'Sword Dance' is born from my old dancehall back home on the West coast, its scent of varnished floors and mustiness lingers still, a keepsake of a buried part of self. Here, as a ballet and Highland dancer, the swords were danced, a depiction of a Highland battle triumph. Music is at the root of world creation. Heritage is revisited through the sound of post-punk – heavy, powerful, driving.
These seemingly opposing worlds finds threads of familiarity, underpinned by a sense of movement. Highland militaristic structures reflect the precision and discipline of dance, softened through fabric, colour and texture, drawing on the classicism of ballet. Music performance informs undone elements, a manipulation of tradition. Abbie Smith
