'The Waiting Room' is a piece of amateur dance-theatre, performed by Dancing 4 Fun. Set in a hospital waiting room the performance opens
with senior grade students as doctors and nurses depicting the hustle and
bustle of the A and E department and the intensity of the jobs they do. An environment “Where everything can change
in a heartbeat” we see patients waiting, the backdrop to the dancers, as people's
stories are told.
The first scenario, a little girl (Poppy Short) and her mother (Chloe
Waterhouse), shows the unconditional love of a parent for their child as they
lie ill, the anxiety and emotion as they wait and hope for their child to
recover. A dance follows between life and death with the angel of death looming
ever closer until eventually life overcomes death and then leads to the path of
healing.
We then meet a man saying his last goodbyes to his
dying wife as the angels come to take
her. A solo performance is given by Miss Vicki- Ann Boardman as she passes from
this world and the final embers of her life fade out. The grade 4 dancers then show
her going to heaven and her being with the angels before the adult class perform
a dance remembering her life.
The pace quickens as we visit the panic room and see
patients who look like they need to be sectioned and the final dance of this
half is the Spanish train, which depicts the fight for souls between the Devil
and the Lord and the pair of them playing chess to win the souls of the dead.
During act two the dancers further explore the
afterlife before returning to the little girl whose illness has returned and
her fight to get better.
Whilst she is battling we see a dance about a group of
friends who are involved in a car accident because of texting and the devastation that causes, her
friends trying to save her and again a dance between angels and demons. This
time the angel of death is depicted much more prominently with large black
wings as she comes to claim her soul.
The final dances depict the funerals of the car crash
victim and the elderly lady, beautifully conveyed from all the
cast.
With a final twist we see mother and daughter visit
the graves and the little girl falls ill and taken back to A and E, Chloe Waterhouse
performs a solo to the song,'Lost Without You', which was very emotional.
This production did not just show how well the dancers
performed it depicted the harsh reality of the fragility of life, it explored
the emotions felt by those losing a loved one, as well as the traumas of A and
E. On arrival we were given a packet of tissues with the programme and by the
end I could see why you may have needed them.
As someone with little knowledge of dance I wondered
how they would be able to convey the pace and intensity of A and E
and tell the stories of the people there , however I was gripped as the
stories unfolded and I forgot it wasn’t a play in its usual sense as I became
engrossed in the expressive and powerful performances of the dancers. The dancers ranged from the young to adults, this itself inspiring for anyone with
a love of dance. The performances were fluid and blended a mix of abilities
from group to powerful solo and duet dances.
I really
enjoyed the performance on many levels, the subject matter was emotional and gave
thought for reflection as well as showcase the ability of the dancers, added to
this the music that has been so aptly chosen left you feeling moved. Well worth
a night out.
Reviewer - Catherine Gall
on - 18.2.22
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