and dynamic set are visually drawn together by digital projections to create a shadowy and enigmatic world on stage. Changing in the blink of an eye, this living film evokes the real-world experience of constant media presence.

Renowned for gravity-defying choreography and groundbreaking projections, Warwickshire-based dance-circus company Motionhouse hit the road again next month with their 2025 production, Hidden. An exploration of how, in an increasingly divided world, light can come out of darkness in times of crisis, the show received rave reviews at Coventry’s Warwick Arts Centre earlier this year. Motionhouse’s co-founder & artistic director, Kevin Finnan, and the company’s associate director, Daniel Massarella, explain more...

Dance-circus company Motionhouse’s latest show, Hidden, has been wowing audiences in the UK and Europe - and this autumn it comes to Birmingham Hippodrome for two nights and a Saturday matinee. 

The show, which brings together agility, acrobatics, dance, digital projection and a shape-shifting set, is the Warwickshire-based company’s most ambitious theatre production so far - and, say the team, audiences have been responding brilliantly, both to its jaw-dropping feats and its important message.

Created by Motionhouse co-founder & artistic director Kevin Finnan, together with the company’s associate director, Daniel Massarella, and the dancers, Hidden contemplates our sense of shared humanity. It also explores how, even in the darkest of times, people will come together to support each other. 

“The reaction from audiences has been quite overwhelming,” says Daniel. “We’ve had standing ovations at every venue. When a work is being created, you think it’s going in the right direction, but it’s only when it’s in front of an audience that you really get to see its success.

“What’s great about the work is that it’s not one-dimensional. You can take away from it, however you are feeling on that day, or whatever has come out in the press or has happened in the world at that point.

“Hidden strips people back to their basic humanity, when all we have is each other, and that’s the only way we can get through life’s challenges.”

The show makes bold use of projection, with performers interacting with moving images of land and cityscapes, speeding trains and digital screens.

“It’s the first time we’ve used this amount of projection, and people are blown away by that,” continues Daniel. “People are also blown away by the skill level of the company. It’s one of the ‘danciest’ shows we’ve done, integrated with the highest level of circus. So there’s something for everyone. Some people like the digital, the gaming and the more cinematic experience, while the ‘more emotional’ people really like that emotional draw, and the fact that it makes you feel something.”

Kevin was inspired to create Hidden after watching international catastrophes, including floods, wildfires and war. With every disaster, there emerges a resilience, which is achieved through human connection and kindness.

“Hidden is a show about us,” he explains. “There are things that are very dark moments for people all around the world. And as well as this, within our own lives, everyone encounters moments that are really, truly dark.

“But then Hidden is the thing that comes through in the darkest moments - it’s when people can be at their very best, and work together and be together. So, rather than worrying about ‘us’ and ‘them’, we help each other and support each other. 

“As well as the darkness, we are seeing that element of support which is so often hidden. We need to celebrate that, and celebrate humanity and the very good people we can all be.”

Founded in 1988 and based in Leamington Spa, Motionhouse has built a reputation for breathtaking outdoor spectacle and imaginative indoor productions. These visual and physical effects are the company’s way of telling its stories.

“When I make a show,” Kevin explains, “all of the flying and the film - what that’s there for is to engage and make the show entertaining to a wide range of people. But the reason to make the show is to connect with people as best we can. 

“When someone comes up to me in tears and says ‘That moved me more than I’ve been moved in a long time,’ even if it’s just one person on the tour, that’s the point. The fact that we are getting that in most venues on this tour is the whole point of everything we do.

“You come to the theatre to be together with the artists and share the experience. Then, hopefully, after the show the audience will take something away. For me, the most important thing is saying ‘we are not alone and you can communicate’ - and that’s what we should all be doing.”

Motionhouse has a longstanding connection with Birmingham Hippodrome, and the team are looking forward to sharing Hidden with audiences there.

“It’s a great thing that we’re taking it to Birmingham at this point in the tour,” says Kevin. “We are one of the Hippodrome’s associate companies, and they have supported us in the creation of the show and shown belief in it. 

“It’s absolutely invaluable in these times to have partners like the Hippodrome, who will support you. We now need to do our part and give their audiences a great show.”

