Wayne McGregor’s Deepstaria
Wayne McGregor’s latest, Deepstaria, is about the void and named after a jellyfish…
Company Wayne McGregor in Wayne McGregor’s ‘Deepstaria’. © Luke Unsworth
Company Wayne McGregor
Deepstaria
★★★✰✰ London, Sadler’s Wells
28 February 2025
waynemcgregor.com
www.sadlerswells.com
It should come as no surprise that Wayne McGregor’s latest work for his own company continues the choreographer’s love affair with cutting-edge technology and collaborations with many creatives to produce theatrical experiences that go beyond mere entertainment.
This time, it’s about reframing our understanding of the void — the darkness of deep space and the depths of the ocean. The work’s called Deepstaria after a species of giant jellyfish that inhabit the void several thousand feet below the surface. Unveiled eight months ago in Montpellier, Deepstaria is now receiving its first UK exposure in a short premiere run (through to 2 March 2025) at London’s Sadler’s Wells.
Much is made about creating the void using highly specialised Vantablack surface coating technology that absorbs light like no other colour. While there is certainly an eeriness to the black box staging, I would attribute much of that effect to the extensive use of haze on set and that’s needed to really show the laser and other lighting effects to best advantage. The lighting, designed by Theresa Baumgartner, is notable whether from the side or via swinging downlights that effectively carve the space into arcs and cones, almost creating a set within the emptiness. Quelle surprise to later see a set designer credit (Benjamin Males). Anyway whatever was done leaves much space for the dancers and this is good.
Aurally, things are just as complex as the visual context: “In this void, acoustic imagery and animative music by Oscar-winning sound designer Nicolas Becker and renowned music producer LEXX create a sonic dreamscape that is continuously recomposed and performed by revolutionary digital audio engine Bronze AI — thus re-configuring the relationship between live dance and live recorded music in real time.” The result ranges from deeply mysterious sounds, almost from another galaxy, to steampunk clattering (complete with foghorn!) and more catchy beat-driven sections. At times, it felt deeply oppressive — that’s the void for you — but generally, my response was conditioned by how the sounds related to the dance and dancers…
The nine Company Wayne McGregor dancers certainly can kick arse and work hard throughout Deepstaria’s 75 minutes. I love that they come in a wide variety of heights and body types, with each dancer bringing something special and unique to the stage — a stunning group. Initially, they are clad in sleek black underwear (Ilaria Martello) and our journey begins in the mysterious and very deep void, showcasing what one might call McGregor’s ‘usual’ alien silhouettes, characterised by odd pelvic tilts and highly unusual limb angles. While striking for a time, I found myself racking my brains trying to think what it was saying about the void. However, over the years, McGregor has come to embrace more naturalistic movement with an emotional dimension, and the work effectively mines that in a mix of duets and trios. It was at its most beguiling when a couple (Naia Bautista and Kevin Beyer, I think) dueted in front, while the other dancers were arranged at the back of the stage, almost like a backing group, all synchronised up. That is so not what you expect from McGregor, and it looked amazing and fresh. I also much appreciated a dancing-in-the-rain solo under a Baumgartner laser cone. However, for me, there was no deep connection to the void.
Deepstaria becomes truer to its name with a change of costume to unisex tunics made of the lightest and most floaty organza, which evokes a jellyfish-like, free-flowing aesthetic. More overtly, in the movement, there is a clever section where the dancers’ hands are bathed in light to conjure jellyfish-like motions — quite mesmerising. While it was nice to see something connected to the title, I reached the end still feeling I hadn’t witnessed anything particularly mind-expanding about the void, but rather spied a curious and at times stunning series of disconnected dance scenes set to an electronic assemblage. For the most part, it feels like everything is done with considered purpose and yet with no purpose at all. While I would like to see it again, very much, there’s a lot of hard work trying to decipher what it all means, but that’s McGregor and his wish to challenge you - anything than just provide entertainment. While certainly a nice idea when it works, at times Deepstaria can feel like a lecture from Albert Einstein rather than, say, David Attenborough, who wears the science more lightly and presents it thoughtfully for the masses.