Internationally renowned dance-circus company Motionhouse return to Leeds in March with its latest breathtaking production, Hidden. Thought provoking and poignant, Hidden powerfully blends gravity defying dance with thrilling circus feats, exploring how, in an increasingly divided world, light can emerge from darkness in times of crisis.
Hidden will be performed in the Courtyard Theatre at Leeds Playhouse from 6–7 March. The Leeds dates form part of a major UK and international tour, which will be thrilling audiences across the UK and Europe from February 2025 into 2027.
“Motionhouse has multiple connections with Leeds,” said the company’s Associate Director and former dancer Daniel Massarella, who initially trained at Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD).
Company dancer Olly Bell, who has been a Motionhouse performer since 2020, is originally from Leeds. He began his dance training on the Northern Ballet CAT scheme, later transferring to the CAT scheme at NSCD before going on to study for a BA in Contemporary Dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London.
“I’m proper buzzing to perform in my hometown,” said Olly. “This city is where my dance journey began and our latest show Hidden is really personal to me, so having the opportunity to share it here means a lot.”
Four other Motionhouse dancers also undertook some of their training at NSCD. Dylan Davies, Sophie O’Leary and Beth Pattison all spent time on placement with Motionhouse as part of the school’s postgraduate Professional Placement Scheme, before joining the company as full time dancers. Blair Moore completed the school’s foundation course before undertaking professional training at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Each year, Motionhouse welcomes a number of young dancers from NSCD on a nine-month placement. Four students from NSCD’s Professional Placement Scheme are currently with the company – Luke Bedford, Simeon Corder, Maia Faulkner and Sophie Scarbourough – and will be training with Motionhouse until June this year.
Kevin Finnan, Artistic Director of Motionhouse, said: “In the darkest moments we face, when our whole world seems to tilt on its axis, humanity can come together to help one other through challenging times. It seems to me that although this aspect of humanity is sometimes hidden, it is a fundamental component of our survival as a species.”
In Hidden, an extraordinary shape-shifting set integrates seamlessly with digital projections, instantly transforming the world on stage and creating a ‘living film’. Building on the success of previous productions, including 2021’s Nobody, the production further develops the company’s unique dance-circus language.
Finnan continues: “We are embracing the relationship between dance, digital and circus in a new way for this production, developing our movement language and exploring new innovations in our use of digital technology. Hidden feels quite different from what we’ve done before. I hope it is a really beautiful show for audiences.”
Hidden is co-commissioned by FABRIC, Birmingham Hippodrome and Warwick Arts Centre. Created with support from the John Ellerman Foundation and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UKScheme, offering postgraduate dancers the opportunity to train and perform with the company.
