Impact without Insight
Review of Tomorrow by 2Faced Dance
Tomorrow is a striking physical spectacle, filled with visceral movement, raw strength, and tenderness. Breathy partnering soars out of slick unison, with emotive gestural motifs layered over a grounded, animalistic physicality. The pace of the work somewhat falters in its transitions, but each section takes a physical idea and wrings out every drop of possibility.
Six dancers negotiate a constantly shifting space filled with stacks of small, wood-effect blocks, navigating them with well-rehearsed precision. This accuracy allows a level of risk that brings us repeatedly to the edge of our seats; diving, sweeping, falling, catching, the dancers eat up the space with a grounded yet incredibly fluid movement language. Often teetering on precariously stacked blocks, the choreography grows continuously more ambitious, culminating in a stunning duet sequence of cradling, trembling lifts which push both balance and trust to the limits, creating images of struggle and support. These are six powerhouse performers, and their physical dynamism paired with delicate expression truly carries the show.
Whilst the dramatic visual experience, beautifully lit by James Mackenzie, and the driving, cinematic score by Thomas Haines add up to what is undoubtedly an enjoyable piece, the choreography does occasionally slip into overly-familiar contemporary dance territory. A rave sequence, though energetically performed, feels like a now-customary staple of contemporary dance theatre, and is one of the few moments where the work loses my attention. I found myself searching for a clearer sense of what the piece ultimately wanted to communicate. For a show that seeks to tackle themes of male mental health, vulnerability, and isolation, it left the social and psychological realities beneath these issues untouched. According to the programme, ‘Tomorrow is a physical response to the things we struggle to say with words’. I would argue that the physicality was, in this instance, not enough.
The work successfully creates an atmosphere of emotional turmoil, filled with visible struggle, without a full articulation of what it wants to say about that. An absence of narrative or character is not inherently limiting, but in this case it leaves the themes and context underdeveloped, giving the authentic, tender performances nowhere to land. While emotionally sincere, the work remains frustratingly vague in its engagement with its central themes, offering no tangible insight into the nuances, or causes of the struggles it portrayed.
If the piece itself starts a conversation, the company’s impressive outreach and engagement work seems to delve deeper. Each performance is followed by a Head Talks panel discussion led by Aaron Gillies, author of How to Survive the End of the World, exploring masculinity, vulnerability and how the arts can support mental wellbeing. The company are also delivering trauma-informed movement projects for men living with mental health conditions in each tour location, alongside schools workshops, CPD, and residencies.
Director and Choreographer Tamsin Fitzgerald says, “Taking this work on tour feels incredibly important. It gives us the opportunity to bring these conversations into theatres and communities across the country, and to create shared moments where people can reflect, connect and feel less alone.”
Tomorrow continues its tour:
14th May – Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury
23th June – Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury
https://www.2faceddance.co.uk