At Swim Two Boys (Tour – Salford)

Earthfall have created an ambitious and interesting production – as it is an epic piece based on Jamie O’ Neil‘s novel At Swim Two Boys – and the whole production takes place in water.

The company’s clever choreography attempts to capture the feelings of true love between two young men against the backdrop of the Easter Rising in 1916. The two performers Daniel Connor and Murilo Leite D’Imperio do their best with what they have and do manage to evoke the feelings of first love; the giddiness, the playful feelings and the sense of loss when it all goes wrong.

Steve Vearncombe, Jim Ennis and Gerald Tyler‘s film footage is provided to plug in any narrative gaps but this is a big ask as there is a great deal to explore for an hour long piece. The voice over is slightly cliched and only serves to prove that some things are better left unsaid; this is a dance piece after all.

Frank Naughton and Sion Orgon play live music throughout and do give the production a heartbeat as so many dance pieces have pre-recorded music, so this is a bonus. Gerald Tyler‘s lighting is incredibly effective too as it does create a mood and throws light on some of the difficult moves.

At Swim Two Boys is experimental and brave, but it does not always succeed as there is way too much to pack into such a short space of time, which often results in lost meaning. But the performers work hard to keep the show afloat and in your memory.