Created by Mele Broomes

Review by Marina Funcasta

Assembly @ Dancebase

At no point do I remember the beginning of Mele Broomes’ show: her dancers, scattered across the stage, move as if they had always been there, floating. Transfixing us from the moment we enter the room, Broomes’ ensemble appeared to the audience like wafting leaves on a windy day, swaying at the mercy of an external force. Securing this fluidity is no easy feat, and as the performance continues, the embodiment of nature proves an enduring and fascinating physical endeavour.

A combination of sweat and castor oil mix on our dancers’ skin to spotlight this work. Broomes and her ensemble are keen to remind us of the work behind the surface, the liveliness of the nature and bodies in real time, shifting internally as well as externally. This energy is paralleled by BSL Performer Salma Faraji, who leads the translation of the piece, performing her gestures with beautiful and cutting precision.

Beyond this, the music also showcases fluidity. This is a credit to Simon Seales, co-composer and collaborative performer. Playing the cello, Seales leads sections of dance in hypnotic melodic sequences. The cello’s dark wood glows in the dark, its own waxy surface camouflaging with the oily haptic surface of our dancers. Repeating a sequence of melodic and movement-based motifs, through warm temperatures, confronts its audience like a carousel of repeating, haunting vignettes of the all too-often forgotten natural world.

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