Hip Hop is a strange medium with which to tackle the homosexual experience. It’s a genre that’s steeped in anti-gay rhetoric and misogyny with ‘gayness’ being viewed as something to be disrespected and even destroyed. This show by choreographer and director Andrea Walker has taken the music and dance of this genre and created a beautiful love letter to, well, love.
If you want a show that encompasses the range of human emotion on a visceral level then Smother is the show for you.
More importantly, it’s love where gender is irrelevant; we principally follow the story of two young men who encounter each other and engage in a typical relationship with the highs and lows that we all experience but there’s also a beautiful side plot where we see two women have their similar but different love affair.
Smother features spectacular dance and a fantastic soundtrack of kick-ass tunes. The dynamic choreography is exhilarating and sensual with moments for each of the incredibly strong cast to shine. There’s careful use of light and darkness with the dancers often performing in very low light or moving through harsh spotlights. Chalk dust or talcum powder is used sparingly throughout the show and it creates an ethereal aura around the dancers. The emotional hit is palpable and anyone who has ever been in love will relate to the experiences portrayed onstage. There’s everything the soaring heights of passion to the awkward fumbling of lust and the audience whoop, cheer and holler along with the beat.
Dance can be a hard sell at the Fringe with so much theatre, comedy and circus to engage your attention but if you want a show that encompasses the range of human emotion on a visceral level then Smother is the show for you.
