Dance of a Million Pieces is a 25-minute binaural piece as part of The Living Record Festival, written and performed by Gemma Rogers and Cary Crankson, with sound design by Rafael Diogo.
Endy (Gemma Rogers) is in a coma and Mion (Cary Crankson) is doing whatever it takes to wake her up to keep her from being taken off life support. They take adventures together and explore memories, as he grasps at anything to pull her back so he can take her home from the hospital. The balance between imagination and real life is well interlaced to portray his battles between facing reality while still being hopeful that she will wake up. This short performance combines hypnotic visuals layered with voice-overs to tell the narrative. It is obscure and emotional as it takes you on a journey to show the grief of losing someone you love.
It took me a little while to get into it, the first half I found quite confusing as the relationship between the two isn’t obviously romantic until the second half. Although the aggressive desperation in Mion’s voice came across quite too intense at times, the acting from both performers was well done and I became more invested in the relationship as the script became more poetic. The videos reflected the story nicely and helped it flow, without distracting from the show. Diogo’s sound design gives the characters depth as you feel the distance between them grow as Endy begins to slip away.
Overall, this is an enjoyable piece of work that explores the use of different media to create a well-rounded performance. I would have enjoyed more detail in the storyline, but it handles the concept of grief and letting go nicely.
Review by Hannah Storey
Rating: ★★★
Seat: Online | Price of Ticket: £5
