FOR NOW WE SEE THROUGH A MIRROR, DARKLY
by Ultimate Dancer
“Louise Ahl yet again balancing provocatively on the cusp between sly spoof and an uplifting quest for images and rituals that can give meaningful expression to existence.” ★★★★ The Herald, Scotland
Shortlisted for a prestigious TOTAL Theatre Award 2019: Dance
“Louise Ahl performs a kind alchemy…truly, distinctively original…feels startlingly new.”
“Strides the border between contemporary dance and performance art to find a unique way to match physical performance with abstract ideas”
“Louise Ahl yet again balancing provocatively on the cusp between sly spoof and an uplifting quest for images and rituals that can give meaningful expression to existence. ★★★★”
“An abstract, visually enticing world…It’s an exciting and thought-provoking journey. ★★★★”
It is a bright space, light springs from deep below and from behind. There is nowhere to hide. There are 3 obscured vertical figures; a blood sack, a towering meat stack (or stink horn) and a jelly beast.
For now we see through a mirror, darkly is a “truly, distinctively original” mystical dance / live art work by choreographer Ultimate Dancer. Trip on the edge of what we see and what we believe, as volcanic splits unfold, snakes ripple and a roaring wind blows.
Mesmerising, bizarre and uplifting, this tongue-in-cheek piece features an evocative and hilarious voice-over text which takes visual interpretation to a whole new plane of existence.
Immerse yourself in a visually striking and funny world, which can be placed under the slogan of its favourite motif – a smiling snake, a dying sun and the gentle droppings of unclean slime.
“Louise Ahl yet again balancing provocatively on the cusp between sly spoof and an uplifting quest for images and rituals that can give meaningful expression to existence.” ★★★★ The Herald, Scotland
Footage available on request.
Choreography/Concept: Louise Ahl
Created and performed by: Jo Hellier, Peter McMaster and Ultimate Dancer
Visual Description: Company in collaboration with Juliana Capes
Dramaturgy: Crystal Cooper
Scenic Painter: Cloot & Stori
Photography: Julia Bauer
Producer: Lydia Zanetti (for Zanetti Productions)
Developed through the National Theatre of Scotland’s Starter Programme (supported by McGlashan Charitable Trust), The Work Room, Beacon Arts Centre and Reykjavik Dance Festival. Supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland and Take Me Somewhere.
Critical responses to previous works:
“Holy Smoke is a live experience that slowly takes over you, a pop shamanic spell like no other. It’s drenched in atmosphere, full of power, and glides between voice and body, sound and dissonance.”
“In the half-light, the tenth-light, the hundredth-light of this performance, the eye catches and latches on to glimpses, mirages, illusions; a primal body materialising from the shimmering gloom and fading back into darkness. The effect is mind-altering, magical, cathartic.”