REVIEWS
Carly’s Exit – Short Film
“‘Carly’s Exit’ is an uplifting and passionate expression of the fight to save a loved one from self-destruction. With original score, setting, and choreographer Taira Foo’s unstoppable energy, ‘Carly’s Exit’ forces colour and light into one of the darkest of subjects - illustrating with immediacy, realism and tenderness the battle for a friend’s life”
The Soloist – ‘The Place’
“‘The final work of the evening, HINGED’s The Soloist, was without doubt the most complete group performance of my Resolution! experience. Performed by choreographer Taira Foo’s mammoth cast of twelve dancers, this narrative work was attacked with dynamism and crisp precision. Power relationships flit back and forth as the protagonist, a violin player, seemingly conducts the chorus’ every move through the swish of his bow and ripple of his body. The performance was textured, complex, chaotic, pulsing, thrusting, bubbling and explosive… ”
— Lucy Jarvis
Flowers in December
“In Flowers in December, Taira Foo and Hinged Dance Co tackle one of the major issues of our times: the refugee crisis. The raw physicality of the street-based movement, the company’s trademark style, brings fear and the pain to the surface. Trying to get a handle on the issue in a 20-minute piece is a huge ask, and the narrative is at times overloaded, but the commitment of the dancers in bringing the reality of the refugees’ trauma to the stage was delivered with total honesty.
The few props: flowers, a portable wire fence and a block of stairs, are used effectively in a myriad of guises from tunnels to boats to prisons while Foo’s powerful movement gives the dancers the expressive tools they need. The shortcomings of the complex structure were easily outweighed by their searing performances.”
— Maggie Foyer, seeingdance.com
“Taira Foo’s ensemble piece is visceral, politically-charged physical theatre dealing specifically with the Syrian refugee crisis. A playful and loving family is swept up by a group of outsiders fleeing for their lives. With minimal props - a wire fence that becomes a cage, a tunnel and various traps - Foo conveys the panic, anger and fear of innocent victims caught in the crossfire of conflict. Tactile and violent, it is a full-blooded, in-your-face work of restless momentum, employing elements of streetdance, mime and bold gestures. If it suffers from being too busy and overcrowded with incident, the concluding moments are desperately moving.”
— Neil Norman, theplace.org.uk Author
Beauty & The Beast Pomegranate Theatre
“The fast-paced, vibrant choreography was the work of Taira Foo who hails from Chesterfield and was returning to the town for her second panto. If what she produced for this show is anything to go by she will go far with PHA.”