As part of our Young Critics Collective programme, Julian Fisher reviews RONiN, a collaboration between Yukiko Masui and digital artist Barret Hodgson, produced by The Place.
Inspired by the legacy of Japan’s ronin – masterless samurai who lived by their own code – RONiN combines dance, swordplay, and cutting-edge digital projections to tell the story of an unlikely hero navigating honour, resilience and survival in a male-dominated world.
Young Critics are an imaginative collective of students that value collaboration and innovation. Together, they review and help shape future theatre programming.
Review
The performance was already underway when I entered the theatre. On stage was a lone woman sitting on the floor, emanating a sense of calm as if in light meditation. Projected onto the walls were shoots of bamboo oscillating while the sound of rain pattered softly. This created an air of serenity as the audience settled into their seats. However, as I soon realised, this was only the calm before the storm.
RONiN is a visceral cinematic experience that synthesises Japanese culture through its visuals and sword-fighting with hip-hop expressionism in its dance and music. It is produced by The Place, a contemporary dance venue responsible for many influential works. RONiN is a collaboration between award-winning choreographer Yukiko Masui and digital projection artist Barret Hodgson. They worked in tandem on each scene, which is evident in how brilliantly the movement and visuals coalesce to tell an impactful narrative.
A trio of performers graced the stage, consisting of Cher Nicolette Ho as the heroine alongside Jacob Lang and Nathan Bartman. Each performer was dressed in distinct attire and displayed different styles of swordsmanship, representing the varied paths a ronin may take. Despite the absence of dialogue, the depth given to each character spoke volumes. Barret’s inspiration for the picturesque and otherworldly projections came from his
journey across Japan. His genuine exposure to Japanese landscapes made the projections feel authentic, immersing the audience in the culture. The visuals covered both the walls and floor, creating the illusion of different worlds with distinct visual languages. There were especially striking moments when the projections united with movement to create the illusion of traversing a three-dimensional space, playfully manipulating the audience’s perception.
Yukiko’s choreography blends emotive contemporary dance with powerful martial arts to craft a uniquely captivating physical language. Her dedicated career was apparent with how effortlessly hip-hop and elements of ballet harmonised with combat while maintaining a strong sense of unity. For the martial arts sequences, Yukiko collaborated with sword and stunt specialist Kashmir Leese, who previously worked as a stunt performer on The Rings of Power. Together, they created intense and engaging fight scenes that felt brutally real yet mesmerising. The music, composed by Ruth Chan, consists of a diverse soundscape that fuses hip hop, techno, and traditional Japanese music. Dance and music are here are blended into a cohesive whole that was utterly electrifying throughout.
From start to finish, RONiN is a spectacle unlike any other I have seen. Yukiko and Barret have succeeded in creating an alluring world full of vigorous physicality and iridescent visuals. At the end, the performance was rewarded with a standing ovation and lengthy applause, with audience members of all ages showing deep appreciation for the production, a testament to its wide-ranging appeal.
