moniqux ensemble: Dictations, The Heart of the Sea, Glasgow review: 'powerful'

moniqux ensemble: Dictations, The Heart of the Sea, Tramway, Glasgow ★★★★

There’s something rare and exciting about witnessing the birth of a new performance company, especially at a time when funding for such ventures comes from an increasingly dry well. That the arts ecosystem has found time, space and money for Mele Broomes’s talented Glasgow-based collective to evolve is something we should be grateful for.

Taking to the stage at Tramway in an atmospheric haze, the members of the ten-strong moniqux ensemble cut a dash before they had delivered a single step or note. Dressed in Zephyr Liddell’s imaginative costumes, an arresting mix of modern-day clothes and vintage Caribbean frills, the performers looked stunning. When four of them opened their mouths to sing, short impactful phrases rather than full songs, we were swept up by rich, vibrant tones. Likewise, the six dancers moved with such individuality and purpose, ebbing and flowing like the tide, you didn’t want them to stop. The division between music and movement was blurred, however, with performers slipping seamlessly into both. In short, there was a lot of skill on stage.

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All the artists have connections to the African and Caribbean diaspora, and so Dictations, The Heart of the Sea is alive with the echoes of family migration. Through powerful choreography, music and vocals that weave a myriad of styles, the company questions how we pay homage to the past as we embrace the present and future - something everyone, regardless of heritage, can identify with without diminishing our regard for the shared histories on stage.

Although directed by Broomes, the piece was shaped via meaningful engagement with the whole team, and we found a detailed description of the collaborative process sitting on our seats upon arrival. More than a programme note, it’s a clear manifesto for the moniqux ensemble - hopefully just the start of things to come.

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