And the team promise there will be plenty of thrills both for people familiar with Motionhouse and for those for whom Hidden is their first experience of the company.

“It’s not a dance show, it’s not a circus show, it’s not a film show.,” explains Daniel. “It combines all of those art forms. It’s like having a smoothie with very different flavours which ultimately makes a very nice cocktail.

“When you come in, having seen what we do before, there is definitely a pressure and expectation there, especially for Kevin, because you always have to be better than your last show. But we did it, and the audience response speaks volumes for that.”

The company are hoping that Birmingham audiences who have enjoyed their outdoor shows - including Wondrous Stories, which launched the Birmingham 2022 Festival in the city - will now come and experience Hidden.

“Motionhouse is a completely different experience outdoors and indoors,” Daniel continues. “The same language is used, but the messaging and staging is very different. It touches lots of people who wouldn’t normally go into a theatre setting, and we hope that will bring people indoors. The joy of theatre is something you can’t buy online; you can’t replicate it unless your bum is on the seat. Being in the theatre, watching a show like Hidden together, is something very special.”

Motionhouse presents Hidden at Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday 10 & Saturday 11 October. The company then returns to the region in early 2026, performing at Lichfield Garrick on Wednesday 25 February and at Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn on Friday 20 March 


on Wed, 27 Aug 2025

Over more than 30 years Motionhouse has built up its reputation for shows featuring thrilling choreography and breathtaking leaps and this new show Hidden is firmly in that ballpark.

Company co-founder and artistic director Kevin Finnan is the lead choreographer but he also credits assistant director Daniel Massarella and the dancers as co-choreographers on the production.

Hidden aims to explore and encapsulate the idea that people are better together – that when crisis comes we can turn to others and they will help us and even save us.

So at the beginning we see individual characters trying to cope with life – one is alone in the middle of a busy city, another is physically isolated as he plays computer games, a couple only have eyes for each other. But through the course of the work these individuals increasingly rely upon each other both emotionally and physically.

By the end the characters are so combined they move as one body with writhing limbs making it difficult to distinguish which arms or legs belong to which, they have come together as a whole.

Along the way there are various musings on this interdependence with scenes in which a character falls from a height and will only be safe if those underneath catch them. Or one holds the only light on stage in constant illumination on their partner. Or two dancers are trapped in giant plastic wrap until one can rescue the other.

The highly skilled seven performers capture these moments with raw intensity and achieve countless feats of dance and acrobatics which deserve rounds of applause in themselves.

At times the message is clear and at others it is more obscure but different audiences will find meanings in different ways. The episodic nature of the piece would also allow for excerpts of it to be performed at festivals or other settings in the future.

As with previous Motionhouse shows, the sets are integral to the choreography. Designed and created by Simon Dorman, the first act’s set fills the stage with two large metal frames which the dancers constantly shift, dancing with them, on them and under them.

At the beginning these frames are covered by cloth which provides a screen for some brilliant projection created by a team comprising Logela Multimedia and Barret Hodgson. The images are shown both on the back wall and across the frame screens giving the dancers the opportunity to interact and react to scenes of crowds thronging the streets of London or computer graphics swirling overhead.

We are even taken into the London Underground so that at times it feels like we are ascending or descending the giant escalators or being transported on a physical journey.

In the second act the scenery changes to a huge ramp on which the dancers balance with incredible dexterity while also emphasising the need to literally support and hang on to each other.

A score composed by Tim Dickinson and Sophy Smith provides an essential component of the piece as pulsing rhythms reflect the manic rushing of the opening scenes and lyrical strings accompany the more languorous or tender moments.

The production’s second act is much shorter than the first at a half hour and hour respectively and the entire audience was asked to leave the auditorium at the interval which is timed for 30 minutes so be advised, you might want to pre-order a drink for the break!

Hidden is an ambitious work which demands a great deal from its dancers. An interesting reflection is that if you are dependent on your fellow performers to ensure your safety when you dance then as a company you are providing that support and resilience which Hidden aims to celebrate.

Four stars

Hidden was reviewed by Diane Parkes at Warwick Arts Centre on Thursday 6 February, where it shows until 9 February. It then visits Birmingham Hippodrome on 10-11 October.


4 Stars on Fri, 07 Feb 2025

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