The Future of Dance? English Dance Company Charting New Horizons

After being gob smacked by the televised production of Kate Prince’s Message in a Bottle, one thing’s certain.  Dance has taken a giant leap forward in the way its presented and in the way its perceived.  That Prince’s dance tour de force was inspired by a chance “I bet…” moment makes its reality all the more incredible.

Hailing from Southampton in the UK, Prince comes to dance from a little-known side street; one that doesn’t receive much fanfare but is still crucial to modern popular culture.  Watching music videos growing up inspired her to become a dancer and it’s the background dancers in those videos who continue to drive her passion for the art form.  They also propel her unmatched creativity.  So passionate was she about the talents and capabilities of these specialized dancers that she created her own dance company in 2002, ZooNation, to showcase their daunting physicality and skill.

The seed for Message in a Bottle arrived in a moment of solitude shortly after her wedding.  As the choreographer has explained to journalists, she and her husband’s atheistic beliefs contributed to their choosing to use Sting’s Walking on the Moon as a hymn for their marriage ceremony. Later, listening to the song on her headphones, she casually said to him, “I bet I could make a show out of his songs.” 

Now a global phenomenon set to tour Europe before coming to the United States early in 2024, the idea of staging a theatrical dance production set exclusively to Sting’s music required the approval of the man himself back in 2020.  Along with his eventual consent to a two-week workshop, Sting also offered a portion of the lyrics to They Dance Alone as creative stimulant.  That extract became the basis for the story Prince would eventually tell in Message in a Bottle.  In interviews, she’s said “those lyrics made me think about what people go through for the chance of a free life, and the people they lose along the way, or the people who they’ve left behind who die”.

Message in a Bottle portrays all of those things in dance as it tells a story of one family whose lives are so upended; they find themselves displaced refugees.  Swathed in Sting’s inimitable music, Prince’s choreography becomes a universally recognizable narrative of struggle and perseverance.  It also provides an unvarnished look at the cost of rebuilding lives after chaos. Because the story’s portrayed completely in movement, the dance’s language is critical to the way its message is absorbed and understood.  This is also where Prince and ZooNation excel. They communicate with modern audiences as few dance companies can.

Renowned for how superbly it incorporates breaking, locking and popping into its repertoire, ZooNation’s early years focused on dance styles entrenched in hip hop. Two decades later, the company remains committed to its hip hop influences.  But these days, other styles like contemporary dance and even elements of ballet are easily recognizable in their performances.  These various dance forms mesh so beautifully in Message in a Bottle, and the power of the story it’s telling is so impactful, that Sting wept after seeing it in produced.  

England’s top tier production talent help make the screen version of Message in a Bottle the breathtaking triumph that it is.   Directed for film by Marcus Viner with Andrez L. Goulding serving as video director, viewers are given a close look at the depth of skill dancers marshal to communicate so effectively through their bodies.  Impeccable synchronization, exceptional fitness and strength are hallmarks of background dancers.  To see them all deployed so effectively is rare and each is on exquisite display in this project.  There’s also a consciously cosmopolitan dimension in all ZooNation’s productions; including this one.  Not only do the faces of the dancers reflect greater parts of the globe, but elements of the dance also betray origins you don’t often see celebrated on premier stages.  Prince has confessed to the difficulty in finding dancers who can master the intimidating scope of dance her choreography demands.  Watching ZooNation in performance, you can immediately see that these dancers occupy an elite sphere.   

Currently available through PBS’s Great Performances series, Message in a Bottle’s video presentation counts as must see viewing for anyone who enjoys either dance or theater.  Arriving in Chicago on February 28, 2024 for a five-day in-person run, the show begins its eight city US tour earlier that month.  Those interested in seeing the performance live can review ZooNation’s tour schedule at https://zoonation.co.uk/productions/message-in-a-bottle/ .

Find the PBS televised Message in a Bottle performance at:  https://www.pbs.org/video/message-in-a-bottle-vhfz11/