Found Event Review

 You find a letter. It’s not yours. Do you open it? The simple premise behind Found evolves into an incredibly sensitive and highly nuanced performance piece. It examines the scope of human emotion as one person’s reality is influenced by a life imagined, combining elements of dance, theatre and music to unravel the relationship between the two performers, Michael Sherin and Christine Devaney.

Sherin speculates on the identity of the imagined woman as they circle each other, never touching, as if to suggest the insurmountable distance between the imagination and the reality. Devaney’s movements intuitively change to express the mood, ranging from aggressive gyrations to delicate, sensuous pirouettes.

The cumulative effect of the narrative is dramatic; projections of the dancers are placed on a darkened screen behind the action, whilst the haunting live music thickens in texture as layer after layer is added to create an impressive climax. With humming bass and spiralling violin, the sound builds up to a rich symphony, delicately manipulating the atmosphere of the piece. The work ends with a redemptive, contemplative feel. The two performers are finally united upon the stage, with an accord reached between dancers, musicians and audience.

Read our interview with Found choreographer Christine Devaney.