Fireflies at Dawn – CAPA College, Wakefield

Directed by: Sandrine Monin

Choreographer: Sandrine Monin in collaboration with the performers

Composer: Roberto D. Rusconi

Fireflies at dawnis a new creation by Unbound Dance Theater and invites audiences to embark on a journey of discovery into the often frightening and confusing world of blind and visually impaired (BVI) people. This reviewer has had an entire career in education in the BVI and found the whole experience emotional and instructive. Kudos must go to the entire creative team and performers for highlighting issues of inclusion, acceptance and individuality in such a sensitive and memorable way.

The show is ideal for a smaller, more intimate venue such as that offered by the Box Theater at CAPA College. Some of them are in total darkness, which puts everyone in the situation that is the daily reality of many people in the BVI, having to rely on their remaining senses (mainly hearing) for information and orientation. This is extremely effective in its attempt to simulate the normal experience of the blind for the fully sighted. The show uses a combination of embedded audio description, sounds, lights (the fireflies are represented by hand-held lights that fly and dance through the dark forest as they guide us on a journey towards greater freedom and understanding) and touch, as well as incorporating a the new innovative wearable technology calledechowhich improves the perception of movement for both the performers and the audience. At the beginning of the performance, each performer introduces herself to the audience, describing her appearance and visual status and what her personal movement “sounds like”, demonstrating echome technology. Some of this could have been louder, and while the radio mics would have been useful, perhaps this was prevented by the extreme physicality of much of the show.

One scene in particular, the one that depicted the school experience of many people in the BVI, stood out for this reviewer. It must be said that the current situation in our schools has improved considerably for BVI people in terms of inclusion, understanding and requirements, but most BVI adults of a certain age will remember very well being placed in what was a world of full views and they just couldn’t. know what’s going on – not seeing the board, not having appropriate learning materials (large print, braille, tactile illustrations, audio description, etc.), generally not having their needs met at all. The cry from the heart “I can’t see the board” spoke volumes.

Another scene highlighted the question of individuality with the refrain “Who do you think you are?” This, of course, does not only apply to BVI, but also to special needs and disability in general. The power of vulnerability that is evoked in this show encapsulates the lived experience of many of our underprivileged members of society, many of whom are ‘invisible’ to most and suffer daily experiences of frustration, misunderstanding, lack of opportunity and empathy.

The five performers deserve special mention for co-creating this show and helping to showcase the plight of the BVI community and special needs in general. They are Helen Davies, Maddie Irwin, Mayowa Ogunnaike, Tammy Tsang and Sue Whitehouse. Very well done to all.

Revised July 10, 2024.