A piece that explores the terrible murder of 70,000 disabled people by the Nazis is never going to be comfortable watching.

Claire Cunningham creates work that challenges her, people’s perception of dance and people’s perception of being disabled simultaneously.

Using her crutches she manipulates herself in a series of drawn out repetitive movements that push her body to the very limit.

The score, written by Zoe Irvine, complements these movements that have a playful element, despite the seriousness of the piece.

This replaces the need for spoken word, apart from a singing section at the very end that shows that you cannot quash someone’s voice.

A moment when Cunningham comes forward and stands for as long as possible without crutches until she physically cannot stand anymore encapsulates the bravery of the performer and the powerful but saddening message of the piece.

Placing the audience in the light at the same time, as if on trial, seems overly aggressive and maybe a bit much.

The piece is minimal and is not a comfortable watch for the viewer. It would be a lie to call it “entertaining”.

It pushes the solemnity of the content to a point where an interest in this type of performance is a requirement. But if you can’t challenge yourself during festival time, when can you?

Four stars