Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson famously described life as ‘a journey, not a destination’. This quote comes to mind while watching Glasgow-based choreographer Claire Cunningham’s latest work, Songs of the Wayfarer. Premiered in Frankfurt before touring to Berlin’s HAU and London’s Sadler’s Wells, the piece is inspired by Gustav Mahler’s song cycle Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. Throughout, Cunningham – who originally trained as a singer – performs excerpts from the classical score, weaving them together with danced and spoken sections linking themes of journeying and mountaineering with her experiences as a disabled person.
‘By foot, by hand, by heart, by chance; by score, by map, by song, by dance,’ recites Cunningham over the sound system, poetically describing the different tools people use to navigate life. Her key navigational tools are crutches, which she often uses in unexpected ways, notably leaning on them with her neck or armpit rather than hands, and contorting her body into gravity-defying positions. At one point, she uses them to traverse the auditorium seating. At another, she moves gingerly through a precarious pyramid of crutches, which appear on the verge of collapsing, jenga-style, at any moment.
These scenes are punctuated by breaks in which Cunningham rests, hydrates and refuels. During this time, she shares candid anecdotes about people she’s lost. ‘Sometimes you don’t end up where you set out for,’ says Cunningham pensively, before resetting off on her journey. For her, it seems that the important thing about travelling through life is never giving up when faced with setbacks. Not only that – we mustn’t forget to show kindness and consideration to others along the way. Even when Cunningham shares her grief, she offers homemade shortbread to nearby audience members.
This act of kindness epitomises the caring nature of Songs of the Wayfarer, which Cunningham ensures is as inclusive as possible. There’s ample room for wheelchair users to choose where to sit, audio description and, at the start of the show, Cunningham takes on the role of a mountaineering guide, informing the audience of the ‘conditions’ of the performance – a clever way to incorporate accessibility into the work’s theme. If everyone showed as much consideration for others, inside and outside of the theatre, life would be far more manageable, and undeniably more enjoyable.
