Breathtaking dance-circus company Motionhouse will premiere latest show Hidden at Coventry’s Warwick Arts Centre in February. An exploration of how, in an increasingly divided world, we can come together to help one another through the darkest moments we face, the production uses innovative projection, set design, music and movement to create what promises to be a beautiful and engaging experience for theatre-goers. The award-winning Leamington Spa-based company’s artistic director, choreographer & co-founder, Kevin Finnan, chats to What’s On about the new show…

Award-winning dance-circus company Motionhouse will next month premiere new show Hidden here in the Midlands, after which the production will set off on a nation-hopping tour. 
Founded by Kevin Finnan and Louise Richards in 1988, Motionhouse has since been gathering rave reviews across the world while working out of its base-camp in Leamington Spa.

The company are renowned for their dancers’ feats of physical strength and agility, and also for a blend of remarkable set design, projection, music and movement, all of which are in evidence in Hidden.

“The show is an emotional response to the current state of the world,” explains Kevin. “There’s the impact of the internet and social media - everybody hoped that it would bring us closer together. Sometimes it can, but it also seems to do equally well at tearing us apart… We seem to be facing a lot of conflict. We face conflict between ourselves - with people arguing endlessly - while on a wider scale, we can see global conflicts emerging around us.”

Hidden features a blend of narrative and abstract performance, which Kevin believes will resonate deeply with audiences.

“We are extremely physical in the work that we make. We want our dancers to dance with passion and with great physicality. They are beautiful, technical dancers, but they can also lift each other, throw each other, balance on top of each other and fly. We try to connect with the audience with beautiful imagery during the show, and then blend that with an emotional dance language, where you can really feel the dancers’ bodies move. This is what we're aiming for - you feel it in your heart; you can feel that energy, and you want to feel the emotions that they are going through. We want everyone to share the journey.”

The creation of Motionhouse’s shows is, of course, a collaborative endeavour. Kevin might be the person who maintains a bird’s-eye view as the production comes together, but he’s not the only one with design input. The dancers are credited as co-creators, and while some dance companies might work to music that has already been made, the score for Hidden is composed in response to the devised movement on stage. And it’s a similar story when it comes to the production’s impressive visuals.

“The digital guys came over - they live in the mountains above Bilbao - and we spent a few days together, looking at the set, looking at projection, trying it out. We have a digital setup whereby they can add material in Spain and we can see it - 3D and fully realised - on our machine in Leamington. We're working with them in a very engaged, collaborative way. The lighting designer is here with us - we're all working together.

“The most important thing in the process is to have playtime; to really play with things and find what you can make of something... how you can transform it, and how it can transform you. It's an exciting time, because we're all trying to find new things that we can do and new ways of interacting. My job is to hold the images together in my head, and try and work out what the structure is going to be.”

One of Motionhouse’s previous creations, entitled Nobody, featured a huge cube structure in the centre of the stage, interacting with the performers and projections. In Hidden, although Kevin wants some design elements to remain a surprise for audiences, the set promises to be equally impressive.

“We've got two structures that can become one, at various points. It allows us slightly more complex projection opportunities. Nobody was a fantastic show for us and really successful - we loved it! It was about that voice in your head that’s driving you, whereas Hidden is about how we help each other with the outside world. It's related, but it's not the same.

“When we make shows, we like to use a set which gives us lots of options. We can transform it and create visual and physical wonders with it as we work. We have a structure that we’re quite pleased with, and we're really exploring its potential.”

For anyone who has never seen a Motionhouse production before - or, for that matter, anyone who is new to the world of dance - Kevin offers reassurance that the show will speak for itself, with visually stunning performances that are both thought-provoking and jaw-dropping.

“The dancers are astonishing to see. They can do things that will take your breath away - and they will take your breath away in this show! I think the whole experience will be very beautiful in places and very dynamic in other places. It's really something to come and see, because you're going to have moments of ‘Wow!’, moments of being drawn in and being very moved, and moments that hopefully will help you rise up.”

Motionhouse has been created with support from several major and local arts organisations. The company is most definitely a made-in-the-Midlands undertaking.

“Warwick Arts Centre is where we're going to be premiering it - we've premiered nearly all of our shows there. We're collaborating with FABRIC, who have bases in Nottingham and Birmingham and have given us commissioning support along with Birmingham Hippodrome, who we're an associate company of.

We’ll be performing at Birmingham Hippodrome to open the second tour, in the autumn.”

With the company growing in scale and prestige, Kevin’s dreams for Motionhouse’s future are slowly coming to fruition. And he’s naturally thrilled that venues are eagerly booking Hidden on the strength of the company’s previous successes. 

“We've got a super-full first tour; the second tour is looking pretty full as well, and we're already talking about the third tour. For me to ask for anything else is a bit much, really! I think Motionhouse has grown to a place where it's a really exciting company to work at, and I want to keep that going.

“When I make a show, I want it to be moving and enjoyable. Sometimes there'll be dark moments, but sometimes there'll be beautiful, light moments. I want people to come away feeling that they've been on a journey with us. When you go away, you have images or moments in your head that you carry with you. If we can do that, then we will have really succeeded. I want the people who come [to see us] to have that experience, and to remember the hour and a half that we shared together.”

Feature by Jessica Clixby

Hidden premieres at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, from Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 February. The show then visits Birmingham Hippodrome in the autumn, on Friday 10 & Saturday 11 October