NOBODADDY (TRÍD AN BPOLL GAN BUN) at Sadler’s Wells Theatre

★★★★

“Amongst all the chaos, there emerge moments of haunting beauty”

Making its London début after a premiere in Belfast earlier this year, acclaimed choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan’s and company Taeċ-Daṁsa’s Nobodaddy (subtitled in Irish as Tríd an bpoll gan bun – Through the bottomless pit) is a surreal, beautiful and kaleidoscopic work that fizzes with energy. Taking inspiration and its name from a deity created by William Blake, Keegan-Dolan makes inventive use of the company of nine dancers and seven musicians to produce a profoundly moving work.

The performance starts with a discussion in a hospital between two employees – dressed more like FBI agents than hospital porters – about a patient (Rachel Poirier) who, due to their lack of insurance, is lying helpless on the floor in the centre of the stage. In the face of the indifference of the hospital employees, the patient scrambles to her feet, dresses herself in a red and black suit, and white shirt, and begins the dance. Throughout the piece, Poirier is captivating, commanding the stage with acts of both tenderness and violence. She embodies a chaotic energy that forms one of the twin poles around which the performance rotates, the other being American folk singer and multi-instrumentalist Sam Amidon, whose calm presence marks him as one of the ‘peacemakers’ to whom Keegan-Dolan dedicates this work.

The choreography is innovative: employing a variety of items to create an ever-shifting stage set, including a step ladder and safety mat, a collection of folding chairs, plastic wrap, and a large, mobile box which dancers enter, hang from, and mount. Amongst this set the performers dance and play music, interacting with one another both as their movements respond to the music and more directly as dancers almost crash into musicians. Lighting designer Adam Silverman supports this setting with strobes and other interesting lighting techniques. The piece is contemporary in style and the grace and control with which the dancers move is magnificent, this is especially true of Amit Noy and Ryan O’Neil, who give excellent performances. Doey Lüthi’s costume design is effective: performers wear either red dress suits or grey suits, with Amidon marked out in a black suit. The oddness of the attire adds to the dreamlike atmosphere of the piece.

The music ranges from baroque-inflected classical string trios to euphoric acid techno, passing folk songs and Irish dances, and much is the original work of the Nobodaddy band. This variety in accompaniment is a strength of the piece and the presence of the musicians on stage adds further depth to an already complex performance. Especially commendable performers are the string trio (Alice Purton: cello; Mayah Kadish: violin; Flora Curzon: violin) and live electronic musician Jelle Roozenburg, who casts a comedically isolated figure that must be almost dragged into ensemble numbers.

Amongst all the chaos, there emerge moments of haunting beauty. For Nobodaddy, Amidon selected and arranged a collection of folk songs about death and migration, tracing the shared diasporic history of poverty and toil that binds the United States and Ireland. For all the dazzling brilliance of the choreography and staging, the moments in which the entire ensemble come together to sing these old songs, structured by repetition, and marked with longing and regret, are utterly sublime. The use of a bubble machine in one climatic choral number is surprisingly affecting, the bubbles evoking the transient beauty of human existence. In their sincerity, these moments are transcendental and capture the peace that can be found among discord.

NOBODADDY (TRÍD AN BPOLL GAN BUN) at Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Reviewed on 27th November 2024

by Rob Tomlinson

Photography by Emilija Jefremova

Previously reviewed at Sadler’s Wells venues:

THE SNOWMAN | ★★★★ | November 2024

EXIT ABOVE | ★★★★ | November 2024

ΑΓΡΙΜΙ (FAUVE) | ★★★ | October 2024

STORIES – THE TAP DANCE SENSATION | ★★★★★ | October 2024

FRONTIERS: CHOREOGRAPHERS OF CANADA | ★★★★ | October 2024

TUTU | ★★★ | October 2024

CARMEN | ★★★★ | July 2024

THE OPERA LOCOS | ★★★★ | May 2024

ASSEMBLY HALL | ★★★★★ | March 2024

AUTOBIOGRAPHY (v95 and v96) | ★★★ | March 2024

NELKEN | ★★★★★ | February 2024

LOVETRAIN2020 | ★★★★ | November 2023

NOBODADDY

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★★★★

“a piece that carries a buoyant energy”

The curtain goes up to reveal a young girl in a white dress and a man wearing the mask of a bull playing the accordion. It’s an ominous picture – one that hints at an extensive genre back catalogue of folk horror and pagan-inspired historical stories. But that is not what MÁM is. When the audience has taken their seats and the lights have dropped, the bull mask is removed and the girl takes out a packet of Tayto crisps and munches on them lavishly. This – folk that are rooted in real and everyday people and experiences – is the true heart of Michael Keegan-Dolan’s wild and whirling dance show.

Along with his company Teaċ Daṁsa, Keegan-Dolan has created a piece that carries a buoyant energy. The dancers soar and fall as one breath. Their spirit is infectious, and indeed it is through the medium of infection that the performers often interact with each, causing one another to fall, laugh, or swoon with a beautiful interconnectedness. From moving fluid solos to high-tempo group stomping and twirling, the choreography showcases a range of the performers’ talents, but also allows pockets of stillness for the audience to take in the music.

The music is another thematic success and draws on multiple inspirations. Concertina player Cormac Begley begins the show on his own with some initial lilting melodies, but he is soon joined by Berlin-based collection s t a r g a z e who add more depth and liveliness. Amidst the many refrains they perform are some recognisable folk songs, but they also use their instruments at some points to create more abrupt and stuttering sounds – emblematic of harsh lives and rugged landscapes. The music is best overall when quick and lively, where the dancers form smooth lines and embody a wonderful leaping vitality.

Black and white is the palette of choice for the costumes (Hyemi Shin), but it is not a harsh black, more a faded workaday black that works to make the simple suits and dresses timeless yet also reminiscent of a stripped-back, more rustic era. The lighting (Adam Silverman) largely bathes the scenes in warmth to bring this out, but dips and dims to match when the mood changes.

Inspired by the history and landscapes of Corca Dhuibhne in Ireland, MÁM enacts a vivid retelling of universal themes – war, romance, sickness, and friendship. Although there are some serious mournful sequences, there are also several moments likely to tug up the corners of your mouth (and let me additionally hint that the opening is not the only appearance of Tayto crisps). The set (Sabine Dargent) works cleverly to peel away layers throughout the show, until all is exposed at the end. And the way the movements of the dancers and the band intertwine towards the end mirrors this. As the work progresses, shoes, ties, and jackets are all abandoned to leave the dancers barefoot and free to show what the work wants to enact – a raw, deep-rooted exploration of the emotive history of a place.

Reviewed by Vicky Richards

Photography by Ros Kavanagh

NOBODADDY (TRÍD AN BPOLL GAN BUN) at Sadler’s Wells Theatre

★★★★

“Amongst all the chaos, there emerge moments of haunting beauty”

NOBODADDY (TRÍD AN BPOLL GAN BUN) at Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Reviewed on 27th November 2024

by Rob Tomlinson

Photography by Emilija Jefremova

Previously reviewed at Sadler’s Wells venues:

NOBODADDY

NOBODADDY

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Reviewed – 5th February 2020

★★★★

“a piece that carries a buoyant energy”

Reviewed by Vicky Richards

Photography by Ros Kavanagh

Mám

Sadler’s Wells Theatre until 7th February

Previously reviewed at this venue: