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The Nest

 
Richard Beck Review by Richard Beck 4 Published: 23 Aug 2025 theSpace @ Niddry St Show Dates: 19 Aug 2025-23 Aug 2025

A birth is danced in The Nest at theSpace @ Niddry Street, marking the first professional show by the company Ale Martín, dedicated to building bridges between Butoh and contemporary dance.

A slow-motion evocation of the first tentative movements of a new life

In an interview with Broadway Baby, Spanish performer Alejandro Martín de Mier explained that Butoh is a Japanese style of dance dating from the 1960s. “It’s characterised by slow movements and an abstract way of showing ideas and meanings. It really goes to the subconscious part of the mind.” There is no formal technique to Butoh, but he has a background in contact improvisation, contemporary dance and physical theatre, which is evident in this performance.

Speaking of The Nest, he said, “It's about birth and transformation. It is a way of living. Imagine each moment lived as a baby trying to come into this world; a small chicken cracking the egg. In my show, I present reality, rawness, struggle, enthusiasm, joy and pain.”

His movements are a study in the art of control. Positioned mostly on the floor or, when standing, bent in two, we witness a series of foetal contortions with minute and intricate movements of the feet, hands and fingers, along with rotations on the spot. Shaking and quivering occasionally give way to stretching sequences that suggest the unborn’s struggle and hope for birth and release from the confines of the womb, though that moment has not yet arrived.

The soundscape, combined with music created and performed live by his partner JULI(o), attempts to capture the feelings associated with birth: “pleasure, contractions, fear, pushing, heaviness, excitement, release, intensity.” He explains, “First, we just use guitar and amplifier, drone style with a little bit of hardcore. Second, absolute silence. And third – oh! I love it! – it is a loop in crescendo with different instruments like Tibetan singing bowls, claves, shaker, hand drum, voice and other sound effects.” The effect is both ethereal and earthy, reflecting and enhancing the moods associated with birth, with the help of simple lighting that ensures the focus is always on the movement.

These elements combine in a fascinating and hypnotic dance, a slow-motion evocation of the first tentative movements of a new life.

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The Blurb:

In the nest, a birth is danced. In this dance piece, a blank body surrenders to the continuous cycle of birth and death. Thrown into gravity, lifted by vital force. A body dancing between heaven and earth. Breaking the shell, leaving the darkness, bidding farewell to the aquatic life, opening the gaze, coming into the world. Pleasure, discomfort, slowly… breathe… hold me... enjoy... silence. Walk, fall, listen, fight, laugh, scream… dance. Silence.