THEATE
LISTINGS: THEATRE 50 CABARET 51 DANCE 52
contemporary arts have hecome.‘
Although many of the performers in the festival retnain loyal to the traditional images of folk tales that have been doing the rounds fora thousand years. there are contemporary resonances to he found. "I'hese fundamental tales are dealing with archetypical human relationships‘ says Smith. "l'hings like the stepmother relationship and the twins separated at birth crop up again and again. In a curious way. that insecurity within the family is perhaps as relevant to our contemporary society as it was when the tales were first told. The stories had a real historical grounding; families were hroken up h}. war and conquest and economic insecurity. Now they are broken up by divorce. So even though the social circumstances have changed. we‘re once again in a society in which
family relationships are fluid. It‘s all in here. the uncertainty of family relationships. the ambivalence of family relationships. the love hate
Tell us another
From Sri Lanka to Tennessee. storytellers are converging on Ekhnhurgh.PhduaParrpflcksuplus
cars. 1“
'I'hirty individual performers. from three g continents. taking part in a fortnight—long festival
which is hailed as the higgest in Europe. You‘ve "E'L STEWART thing. You see. folk tales anticipated Freud hv a . got to he thinking "l'ramway". haven’t you'.’ ; it does always seem to he centred on rural rather couple ofcenturies. ' However. the Scottish Storytelling Festival is not 1 than urhan areas. Does this mean that the _ ‘But vou mustn't hecome fixated on the story as
occupying the old museum of transport. hut one of
traditions die out when people move to the city'.’ an object which exists in its own right. It doesn‘t. the (‘cntral Belt’s smallest theatres. Edinburgh‘s
‘We have some storytellers who I would say have These stories don't exist in any kind of fixed
Netherhow. l gone on developing stories fornewsituations.‘ ; version. soeverytime the tellertellsthe storvit‘s The festival hcgan three years ago as the claims Smith. ‘At the same time. traditional stories § re-ereated, It‘s in that process of retelling that the
hrain-child of artistic director. Donald Smith. It
has been growing ever since. hoth in terms of the
: numher of performers attending and the distances
contemporary relevance is brought in hy the teller. It‘s often just by a reference. you draw in the
These stories don’t exist in any kind of
- - - audience in that wav. 'l‘hat‘s what the storvtellinu 3 which they have travelled in order to take part. “xed versmn’ so eyerV "me the tenemens performance is about. I have to make this'storv E : "there’s always this funny thing.’ explains Smith. the Story It’s re'created- i alive for you — I don‘t have props, I don‘t have' g ‘that storytellingis naturally an international scenerv.l don‘t have actors. I don‘t have film I pursuit and the folk traditions span the world. have a kindofpsychological integrity. a kind of i visuals: lam goingtocreate thisthing completelv 1 Focusing on Scottish storytelling. as we did in the ' magic. which is very much to do with the societies with my words and gestures, Now, to make that ,- i first year. led inevitahly to the international and ways of life in which they arise. 'l‘here is a very ll I‘ve got to involve you. and because I involve you ; dimension hecause Scottish storytelling and oral ; real connection hetween the stories and the i and together we‘re re—crcating this storv. it must tradition is recognised as heing one of the richest in traditional culture. We want that maintained. We he contemporary. as well as past.‘ I 1 the world.’ don‘t want storytelling to hecome another wing of l The Scottish Storytelling Festival, iN'eI/ierbmv : While storytelling is a worldwide phenomenon. l marketing and sponsorship like other : Theatre, [g'di'nhui-g/z, Thurs" l7()(‘I-I"rf 1 Nov.
% _ Dheer’s green place
i l The tirstAsian balletto be madein i
with Bangra and Bharata Natyam.
He took up a post with a title that suggests that, like a sculptor in residence based in a hospital, he would be required to lead a few workshops, but predominantly make new work. Dheer, however, like the seven other Dance Artists in Scotland, actually spends all weekteaching, and choroegraphed Heer Ranjha in his spare time on a budget of £500.
‘A base has been laid now,’ says
Dheer, having put in much hard work and skill. ‘It has taken a lot of time, but a I'm pleased in the end with the result.“ It would be marvellous to see other local authorities set up Ethnic Dance Artist posts thatallowtheir incumbents the time, money and energy to produce new and stimulating worklike Heer i Raniha. (Tamsin Grainger) Heer Ranjha, Glasgow Mela,
Glasgow, already seen in London and
Aberdeen, is to be shown at last in its home city. Against all odds, Sudarshan l Dheer, Asian Dance Artist in Residence tor Strathclyde, has choreographed
Heer Raniha with a cast of 25 students and members of the community, and it has played to standing ovations.
Heer Raniha was written by the poet Waris Shah, described by Dheer as the § ‘Shakespeare ol the Puniab'. Indeed it 5
is the story of Romeo and Juliet, a ‘lolk l Dheer came from Bombay to Glasgow where he made over 100 films. He has Tramway, Glasgow, Sat 26 0ct,1pm; tale that is over 100 years old and a true with an impressive career as a a broad knowledge of classical and folk Crawford Theatre, Jordanhill College, story that belongs to both the Indian ‘ choreographer behind him - dance styles from all over India Glasgow, Sun 3 Nov, 7,3opm;
and Pakistani cultures.‘
, particularly in the celluloid industry enabling him to excite and enthuse Edinburgh date to be confirmed.
0N FOLLOWING PAGES: THE MARXIST MAGICIAN O VOICEWORKS 0 SEVEN SHOWS REVIEWED
-jl'he List 1 l —”3--_1-()ctoher 1.9-9.1 47