Words by Karly Benson.
Cathy Waller Dance Company presented You & Us at The Place, an evening of photography, film, and live dance exploring the complicated nature of identity and how we exist not only amongst others, but within ourselves.
The inspiration for the work stemmed from Waller’s own lived experience with an invisible disability, and eventually expanded to collect the lived experiences of hundreds of dancers. This idea of invisibility, so nuanced and personal yet deeply universal, became the driving force across the multi-disciplinary programme. In the artist discussion following the show, Waller questioned, “If your invisible was visible for one day, how would that day be different?” The work itself was a generous and deeply human exploration of exactly that.
The performance felt incredibly honest; not a persuasion of hope, but an acknowledgement of complexity. Featuring five dancers, each was given space for vulnerability shaped by their own invisibilities and unraveling identities. Rather than moulding to singular ideas or flattened archetypes, each performer existed honestly on stage. It was refreshing to see the human first, before the seamless floor work or intricate musicality. With their inner worlds placed centre stage, the performers offered points of connection for the audience. Whether depicting radical acceptance, internal conflict, or relief, the piece allowed each viewer to find a piece of themself reflected onstage.
To match the emotional depth was groove-filled movement that was as physical as it was tender, as musical as it was free. And yet, amidst this strong physicality was an undeniable intimacy between the dancers: lingering eye contact, moments of shared joy, and gestures softened by attentiveness and care.
At times, however, the work seemed to crave more moments of sustained physical contact between the performers. Connection radiated throughout the entire evening — through the warmth in the theatre bar beforehand, with photographs from the exhibition lining the walls, through the sweeping landscapes of the film, and through the tenderness present within the performers themselves. Yet, because that feeling was so palpable, there remained a desire for it to be expressed more tangibly in the choreography. Aside from an opening duet, the dancers moved through largely individual journeys, observed and acknowledged by those around them, though scarcely ever touching. While the work so clearly understood humanity as something witnessed and held by others, more moments of physical connection — leaning, relying, or collapsing into one another — may have further embodied that idea.
Supplementing the live performance, the film and photography exhibition expanded the work’s exploration of identity through different mediums. The film leaned into questions of isolation and support, framed through striking cinematography. Meanwhile, the photography exhibition, featuring images by The1Harris, explored experiences of neurodivergence, inviting audiences to view identity and perception differently. What made these additions particularly meaningful was their accessibility; by presenting the work through different forms, Waller created multiple entry points for audiences to engage, eventually guiding them toward the live performance.
As the house lights slowly lifted at the end of the evening, the divide between audience and stage dissolved completely. Performer and viewer were suddenly met face-to-face, sharing the same space in full visibility. Though the journey will inevitably land differently for everyone, in that final moment, the emotional core felt unmistakably clear.
You & Us transformed often isolating themes — invisibility, vulnerability, perception, belonging — into something shared. In doing so, Waller created not just a performance about identity, but a shared space where isolation could be met with understanding, and where invisibility itself was finally seen.
Image by Roswitha Chesher.