By Shahnaz (Shiny) Hussain - Arts Reviewer
This week. I had the absolute privilege of witnessing the Eun-Me Ahn Dance Company’s - Dragons at the Milton Keynes Theatre. A creation of the celebrated South Korean choreographer Eun-Me Ahn. I deliberately avoided reading up on the piece beforehand, preferring to let it speak to me in its own language. What unfolded was beyond anything I could have anticipated.
Eun-Me Ahn, accompanied by her company of seven South Korean dancers, shared the stage with six young guest performers presented as holograms on an invisible screen. The dancers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Taiwan were born in the year 2000, and they presented a perspective of their hopes for the future, based on the past, in an interaction between the two sets of dancers which was both seamless, innovative and hauntingly beautiful.
The set was a striking visual spectacle, dominated by a curtain of silver flexible piping and an invisible front-stage screen that hosted breathtaking holographic projections. From forests and clouds to floating bubbles and rippling water, the digital landscape was an integral part of the performance, creating a surreal world where dancers appeared to move within the elements themselves.
The evocative soundtrack was as diverse as the movement. It began with no music at all, only the raw, organic sounds of the performer's voice, before transitioning into a rich blend of contemporary and traditional scores. The music ranged from jarring, robotic synths to the warmth of acoustic guitars and piano, interwoven with the deep resonance of singing bowls and gongs. This sonic landscape shifted unpredictably, keeping the audience on edge and completely absorbed.
Costume design played a vital role in the piece’s visual magic. Dazzling dresses and headdresses shimmered under the shifting lights, their reflective surfaces enhancing the dreamlike quality of the performance. The rapid costume changes added to the dynamic energy of the production, while the interplay between fabric, movement, and lighting elevated the surrealism.
The choreography itself was an eclectic fusion of movement styles from across Asia, balletic grace, acrobatic agility, and Eastern dance traditions combined in a seamless flow. At moments, the dancers literally around the stage, defying gravity in ways that felt almost supernatural. The performance was relentless, holding its momentum for a full 70 minutes without pause.
Dragons was an experience unlike any other. A kaleidoscopic, multi-sensory feast that was thrilling in its creativity and vision. Every moment presented a new texture, a new layer of surreal beauty. The performance had the hypnotic, otherworldly quality of a dream, occasionally veering into the bizarre but always mesmerising. One particularly magical moment saw the dancers leap into water, an illusion played out through ingenious projections, which left me grinning in childlike wonder.
It was ethereal, dynamic, and at times wacky, a theatrical journey that pushed the boundaries of dance and art itself. The sheer originality of Dragons challenged my perceptions of what dance can be, offering an experience that felt almost transcendental. There were moments of profound and out-of-body sensation.
I love the unusual, and I absolutely loved this. A spellbinding, mind-expanding triumph that lingers long after the final bow.
There is only ONE more performance, which is on Saturday 8th. Don’t miss out on this amazing spectacle. You can get your tickets on the MK Theatre Website.
Commenti