Choreographer Kim Yu-mi has created an incredible, mesmerising piece of work with Sleeper, her skilful exploration of the climate crisis. The beginning sets the atmosphere well: there is a large, plastic covered box frame that sits in the middle. The lighting is moody and as dancers slowly creep in from the side and slither around the box, it slowly dawns on the audience that there is someone inside, trapped, being circled like prey. Is this the eponymous Sleeper, or is the Sleeper the world in which this being is trapped, caught, trying to escape, or both?
The dancers are exceptional, their movements precise but flowing. The feeling of the environment of this world is captured in the gestures and the motion on stage. As the caged man rips out and tries to save himself, he becomes otherworldly, his body moving in such a way that he seems like an alien being, trying to survive in a world that wants to hurt him. When he is entangled and then the shamanistic bells and dancers reel him in, it is hypnotic: the pull from the sounds of the bells and the flow of the dancers makes clear the enchantment that is happening. The audience roots for the entangled man to escape and when the end comes the tension is palpable.
The lighting and soundscape to the show complement and enhance the beauty of the journey that the story takes us on, in a symbiotic relationship to the movement. The connection is such that when the final sounds are heard, the audience holds its breath to see the final moment unfold. This is the type of show you would want to go to more than once, to make sure that you do not miss a moment of the exquisite – and emotionally charged – story.
Presented as part of the Korean Season.
Show Time: 20:30
Assembly @ Dance Base
11 -18 Aug (not 12)
Ticket prices: 11, 16-18 Aug £15 (£14); 13-15 Aug £14 (£13)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sleeper
Accessible entry: Lift from street entrance to first floor. Wheelchair access type: Building Lift. Stairs: Information not supplied. Audio Enhancement System. Wheelchair Accessible Toilets. Age: 8+ (Guideline.) Babes in arms policy: Babies do not require a ticket. Policy applies to: Children under 18 months.