Electrifying, bizarre, funny, terrifying, ingenious… all fitting descriptions of Insane in the Brain. The Swedish dance company Bounce bring to Sheffield an energetic street dancing reinvention of the famous story One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, providing us with the tale of the rebel who disrupts the strict order that is imposed my Nurse Ratched and her wardens over the inmates of a psychiatric hospital.
Through brilliant choreography and a perfect soundtrack from Cypress Hill to System of a Down, the company represent the confusion, fear and frustration of being imprisoned in a mental institution. The beginning scene instantly plunges the audience into this bizarre and scary world; cleverly portraying schizophrenia by having the dancers wear masks on both sides of their heads. The dancing becomes confused, as does the audience, as the moves appear disjointed and impossible.
The uniqueness of the performance was just incredible with each scene providing new amazement at the performers dance skills and inventiveness.
The patients’ dancing was often manic and crazed. The medium of street dance was perfect for this as the scope of moves and shapes that can be created gave such variation. To further highlight this freedom the wardens and Nurse Ratched often danced in mostly regimented unison, with the moves being aggressive and structured with more defined popping and locking to show the controlling nature of the institution.
There were also scenes of unexpected comic brilliance such as the patients escaping into the audience to watch a film. These scenes of freedom and frivolity were contrasted most dramatically with the punishment scenes. At one stage the company had three patients hanging from the back wall seemingly from their heads and they would then intermittently convulse violently when stunned with electric shock therapy. With the perfectly timed lighting and the well chosen music working together the scene was unbelievably harrowing and ingenious.
The performance was simple mesmerizing, with meticulously chosen movements and songs. Every move had energy and attitude behind it which was ready to explode into something powerful and impressive. The cast worked incredibly well together on stage, and as a team of choreographers and artists they devised and performed something exhilarating, powerful and unique.