Review: TOUSSAINT TO MOVE: FREE, Sadler's Wells East

Created by Akeim Toussaint Buck, Toussaint to Move: FREE is a dance performance that combines reggae dub culture and contemporary dance, allowing audience members to become immersed in the world created by the five performers - Aline Simo Kamga, Francesca Matthys, Jemima Tawose, Márcio Inácio and Manukaa Tony Kaaba - who have also contributed to some of the work’s choreography. Instead of sitting down in assigned seats, audiences are welcomes onto the stage itself, with only a few chairs and beanbags available throughout the space. 

Walking into the space at Salder’s Wells East, audience members are greeted by a wide open space, with the five performers warming up in the centre. The set, designed and fabricated by Robyn Hughes, is simple, with a wall of speakers as the centrepiece and two different piece hanging from the ceiling, seemingly symbolising spirituality. With no instructions given, it is a bit difficult to figure out the right place to stand, as several people take seats on the floor and then are asked by staff to move somewhere else.

For those attending the performance, it is highly recommended that they look at the show’s freesheet and visual guide, as they give more information on the background of the show, some of which is not very clear in the physical performance.

According to the show’s description, the five dancers are of African and Caribbean descent, going on a “physical and spiritual quest” to find the freedom that has been promised. Each of them have their own unique dance style, but are also able to beautifully work together as an ensemble, mingling with electric chemistry as the show’s music, created and performed by Buck’s band, Buck and The Magnificence, plays. There are times in which they (and some members of the audience) sing along, emphasising the importance of community in the work. 

The main dance style explored in FREE is skank, defined in the show as “a dance style associated with ska, ska punk, hardcore punk, reggae, and originated in Jamaican dance halls in the 60s.” Audience members are encouraged to take part in the performance, being asked to dance along to the Nyabinghi rhythms, with the performers sometimes breaking apart from their ensemble and dancing with strangers in the crowd. As there are no instructions, one can feel as though they are doing something wrong, especially when no one around them is dancing.

The dancers are joined by members of the Academy Breakin’ Convention, the UK’s first free Level 3 Qualification for Hip Hop Theatre for people aged between sixteen and nineteen. Over two years, students learn about hip hop social dance, popping, breaking, emceeing, DJing, graffiti and music production in order to prepare them for a profession in hip hop as a theatrical genre. In this particular production, the ABC members form a kind of barrier between the audience and the five dancers, ensuring that no one gets in the way of the performance. It does take quite a bit away from the immersiveness promised, and also blocks the view of the majority of audience members, which is a shame. 

There are some more intimate moments in the show, particularly duets during its slower moments, but the majority of these are lost when they are surrounded by a crowd of students who continuing to dance and talk amongst themselves. One specific moment, in which four dancers are seemingly holding one hostage as they cry out to free countries, including Palestine, is completely lost, as audience members cannot see the crouched performers. 

Ultimately, Toussaint to Move: FREE is a new way for audiences to become immersed in the world of dance, though its usage of students as a barrier between the audience and performers becomes frustrating at times. The five performers do a brilliant job expressing themselves through their dance, celebrating reggae through Buck’s choreography and music. 

Toussaint to Move: FREE runs until 8 November at Sadler’s Wells East.