Hidden By Motionhouse At Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Derrie Evans
Aylesbury theatre is always a favourite of mine. It has good access for those with disabilities and a spacious area for refreshments. When seeing Hidden advertised I was unsure whether it would be something I would enjoy.
Hidden is a live performance of seven very talented dancers from Motionhouse. Hidden was conceived and directed by Kevin Finnan and choreographed by Kevin Finnan, Daniel Massarella and the cast The performance is depicting a thought provoking and poignant story of a divided world, light can come out of darkness in times of crisis.
This genre of show is not something I have experienced before and was supposed to be attending with a friend who had been to this type of dance show before. Unfortunately, due to ill health she was unable to attend so I went with my adult daughter and being total novices we found it difficult to follow. I struggled to get the gist of the story that showed that light can come out of darkness. I think if I had attended with my friend she would have been able to guide me through the story and answered various questions that I had during the interval about aspects of the dance.
All the seven dancers were extremely talented and showed grace and fluidity in their dance moves. Dancers were able to move silently across the stage whilst displaying mind blowing moves. They were able to jump from high parts of the scenery and land lightly with minimal noise and effortlessly move into the next dramatic part of their performance. The dancers combine their dance moves with breath taking circus feats and showed an amazing trust in each other. The scenery was incorporated into the performance with the dancers moving it around so that it came alive and became an additional dancer. It was breathtaking how dancers could be balancing on what seemed like a scaffolding pole at the top of the scenery whilst others at the bottom were tipping it up as part of their dance. Dancers showed a great strength and agility to be able to hold, lift and throw each other whilst making it seem effortless.
Although there was no verbal communication the communication through expression was very loud and raw. The music complimented each style of dance and was hypnotic in places and dramatic in others.
I found that although I struggled with the context of the dance, I was fascinated by the expressive and dramatic actions of each dancer who seemed to be working independently from each other whilst also being part of the big picture. Dancers showed such a wide variety of contemporary styles of dance I wasn’t aware of. This was a truly exceptional educational experience for my daughter and myself.
For anyone who likes this type of dance it was a fantastic show with breath taking moves. Audiences won’t be disappointed. If you are new to this genre then be prepared to be amazed, educated, transfixed and maybe a little confused.
The show running time is two hours including the interval. The show says it is suitable for those over 7 years old, however I would say over 10 years old unless they are used to this type of performance
The show is playing across the United Kingdom including Glasgow until April 2026 with an additional date in October 2026 at Darlington Hippodrome.
Rating: 3/5 Great for those who like this type of dance, but not for me.
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/hidden/aylesbury-waterside-theatre