Review: The Aftermath, Northern Rascals, Northern Broadsides and The Piece Hall

Photo credit: Ellis Robinson

The Aftermath is an exciting, new, open-air dance theatre production by Northern Rascals, Northern Broadsides and The Piece Hall. It explores the impact that Covid-19 has had on young people of Calderdale in West Yorkshire.

It was choreographed by Northern Rascals Anna Holmes and Sam Ford and shot in Halifax’s The Piece Hall. The piece explores the feelings of anger, isolation and hope of the young people, as the world moves towards the future they will inherit. 

The Aftermath is performed and devised by a cast of 20 young professional and ensemble dancers aged between 16-25.

I really enjoyed this piece, so much so, that I went back to watch it again. I found the second time through I was able to pick out even more of the emotion in the performance and choreography, and this time I really listened to the accompaniment.

The opening accompaniment was really effective. The use of wind, breath and cut-off words created the atmosphere that followed through for the rest of the piece, effectively highlighting the loss of voice and confidence that many young people have felt during this pandemic.

A huge strength of this piece is the brilliant music and soundscapes that accompany it. It takes us on a journey, intercutting moments of quiet stillness and slow, haunting piano, with moments of speech and faster instrumental/techno pieces. The track is perfectly balanced and works well to support and enhance the performers work. The moments of stillness as the performers listened to the news reports were particularly striking, emphasising the helplessness many young people have felt during this pandemic. Stillness was used very effectively throughout the piece too, pulling emphasis to where it needed to be.

I can’t say I was a huge fan of some of the camerawork, although effective in helping to create the mood and feeling behind the piece. At times, it left me feeling a little sea sick and I struggled to see what I was supposed to be focussing on. However, by the end of the piece and certainly by the second watch I had gotten used to it so I would definitely encourage audience members to stick it out.

The piece takes us through a number of different emotions. A particular highlight for me was a game played with an invisible ‘ball’ being thrown between the performers in a joyous game of ‘catch’. Many of the dancers seemed to really let loose and have fun in this section, which translated well to the audience.

The choreography is inventive and works well with the chosen accompaniments. Each section plays to the performer’s strengths. There is plenty of energy throughout the piece with each performer showcased well and given their moment to shine. I think the solo moments in the piece are some of the strongest, as it’s where we see the performers tell their stories about the personal impact the virus has had on them, and it is in these moments that The Aftermath achieves what it set out to for me. In these moments we can see the feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, anger, isolation and loneliness, alongside joy, hope and re-connection with others.

I found the partnered section towards the end of the piece particularly emotive and moving, performed by two male dancers to a quiet, unobtrusive piano-led soundtrack. It showed one performer helping and supporting another until he was able to stand and dance alone. Again, the choreography and performances here were excellent and this section is quite possibly my favourite from the entire piece.

The piece ends with a powerful spoken word monologue, which is worth a listen to on its own. It speaks to the feelings of every young person during the pandemic and for the first time in the piece, gives them a place to share their voices and does so brilliantly.

Overall, once you get past the fast-moving camerawork, The Aftermath is well-worth a watch. It is a well-written and choreographed piece, performed brilliantly by its young cast. I really enjoyed watching it and I’m sure I’ll watch it again very soon!

The Aftermath is available online from now until the end of the year here.

**** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Amy Louise