Moonlight Dream review by Simon Fallaha

Review: Moonlight Dream - A Baby's Cosmic Odyssey

By Simon Fallaha

"A dream is a wish your heart makes..."

- Cinderella (1950)

In a world where it seems that we are repeatedly under pressure to not only present the best version of ourselves for the general public, friends and family, and also appear to be on a consistent mission to understand why we do what we do, Maiden Voyage Dance's Moonlight Dream: A Baby’s Cosmic Odyssey, hereafter Moonlight Dream, is astonishingly therapeutic. It is a hyper-literal and ultra-visual "trip to the moon", an invitation to bathe in the wonder that can arise when we calmly, gently surrender ourselves to a dreamlike state in which we rest not only the body, but the mind.

The genius of any "dreamlike state" or dream per se, highlighted wonderfully in literary or cinematic works like The Wizard Of Oz and The BFG, is that they appear to fly in the face of concrete logic but also spell something out within the soul – hidden desires or concealed fears taking precedence over the clear foundations and obvious routine which become more prevalent as people grow older and up. This seems to be one of the messages that choreographer Georgia Tegou, dancers Sandy Cuthbert, Janie Doherty and Andrea Madore, and musical composer Ursula Burns are reaching for in Moonlight Dream, with the help of Una Hickey's costuming and Ciaran Bagnall's set and lighting – the power of emotionally-driven visions for all ages and the possibilities they may present for growth and learning on a tale of discovery.

A series of spheres with flat bases act as props around the heart of our story, Madore portraying a child sleeping in the real world but active in the dream world. Each sphere, initially pure white, gradually changes in colour, evoking pleasing memories of the little coloured night lights which bring variety and tranquillity to childhood bedrooms. The spheres are both light and heavy in meaning and being, indicative of a bubble rising into the air and moving in whatever direction a dream may take, along with the level of imagination invited by their presence. A dancer may use the several spheres as a "bed" while another dancer may move a sphere above her head and see its colour change – either way, we have forms of visual and physical fascination to appreciate and engage with, and it's a hugely promising start.

In her titular Moonlight Dream, Madore's child encounters a fox played by Doherty and a bear played by Cuthbert in what amounts to as close to character-based theatre as Maiden Voyage have ever gotten. The "character" is in the delight Tegou seems to show in crafting animal instincts for Doherty and Cuthbert to respond to in creative fashion and for both the audience and the pivotal Madore to respond to in awed fascination. It's a level of keenly experimental choreography that is more relaxing than exerting, the spheres assisting with, among several things, the building of a "snowman", the construction of a miniaturised "city", and as stepping stones for Madore to reach for the many gold-coloured and silver-coloured stars that hang from strings on the ceiling while a giant "moon" announces its presence in the background. If ever there was an instance of Bart Howard's famous lyrics about flying to the moon and longing to play among the stars being re-interpreted as freshly staggering aural and choreographic poetry, I think this is it.

There is always something to marvel at and something pleasing to listen to in a landscape packed with detail, moves filled with feeling and a musical score played, and even partially sung, with thought. It's also poignant that Maiden Voyage, in my view, have found a way to illustrate both for adults and children that even the most seemingly scary dreams are not something to be afraid of but something to confront – elements of personalities brought to life in a lively and vivid manner. We learn from the movements of the "animals" that who might be thought of as mischievous and what might be considered troublesome may actually be most helpful, an exercise in depicting the positivity and enlightenment from working and playing together and independently.

Moonlight Dream is, I would say, impossible not to love. It's both astounding in its musical literacy and remarkable in its expressionist dance, a piece where facing the music and dance in a fantastical and emotional manner is thoroughly rewarding. It's an example of what really may be possible in a dream world, where ideas can be limitless – a heartwarming, tranquil and truly moving experience in which a dream actually comes across as a wish the heart makes, in all its care and eloquence. It’s magical.