FESTIVAL DANCE REVIEWS
UP & OVER IT – BACK ON OUR FEET Punky and fresh take on Irish dance ●●●●●
What do you do after life as a lead Riverdancer? If you’re Up & Over It duo Suzanne Cleary and Peter Harding, the answer is: soup-up the punky-pop beats, invest in some outrageous neon costumes and invoke Simon Cowell’s sceptical eyebrow on Britain’s Got Talent with your Irish hand-dancing.
Their alternative look at an Irish institution isn’t laugh-a-minute, nor is it the cuddly Celtic toe- tapping of the Michael Flatley years – the ‘velvet- clad diddly-idleness’, as they put it. Rather, the show has an urban graffiti feel to it, occasionally a little too self-conscious in its brash coolness.
In their best moments the couple find an inspired framing device to the hand-dancing with a wordless kitchen argument, and deliver a take on the invention of Irish dancing that is both scandalous and silly. More serious passages of choreography pair the dance with an electro-retro vibe, exploring its laser-straight lines and sharp angles. What comes across most is their love for what they do and this show is no send-up, rather a re- imagining of a tradition for a completely fresh audience. (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 26 Aug (not 21), 6.05pm, £10.50–£12.50.
BALLET PRELJOCAJ Acclaimed French company makes its International Fesival debut
It’s lunchtime at Ballet Preljocaj’s headquarters in Aix-en-Provence, and dancer Sergio Diaz is taking a well-earned break. A few moments earlier, he and the rest of the company were rehearsing And then, one thousand years of peace, an extraordinary new work by one of France’s most acclaimed choreographers, Angelin Preljocaj. From the sidelines, it looks exhausting to perform. How was it for Diaz?
‘It’s energetic,’ he smiles, ‘but it’s not his worst one.’ Diaz should know – he’s been with the
company for 13 years, and knows Preljocaj’s style inside out. Raised in California, Diaz moved to France as a child, and after training as a dancer, there was only one company he wanted to join. ‘When I first discovered Angelin’s work, I was blown away by it,’ he recalls. ‘The way he can
express so many emotions through movement, his ability to be in perfect harmony with the music, and this dark, mysterious side to his creations.’ Diaz, like all the dancers, was part of the creative process on all three pieces Ballet Preljocaj is
bringing to the Edinburgh International Festival (And then, one thousand years of peace, plus double- bill Helikopter and Eldorado). Preljocaj gives his dancers a starting point – a theme, piece of text – and asks them to improvise, then embellishes it and sews it all together. ‘I like to say that he sculpts our movements,’ explains Diaz. Inspired by St John’s Apocalypse from the Book of Revelations, And then, one thousand years of
peace is rich with imagery. But it’s up to the audience to attribute meaning within the confines of Preljocaj’s main theme.
‘The root of the word apocalypse means “lifting the veil”,’ says Diaz. ‘and that can mean lifting the
veil on anything – society, war, and the re-creation of a better world.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Edinburgh Playhouse, 473 2000, Fri 17–Sun 19 Aug, 7.30pm (And then, one thousand years of peace); Wed 22 Aug, 7.30pm (Helikopter and Eldorado), £10–£30.
KNEE DEEP Redefining the meaning of headstand ●●●●●
Casus, Australia’s most exciting new circus company, have the audience squealing and gasping within minutes of beginning. The four performers use each other as climbing frames, running up limbs and jumping off shoulders, creating four-person towers and aerial tangles. They even redefine the meaning of headstand – by actually standing on each other’s heads.
There are some brilliant displays on the trapeze and aerial silk and, refreshingly, there’s no pretence at ‘magic’ either. You can really see the stress and strain of their muscles working as they lift each other higher and higher. And while some acrobatic shows may relegate their women to the easier stunts, there’s complete equality here, with Emma Serjeant – the lone female – bearing just as much of the muscular effort as her male counterparts.
Unfortunately, routines that stay close to the ground may be difficult to see from the back of the room, and one trick in which Serjeant pushes a nail right up her nose feels cheap compared with the physical accomplishments that surround it. But it’s a small blip in an otherwise awe-inspiring show. (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until Aug 27 (not 13, 20), 7.35pm, £14–£15 (£13–£14).
SULLE LABBRA TUE DOLCISSIME (ON YOUR HONEY LIPS) Sensual slow-burning dance from Siena ●●●●●
This intriguing piece from Siena-based Francesca Selva Company is a bit of a slow-burner. But stick with it and it offers delicious visual rewards. Starting with the image of a dove – part of
Giovanni Mezzedimi’s multimedia collaboration with the show – a white noise soundtrack emerges, over which comes a changing score of moods. Baroque music signifies an elegant, lean tone to the dance; a French café waltz leads to spinning piggy backs and soft indie tunes see the ensemble fall in and out of duet pairings with different partners.
It is these brief couplings that are the most
compelling to watch, the movement drawing them together as if they ache for each other. At times a lone dancer provides counterpoint, exploring gangly and awkward angles with their legs, or crouched down, head lolling. Costumes of bold block colour that look like
splashes on an artist’s palette are slowly peeled off as the piece progresses. By the time the final episode comes around the dancers, now in mono- chrome, have developed a languorous quality that is almost intoxicating. (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Zoo Southside, 662 6892, until 27 Aug (not 20), 4.40pm, £12–£14 (£10–£12).
52 THE LIST 16–23 Aug 2012