REVIEW: Ella&co's #nofilter on millennial life and social media

Wed 21 Nov
Blue Elephant Theatre
Ella&co - #nofilter

Do you find yourself constantly reaching for your phone? Endlessly reading self-help Buzzfeed articles? Instagram-ing your smashed avocado on toast? Sharing your #yoga journey [prayer hand emoji] on Facebook? Obsessing over Kim K? Sorting a #cheekyNandos on the group chat? Or dreaming of the guy or gal who will also swipe right to you, initiating (hopefully) a Tinder-induced whirlwind romance? You could be (god forbid) a millennial. 

Dancers Eva Escrich and Julia Jordan in #nofilter (PC: 

Lidia Crisafulli)

In #nofilter, Ella&co take us on a journey of self-confession in the era of social media and pop culture. Beginning with a ping!, #nofilter is cheeky and playful from the outset. The piece is episodic, steering us through short sections that start and finish abruptly, as if we're scrolling through a newsfeed onstage. A torrent of notification alerts separates each section, swiping the dancers across the stage into the next section. My favourite one? The Sims: set to the reassuring and bouncy sound of The Sims soundtrack, dancers Julia Jordan and Eva Escrich wander about the stage, glassy eyed and uncoordinated, waving their arms above their heads at their gamers. 

Dancers Julia Jordan and Ella Fleetwood in #nofilter (Lidia Crisafulli)

The dancers are light and easy on their feet. They shift comfortably through moments of unison, short monologues, freeze frames and contact improvisation. They're a versatile cast with bold energy and personality. Amy Morvell's reaction at being left out (or FOMO "fear of missing out" as the programme notes explain in the "Millennial Dictionary"), is easy to empathise with. There is no worse feeling than seeing a Boomerang of your friends, clinking glasses and "having the time of their lives" without you. We've all been there.

Dancers Amy Morvell and Eva Escrich in #nofilter (PC: Lidia Crisafulli)

Overall, choreographer Ella Fleetwood is successful in creating a work of dance that is both thought-provoking and fun. She does well to question the impacts of social media and the constant use of screens on our wellbeing and mental health. Are our online profiles a true reflection of our "real" selves? Have we altered the way we look at ourselves and our peers? Have we become addicted to the instant gratification of our phones and online profiles?

Dancers Eva Escrich and Julia Jordan in #nofilter (PC: Lidia Crisafulli)

As Ella noted in the post-show Q&A, despite the company's work with 11-19 year-olds, some of the references in #nofilter will go over the heads of younger audiences. But does this really matter? Is #nofilter truly a commentary on millennial life? Or is it, rather, a broader commentary on the workings of social media, especially for a generation of young people who have increasingly never experienced life without it?

With its tiny stage and cosy seating, Blue Elephant Theatre's intimate setting conceals nothing. It is definitely a venue for emerging dance artists willing to showcase the bare essentials of their choreography- and in this case Ella&co present honest, bare dance that does not need to hide behind production frills.


Maya Pindar

Find out more about ella&co and other upcoming events and performances here!