We were kindly invited along to see Same Same… But Different a new production created and performed by the wonderful Sonia Sabri Company, at Birmingham Hippodrome for their Press Launch.
My girls have always been huge fans of theatre shows, so they were incredibly excited to be going along to the theatre during their half term holiday.
We headed to the theatre early as we had been told of an arts and crafts session pre show. The girls were chuffed to find it was a painting session where they could use different shaped stamps to create their own individually designed hanging wall prints.
They used a variety of fabrics, colours, paints, glues and sequins. Really enjoying getting messy and being as creative as they wanted to be.
Even when they deviated from what was meant to be being done, it was okay and I suppose that is part of being different, we don’t all have to do exactly the same for it to be correct.
As you can see, they were both very proud of their creations. And so they should be, I think they look lovely. Such a great idea for an activity and one I plan on doing again at home in the future.
It was nice to bump into other friendly people whilst at the press launch. It’s always lovely to see Momma Mack especially who is one of my favourite mummy bloggers – such a lovely and down to earth person.
At 1:50pm the doors opened to the Patrick Centres theatre and we lined up to head on in.
We love the Patrick Centre which is within Birmingham Hippodrome and is a smaller theatre. It is tiered really well so that wherever you sit, you can see the stage. Perfect for the shows aimed at young children.
The stage was empty, other than a large sheet at the back with different colours on.
As the lights went down, the stage soon became filled with three blankets. People filled blankets and the show began.
My girls laughed hysterically at the performers as they moved awkwardly around the stage as rugs. Their laughter making the people around us laugh too.
This show mixed Kathak, Street and Contemporary dance with bits of live music, physical storytelling and beatbox, to create a playful and colourful world. The show was performed in such a way that it explored time when people may feel like they fit in and are the same and then times when curiosities and fears take over and you may feel different to others.
Inspired by the well known Anglo-Asian phrase, ‘same, same… But Different’, this family show saw three very impressive dancers conjure a magical atmosphere where individuality, diversity and the bonds which connect us all, were celebrated.
I have to admit, the show kept my children mesmerised for the majority of it, laughing, watching, copying thr dance moves and even tapping to the sounds that were being made, but it also captured me too. I laughed and also watched in awe at the performers amazing dancing abilities.
I’ve recently started an adult dance class with One Day Theatre which teaches contemporary dance and so I know how hard some moves can be (for me) and yet these dancers were moving so naturally as if it would take no effort at all. It was beautiful and magical.
The stand out performer for me was Laura Vanhulle who performed the more contemporary dance moves. Moving so elegantly. Her tightrope performance with her other two performers Aakanksha Rawat and Mickael Marso Riviere was fantastic. After the show I discovered Laura had trained in rhythmic gymnastics from a very young age and this explained her amazing ability to make difficult moves look so simple.
This is Aakanksha Rawats first touring production but you would not be able to tell. Her performance was flawless and I had expected to read that she had completed a number of tours. I can only guess that this will be the start of many more to come.
And I thought I recognised Mickael Marso Riviere and I now realise he was the face behind the production of B-Side Hip Hop Festival and Experimental dance concept event KRE8. A very talented individual who has established himself as a major force in both the contemporary dance and Breakin’ (Breakdance) worlds, producing events and touring original works in the UK and abroad. His style of dancing was Street dance during the performance and he played the guitar and did beatbox too.
The show was full of talent.
Sonia Sabri and her company are the face behind this performance (co-commissioned by Birmingham Hippodrome and The Place Theatre) and they have created a great show for children aged 5 upwards.
I think it was perfectly choreographed and performed and my girls gave it a huge thumbs up.
There’s still a show you can catch tomorrow at 2pm. Tickets are £10 each. Book tickets here.
Disclaimer: We were kindly invited along to the press show in return for an honest review.
Last photograph is by Simon Richardson