Rye News reported a few weeks ago about an extraordinary dance experience to be held at the Monastery. Productions occurred across the Easter Weekend, and there will be three more performances on April 28-30. We asked two people who attended the performance, Beth Connock and her son Toby, for their reactions. Here they are:
Beth: “We arrived at the Monastery wondering how our Easter Sunday afternoon would go, and were immediately greeted in a very unusual way, invited to don masks, like a masked ball and head out into the garden! The Monastery is an incredible place which lent itself perfectly to the dance ‘Transcendence’. Invited back and up to the great hall, the immersive experience took off and was precisely that: splendid, modern dancers spinning the storyline in a purely visual way, accompanied by incredible music; the interpretation was electric, cruel, threatening, sexual, and at times, completely overwhelming. Moving from one area to another, up and down, enhanced the feeling of being a part of the tragedy and kept us spellbound throughout. We left feeling speechless, out into the streets of Rye, knowing we had been part of something rather special.”
Toby: “While I really enjoy going to see performances, modern dance isn’t something I know anything about. So I went in having absolutely no idea of what the performance would be like. On top of that, when you arrive at a venue and someone holds out a gold-painted mask, it tends to show this is going to be more unusual than your everyday show. However, nothing could have prepared us for the incredible spectacle that would follow.
“With no knowledge of the storyline bar what a quick Google search had told me – and almost no words spoken at all – you’d think it would be hard to follow. But this performance was so emotive and visceral, that you couldn’t help but be caught up in the storytelling. Eerie, jarring and powerful, the dance – combined with a masterful soundtrack – was nothing short of spectacular. We walked away feeling like we’d seen something very special – even if a bit off balance given the often threatening and sexual undertones. It’s not for the faint-hearted!”
Image Credits: Abigail Cooper-Hansen .