SUMMFP SHAKE SHAPE A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Princess Street Gardens, Edinburgh, Tue 27 Jun-Wed 12 Jul
There's much about love that all of us keep in a dark place. lf Laean is to he helie'./erf_ we seek a kind of inferiority. a ‘x/ithering array of identity. a form of oblivion in it. Our irlolisation of the other in many forms of love is about the need to demean ourselves. rather than any outstanding quality the person loved has. Whether or not this is true, there's a certain sense of Thanatos that hangs over A Midsummer Night's Dream that seems to hear this out. For heneatli all the undoubtedly engaging quality of the humour. the Dream certainly visits some pretty grim parts of the unconseious. Which is why it's a dream, of course.
Now if you want to test this theory. here's a chance With this summer production by the touring British Shakespeare Company. In it. Wayne Sleep will he playing Puck. Now. if you think that Puck is the epitome of youthful zest and playfulness. perhaps Sleep seems implausible (Lasting. yet there's also something about Puck that is as old as the forest itself. Meantime there's all that love at first
Sight stuff, which might tell us more about the seer than the seen. Find out for yourself. (Steve Cramer)
HIP HOP CONTEMPORARY DANCE FRESHMESS: TRIPLE BILL
Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, Thu 29 Jun 0000
If only all dance companies were as accessible as Freshmess. the world wOuId he a better place. Blending hip hop and contemporary dance. their enthusiasm is more infectious than chicken pox. But the company's current triple bill has much more to offer than Wide smiles and cheeky shakes of the ass (although both of
these are in no short Supplyl.
Frank McConnell's Virii/ Lino pays homage to the US sOul. funk and R&B .‘.’lll()ll has influenced the company over its 12 year history The eponymous lino is used for breakdance face-offs. which are fun rather than flashy. Meanwhile. compam director. Allan lryine‘s One TO Grow On is an in-yOur-face mix of streetdance. poppin'. lockin' and breaking set to some nifty miXing on the decks. Séillfl.'.'l(:ll0{l iii-between comes Ethelinda Lashley—Johnston's Slgll language-inspired Distant VOices. More. serious in both content and style. the piece still manages to make contempOrary dance palatable fOr those hungry only for hip hop. And proves the SIX dancers have more than one emotion up their sleeves.
Freshmess recently performed at the Bank of Scotland Children's international Theatre Festival. With a target age range of 8—fB-year-olds. Faced with an audience of hard to please teenagers. they hit the spot perfectly. But the fact is. Freshmess COuld entertain Just abOut anybody of any age Without breaking a
sweat. (Kelly Apter)
BAl Litl LA TRAVIATA Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 27 Jun—Sat 1 Jul
Kenneth Tindall’s story sounds straight from a Hollywood musical: a dancer plucked from the obscurity of the chorus line and thrust into the limelight. But that’s pretty much what happened to the Dundee-born 25-year-old.
Graduating from London’s Central School of Ballet at 18, Tindall headed straight for Northern Ballet Theatre [NBT] and a gruelling round of touring. Performing over 180 shows a year proved too much for the young dancer, prompting him to spread his wings and join companies in Japan, China and Israel. Stronger, more proficient but hungry for home, Tindall returned to NET in 2003 and the aforementioned obscurity. Enter South African choreographer, Veronica Paeper, and her acclaimed re-working of Verdi’s La Traviata. Unaware that Tindall was not a Principal she nonetheless singled him out.
‘I’m still a young dancer in the company, but Veronica watched me in class and said she’d like me to do the lead role,’ explains Tindall. ‘They warned me
Theatre
four months in advance to start working out more, because the lifting was going to be a lot harder. Performing a three act ballet is a real test, but as soon as you grow in confidence it’s amazing what you can do.’
Tindall was soon rehearsing the role of Armand, an impressionable young man who falls for a beautiful courtesan, much to his family‘s dismay. Set against the backdrop of 19th century Parisian high society, La Traviata’s central romance is bittersweet and ultimately tragic. But great to dance. ‘As a dancer you always want to play the romantic lead,’ says Tindall. ‘And Armand is a real Romeo-style character. He’s young and naive, but the character really grows as the story goes on.’
One of opera’s most accessible works, La Traviata is known for its beautiful score, which translates perfectly to ballet. Performed by NBT‘s own orchestra, the music has also given Tindall a shot in the arm on occasion. ‘When you’re tired, the music can really save you,’ he says. ‘I don’t know what happens, but it’s just so beautiful, you suddenly get an extra blast of energy.’ (Kelly Apter)
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