one4review | On 20, Aug 2025

“Inspired by Eastern Wind” draws on Zhuge Liang’s famed stratagem to sketch a dance about timing, advantage, and human harmony. Flow Dance Crew and the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts shape the idea into six compact “wind realms”: Wind Arises, Wind Ceases, Wind Against, Wind With, Wind Swift, and Wind Leisurely, each a brief study in momentum and stillness. A bright red cushion enters the stage, first as an altar, then as a landing pad, before white beanbag-like cushions multiply. Choreography moves nimbly between contemporary flow and well-drilled street, with a soft duet offering a showcase of something more elegant. Throughout, lighting helps the space move from upbeat to more dramatic.

The show is fast-paced, and the talent are keen to showcase everything they know. Slides with the cushions send dancers skimming across the floor. Six performers freeze with white cushions in sculptural poses as one figure moves between them; it’s almost like a stage of living statues. When the tracksuits arrive, the energy becomes more street: synchronised breakdancing showcases serious confidence. As the music grows more lively, the ensemble showcase more fluid movement, and it’s fantastic to watch.

I’m not entirely sure what all the cushions were about, but this show is inventive and has crisp timing and dance pieces that land. The arc between all of them is overly explicit, and there’s a lot left to the imagination with what it all means. The passion and skill are clear, the pacing fast and the finale just brilliant. At the end we’re introduced to the group in probably the most interesting way, and a group photo was encouraged; it really made you feel like part of something.

****

reviewed by Matthew

The Space @ Surgeons Hall