by Laura Kressly

Lula Mebrahtu inhabits multiple worlds: the UK, Eritrea, the present and her ancestors’ past. To construct this show she draws on traditional dance, contemporary British club culture, and Afro-futurism to create a unique dramaturgy that seeks to capture the experience of living across multiple cultures.

Though there is video and movement, sound and music are the dominant forms. The most notable aspect of the piece, though, is its technology. Mebrahtu’s gloves are wearable tech containing several sensors that activate light and sound effects. Instead of manual loop pedals, waves of her hands layer her voice. Tapping her fingers together conjures piano notes. This subtle choreography makes Mebrahtu seem magical and otherworldly, like an ancient god or healer. Being a legal alien is a superpower, she says. Yes.

Snippets of stories – encounters, really – punctuate the dreamy soundscape. For example, calls from her mum grounds the show in the here and now. There’s not so much story here, but more of a feeling of not really being in or of a single place. There’s a sense that this is a work still being narratively developed and fleshed out, but it has a lot of promise – particularly in terms of pushing at the boundaries between theatre, music and technology – to create new forms of storytelling that more effectively captures intersectional and cross-cultural identities.

OommoO runs through 27 August.

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