A POWERFUL story of what it means to be a modern-day soldier gets its Scottish premiere at Tramway this weekend.

Scots-born choreographer Rosie Kay is delighted that, nine years on from the start 5 SOLDIERS, audiences north of the border will finally get a chance to see what reviewers have called a ‘visceral tour de force of the senses’.

“I’m really looking forward to the Scottish tour,” smiles Rosie, who grew up in the Borders and Edinburgh before moving south to train at the London Contemporary Dance School.

“It’s been such a long journey to this point – almost nine years of my life. When it started it was about things happening ‘now’, at that very moment. Now it’s almost a historical piece – and some of the young soldiers I spoke to as part of the research at the beginning are coming back from combat, badly injured….”

5 SOLDIERS is a contemporary dance piece which provides an intimate view of the training that prepares the military for the sheer physicality of combat, the possibility of injury, and the impact conflict has on the body and mind.

The piece has a powerful physicality, moments of humour and is full of honesty, all inspired by input from serving and former soldiers, and has been endorsed as ‘getting it’ by its military audiences.

Rosie explains: “In movement, the performance weaves a story of physical transformation, helping us to understand what makes a soldier and how the experience of warfare affects those that choose to put their life on the line.”

She adds: “I was taking a risk, in the beginning, approaching the military who I’m sure thought, who on earth is this choreographer and what is she doing?”

She smiles: “And now we are putting it on in Scotland in association with the army, which is great.

“The piece does tackle difficult themes – sexual harassment, injury. But the army is much more open about those issues, I think.”

Lt Col Gordon Mackenzie, who is leading the project for 51st Infantry Brigade and Army Headquarters Scotland, agrees.

“The Army is becoming smaller than it used to be, but we don’t want it to become less important to the public,” he says.

“And we don’t want to become invisible just because we are not fighting in combat operations that put us on the TVs in people’s living rooms

“5 Soldiers is an exciting opportunity to get people to look at us and think about us in different ways. It’s a break from the more traditional approach of tattoos and military shows, so we hope it will help us reach new audiences and explore attitudes and emotions beyond the norm.”

He adds: “5 Soldiers give us a chance to break down the barrack walls, bring people into the place we work. The dancers’ own perceptions have begun to change through their interaction with our military instructors and our own people have been incredibly impressed by the dancers in terms of their professionalism, dedication, the thoroughness of their preparation, and their amazing fitness. I think perceptions are changing in both directions.”

Rosie agrees.

“I think the soldiers who have seen it have been really impressed by the strength and stamina of the dancers,” she nods.

“It’s a punishing piece – it starts hard and gets harder so the most physical dance is actually at the end.

“The dancers have all spent several days training with infantry battalions, trying to get a sense of what it’s really like, mentally and physically.

“They were all struck by how it could just as easily be them, out on the battlefield, rather than being safe on stage, not getting shot at.”

Rosie spent time with the 4th Battalion The Rifles as the starting point for 5 Soldiers, and spoke to soldiers returning injured from combat at the military rehabilitation centre Headley Court.

Nine years on, some of the young soldiers she trained with are now coming back from combat with injuries of their own.

She admits it has been hard to see once strapping soldiers now amputees, learning how to rebuild their bodies and lives.

“I’ve always liked tough subjects but this is certainly one of the toughest projects I’ve worked on,” she says.

“It’s a strange environment, the military – once you get involved, it’s hard to leave. It gets under your skin.”

She pauses. “It has been scary, in lots of ways, but it’s been a real privilege.”

5 SOLDIERS is at Tramway on April 29 and 30.