INVOKE Tantalizes With a Sinister Danse Macabre

Foolish mortals are once again convening with the spiritual realm in the new independent theatre show INVOKE from Santa Mira Pictures and Oddancity. Oddancity advertises itself as the world’s first horror dance company and while I can’t verify that claim, it does give you a pretty good idea of what to expect with INVOKE.

Things were already rather ominous as I made my way to the entrance, a nondescript door with a faded address next to a record shop. A woman in a hooded cloak greeted us. She allowed us, one at a time, into a dark slender space, up a large staircase, where we checked in and handed in our cell phones. The cell signals interfere with the spirits, you know. We then took our seats and were treated to a ritualistic seance told through dance.

Each of the performers is a capable dancer and contortionist, using a combination of rigid staccato movements with twists and back bends to create the sense that their bodies are no longer under their control. This, combined with an original soundtrack that uses ambient sounds with droning tones and chimes that conduct the flow of the dance, come together to create a forceful and unnerving experience that is also fairly substantial in length, around 45 minutes. There is a moderate amount of physical contact but nothing that should be too uncomfortable for fans of this type of theatre.

If I had any issues, it would be that there’s not a great deal of variety from one segment to another. They all have their own feel, but once you’ve settled into the core experience, there aren’t a lot of surprises or insights into the nature of the ritual that you’re witnessing and it could have used a few more props to spice things up.

Dance aficionados that are interested in how that art form can be expressed in an unsettling and nefarious manner will likely enjoy this experience, though general fans of horror theater will likely get more bang for their buck at the Tour of Terror over at Zombie Joe’s. Nothing saying you can’t see both, though, with Oddancity carving out its own niche in the theatrical horror world that they will hopefully expand on in upcoming productions.