Dance / Reviews
Review: Little Murmur, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic – ‘Full of invention and sublime movement’
Choreographed by Aakash Odedra and Lewis Major and performed by a solo dancer – on this occasion Subhash Viman Gorania – Little Murmur is a dance theatre show exploring the experience of dyslexia.
Visually enthralling and packed with invention, it’s a hymn to the power and depth of dance as a mode of free expression, and in its choreography, articulates the nature of any experience on the margins of the so-called norm.
Odedra was diagnosed with dyslexia as a young child, and as a learning environment, he found school to be a bewildering and marginalising place.
is needed now More than ever
This confounding world, in which so much seems to centre on literature and language, is expressed through lyrical movement and truly artful projection that shows its protagonist literally to be in conflict with himself.
The visual technology and use of projection from Ars Electronica Futurelab (Austria) makes for some searingly beautiful moments, not least the hypnotic murmurations of birds circling, little echoes of the words which cannot be processed.
Throughout, Little Murmur is undeniably bold in its chosen level of abstraction. That said, the show’s very sporadic dialogue translates less successfully, muddying the question of whether our protagonist ever learns to fly free with the flock, or remains trapped by his condition.
Whether or not Odedra has an overriding message to convey is somewhat lost in the beautiful blizzard of paper that engulfs the stage by the end.
But it’s still a laudable attempt to encapsulate a very particular experience in a new and imaginative way.
Pitched at everyone aged 7+, there is definitely lots to marvel at – even for those at the younger end of the recommended age bracket.
Follow future news and events from Aakash Odedra Company @aakashodedracompany.
All photos: Pamela Raith
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
