The Future Softly is a profoundly delicate dance improvisation from dancer Jo Omodei. As I took my seat in the Studio and Blue Room Theatre I was submerged to gentle depths of someplace else. From the moment Omodei entered, an unseen current arose in the room, evidenced by her muscoskeletal response.
There were moments I wasn’t entirely convinced her feet touched the ground despite what physics has led me to believe. The audience, meanwhile, had come under some kind of respiratory spell. The rhythm of our breathing synchronised to the mesmerising movement in front of us.
Bathed in the subtle lighting designed by Matthew Erren, he did well to create a luminary canvas in which Omedei’s improvised movement painted throughout. The geometry and shadows in the lighting design exemplify the art of lighting design as a tangible skill. Rather than feeling like a gap in light or a mark on the floor where the light doesn’t touch, the shadows melted into this extra-dimensional scene where the lines between light, air, and body were blurred.
This effortless blending of elements continued into the sound, a mix of ambient electronic and classical compositions. Despite the use of licensed music, it felt like the songs were all written for this very performance. This show is the result of a tight ensemble of creatives which demonstrates that sometimes less is more.
The Future Softly is on at The Blue Room Theatre from Jan 22-24.