Blue Ghost, performed by Flamenco dance company Dotdotdot, is captivating from beginning to end. At first the, stage is in darkness, then flares suddenly crackle and spark from its outermost corners, as dancers Magdalena Mannion and Noemi Luz gradually emerge from the gloaming, and the gathering light reveals composer and visual artist Nick Rothwell standing upstage centre at his music console, from which he creates a sensational soundscape that combines original Flamenco compositions and cantos with electronic music.
At times, rectangles of light projected on the wall at the back of the stage pierce the darkness, like illuminated windows drawing the dancers towards them, or the dancers themselves glow with LEDs embedded in their costumes as they vibrate, twist, and whirl with lightning footwork and stylised hand gestures. Towards the end, a beautiful image of a network of lights, like a pattern of glow-worms, appears behind the dancers.
There is a hint of display and courtship as if they are birds or insects, taking it in turns to show themselves to each other: one dancer wears a long dress and performs a spectacular shawl dance; the other wears high-waist trousers with a jerkin and transparent cloak suggestive of gossamer wings. Their fiercely accurate Flamenco taps are like a rhythmic conversation, both with each other and with the music, as they move faster and faster, their bodies strongly held and tightly centred, building suspense by containing their energy before the moments of release. They seemed to be ephemeral creatures, rather than human beings, that danced purely for the sake of dancing.
There was no programme available at the venue (not even a QR code), but afterwards I discovered that the work was inspired by the Blue Ghost Firefly.
Maggie Watson
26 March 2023
For more information about Dotdotdot Dance’s Blue Ghost, see programme here
Oxford Dance Writers 