#3. Dance Review: Do Birds Dream of Flying?

Dance Review for Spring Forward Festival / Springback Academy 2026

Do Birds Dream of Flying? 

Fabla Collective/Inan Sven Du Swami & Mojca Špik (SI)

The industrial geometry of a mobile ladder stands at the centre. As the audience gathers in a circular embrace, the conventional ‘front’ disappears; Mojca Špik orientates space through action. While she climbs, the ladder spins, her organic curves pressing against rigid steel in a delicate dialogue with gravity.

Rather than typical circus ‘tricks’, Špik maintains a fluid continuity, transforming the aerial space into a cinematic arc. When Inan Sven Du Swami enters as a silent supporter, his reassuring presence pushes her toward daring investigations. With added stability from the specialised equipment, her limbs find the freedom to spin and leap, just like a bird in pursuit of flying, yet always searching for the ground after every ascent.

By witnessing a human who repeatedly ascends, only to crawl upon the ground once more, Do Birds Dream of Flying? leaves one wondering: whether birds or humans, do those gifted with the sky still yearn for the ground?

原文刊載｜Springback Magazine