From Here On is ‘a physical theatre performance about a child’s right to safety, whoever they are, wherever they are from’, as stated on the GDIF website. From Here On is from Good Chance, creators of The Walk with Little Amal, and Gecko, who brought you Kin, From Here On is an artistic call for empathy, hope and unity. A thought-provoking art piece that is stated on the GDIF website to transcend ‘borders, cultures and generations, told to inspire new acts of solidarity in partnership with Safe Passage International and build a safer future for all young people forced to flee their homes’. And so left me with fervent anticipation and excitement for what I was about to see.
The performance tells the story of 5 children who all sought sanctuary in the UK, from the Kindertransport in 1945 until today. The background of the children goes from a child from El Salvador, who was a child soldier, that has a passion for music to a girl from Syria, who finds support through a foster family in the UK while she searches for reconnection with her Syrian culture. It feels as though the Creative Team behind this piece wanted to portray a breadth of stories and demonstrate the universal message of how children should be a guaranteed safety when they’ve displaced and be subject to the status of a refugee.
Being in Liverpool Street to see my last event of the GDIF was a nice atmosphere that accommodated the eclectic performance of From Here On. As Liverpool Street, is known for being the main place of arrival and the meeting point for Jewish children and other children and their sponsors and foster families. It was a significant location as it helped rescue the Jewish children and other children who were escaping the Nazi persecution; this system was entirely known as Kindertransport. The historical significance of the location but also the event marking 85 years since the historical event provides the audience member with the sense to forebode how important the performance will be as we reflect on the past but also can lead to the comparison of how much has the experience of being a refugee changed from then to now.
Even prior to the beginning of the performance, I strongly felt that Zac Gvirtzman, the composer, did an exceptional job of creating music that transports you to feeling as though you are into a dimension of ease and comfort as you would wait for the performance. The music made you feel as though you were in a peaceful European town in which you are an audience to a performance that will entertain you, embrace you and leave you with a sense of internal completion. Perhaps, it would be fair to say the music could lead to such a prediction of the performance,if you’re an idealist; but as I later detail in this review, the music provided a great and fair first impression.
When the performance began, I was enthralled by the introduction of the ensemble of dancers as the would move in harmony and accentuate the emotions, memories and experiences of the different 5 protagonists children as they would detail their arrival to the UK. For example, as the Visual Guide for From Here On states, ‘Nadia, girl who arrived in the UK from Ukraine after the invasion of Russia, loves dancing, she always finds freedom through dance’; this is emphasised by a large number of dancers dancing with her and holding props such as an transportable ballet barre - as you would watch you would feel nostalgic and be reminded by lyour childhood of keen dreams and desires. In particular this sense of togetherness and human strings that nicely support the arc of the protagonist as they detail their intimate stories.
Different languages were shown in the performance. This was done through the printing of hope on old mid-20th century luggages in different languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, English, etc or through the variety of languages spoken in the performance and the multiple translations of hope printed on the T-shirts of performers towards the end of the event. I felt that this use of language helped provide the audience to be reminded of the message of the performance which is how universal the experience of suffering, loneliness, and the need for hope is for any child
The diversity of the cast further aided the purpose of the performance in highlighting the universal experience of children who want to have a safe passage as a refugee and so didn’t make me feel as though the performance was exclusive to one minority but inclusive of anyone and everyone and so nicely made the performance more heartfelt and closer related to the dynamic and culture of society in London but especially in London.
The only unfortunate and disappointing thing about the performance was how the speech of the cast would be inaudible depending on where you were seated or standing and so could leave you feeling as though you are missing out on fully understanding the performance. However, despite this, I believe that the performance indulges through in expression primarily through movement and facial expressions and so you are able to get the gist and overall understanding of the key emotions of the plot of each arc of the protagonists.
Overall, I think it is an unforgettable performance that would be a good introduction to the arts and culture thriving in London as it allows anyone to have free access to the display in which heartwarming and sincere stories are told which are relevant to the reality of child refugees today as it is still ongoing. But, more than ever is it necessary for one to see how this performance humanises the children and emphasis how everyone should have the right to travel safely to a better location.
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