Review: Aperiodic by South West Dance Theatre at Trinity Centre

Science and dance comes together for an entertaining and informative evening of creativity

It’s not often you sit through a short lecture on maths and physics concepts prior to the start of a dance performance. This, however, was an essential grounding in the basics of Aperiodic patterns. The concepts were surprisingly easy to understand, presented in an accessible way by Dr Sean Dewar from Bristol University.

The dance piece – Aperiodic by way of ballet, breakdancing and Hofstadter’s Butterfly – was commissioned by Bristol University as part of Aperiodic Festival which has been running in Bristol this July.

The university commissioned South West Dance Theatre to create a dance performance around Aperiodic patterns.

If you’re not sure what these are, they are patterns that are not random but also don’t repeat. They can be found in science, nature and even the Girih tiling of ancient Muslim temples. Looking at the examples given by Sean Dewar at times felt a lot like looking at the Magic Eye illustrations of the ninties. They’re a beautiful blend of maths, physics and art, which makes bringing Aperiodic patterns to the world of dance a logical choice.

If you want to kill time on a fascinating internet rabbit hole, Google Roger Penrose, Hao Wang and David Smith. The latter discovered in 2023 that the number of tiles to form an Aperiodic pattern could be reduced down to one. This was all far better explained by Dr Sean Dewar and his helpful PowerPoint presentation.

There was a comedic nod to Smith with the addition of hats for one of the dances. The shapes formed by the dancers whilst wearing the baseball hats teamed up to create some artistic fun.

The performance was split into two acts with nine themed dances. The choreography encompassed a blend of ballet, contemporary dance and breakdance with four performers especially skilled in their particular area.

This was a dance performance that could be entirely enjoyed without having even encountered the word Aperiodic. But the programme was helpfully laid out to connect the choreography with the particular concept it was portraying.

Carefully chosen music also connected the mathematical concepts with the time period of those who discovered them. Music being another interesting mathematical connection, with the rigidity of time signatures in music adding an additional layer.

Johannes Kepler who came up with his tessellating patterns in renaissance Germany was performed to J.S Bach.

Roger Penrose with his Aperiodic pattern that tessellates to infinity and repeats with just 2 shapes was Night Fever by the Bee Gees.

Maths, patterns and dance are a natural combination of elements, which put together in this performance has been called sci-dance.

The dances have been carefully connected through time as well as patterns, coming full circle to end on the pattern it started on.

Act 2 opener The Limits of Determinism was a stand out piece. Precise choreography bringing strong contemporary dance lines with Anna Davis’ flowing balletic moves was like a meserising Newton’s Cradle.

The second act also saw bolder brakedancing statements. The strong powerful patterns also included some seriously gravity defying headspins.

A gorgeous screen print of Hofstadter’s butterfly by Genevieve Britton, filled the stage. It brought another facet of art-meets-science to the performance.

Aperiodic by way of ballet, breakdancing and Hofstadter’s Butterfly, is a genuinely interesting and entertaining piece of work. It shows that all of us can connect and relate to complex mathematical concepts. That the world of science and the arts is far more closely linked than you might imagine. And it makes science and maths interesting and accessible to a much wider audience.

In the heart of St Judes, a deprived and challenging area in which the Trinity Centre is based, the world of university and learning feels far away and remote to many young people. A evening of sci-dance makes it feel that bit closer.

Cast and Creatives
Anna Demming Davis – Founder and director of South West Dance Theatre, choreographer and dancer
Katarzyna Niznik – Dancer
Sylvia Orazzo – Choreographer and dancer
Sebastian Morales Castillo – Choreographer and dancer
Emily Burke – Company member
Genevieve Britton – From UWE: Creator of the screen printed Hofstadter butterfly
Dr Sean Dewar – From University of Bristol: Aperiodic contributor
Felix Flicker – From University of Bristol: Theoretical physicist and main organiser behind APeriodic Festival
Henna Koivusalo – From University of Bristol: Organiser of Aperiodic Festival

Aperiodic by way of ballet, breakdancing and Hofstadter’s Butterfly will be at the Mission Theatre in Bath on 26 July 2024

For more information or to book, visit: https://www.missiontheatre.co.uk/whats-on/2024/aperiodic

For more about South West Dance Company, visit: http://www.southwestdancetheatre.co.uk/

For more about this year’s Aperiodic Festival, visit: https://sites.google.com/view/thegrimmnetwork/aperiodic

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