Allthemovereandahakeralntown
DANCE CABARET
Till K080i IN TWENTIETH CIN‘I’URY GIRLS
Gilded Balloon, 3—27 Aug, 1.30pm.
The phrase ‘age ain’t nothing but a number’ is usually coined by youngsters, eager to indulge in something their parents would really rather they didn't. But as life expectancy increases, the older members of society are also likely to champion the sentiment. Just as children are constantly underestimated for their ability to understand and contribute, the average pensioner is similarly overlooked. Not by The Kosh. Their new production, Tiventieth Century Girls was originally commissioned to play in residential homes and day centres - hardly the most obvious venue for a company at the cutting edge of contemporary dance-theatre. And yet, ‘they absolutely loved it,’ says company director, Michael Merwitzer. The show also played to teenagers in a further education college, who were all similarly enamoured. A cross-generational appeal which for Merwitzer has been ‘rather magical actually.’ Perhaps the key to the show’s
/
Jiving dolls - The Kosh’s Nentieth Century Girls
l ‘
success is in the narrative. Broken down into cabaret style segments, the story follows two female friends from the 1940s to present day; plotting their progress from living youngsters to wise old sages. Social and historical landmarks are picked out along the way, illustrating the women’s lives in a wider context. ‘It’s really a story about friendship as much as anything,’ says Merwitzer. ‘But it’s integrated with advertising and news clips which capture the spirit of each time - there‘s John Lennon being shot, the war breaking out and an advertising guy from the 50s saying “give me a well-stacked dame and i’ll sell refrigerators to beatnlks”.’
Performed by Sibn Williams and Fiona Crease, both of whom have garnered considerable acclaim for their dance and choreographic skills, the action centres around that most versatile of items, a wardrobe. ‘I
think wardrobes are wonderful,’ says Merwitzer. ‘They’re something we’ve all got memories of hiding in, or having things stuffed away in - and in this show it’s the central prop, out of which pours the decades.’
So, having wowed the elderly and the adolescent, Twentieth Century Girls is set to make its public debut, having been picked up by the Gilded Balloon’s Karen Koren during a London show. And how does Merwitzer expect Fringe audiences to react? ‘Well, the kids loved it as a piece of wacky, surreal physical theatre without necessarily addressing anything more - and to be quite honest that’s how i prefer people to see it. First and foremost I want audiences to enjoy it - and then if it stimulates people to look at the sub-plot, that’s fine. it’s a really enjoyable piece and I think to go and see it at 1.30pm will set you up for the day.’
(Kelly Apter)
Walking canvas Shakti re-writes The Pillow Book
some List 2-9 Aug 2001
JAPANESE EROTICISM AKTI
Garage Chapiteau, 5—27 Aug, 9pm (The Pillow Book); The Garage, 5—27 Aug, noon (Odissi)
'Doing three shows and running five spaces. I must be crazy!‘ The speaker is Fringe staple Shakti. This year the indefatigable Indo-Japanese dancer presents a slew of international productions at the Garage Theatre. and headlines three shows.
At noon she demonstrates Odissi, a classical Indian Hindu temple dance composed of 'sculptural poses. with flowing hand gestures and intricate footwork.’ In the early evening (Aug 19—27 only) she and flautist Ron Korb will be Taming the Dragon; a collaboration which is ‘energetic and lively, with a mythical element. It tells of the dragon within us. waiting to be freed.’
Later each night Shakti unveils her free interpretation of The Pillow Book. The original diary-like volume was written by a Iady-in-waiting in the Imperial Court of the Heian Era. ‘It isn't explicitly a book on the art of
loving and sex like the Kama Sutra. but it has excerpts on her idea of an ideal lover. She was respected — and tolerated — because of the free haiku poetry she wrote, in which the beauty and joy of nature is a prominent feature.’
Shakti hasn't seen Peter Greenaway's film of the same name. because 'I don't want to be influenced by it'. Her aesthetic goal is a union of flesh and spirit. exposing ‘the innermost desires and secrets within'. Each night, Shakti‘s body will become a canvas. a voluptuous landscape onto which a Buddhist artist will apply bright acrylics. 'A heavenly being riding a peacock on my back and bottom, flowers on my breasts, and feathers. petals and leaves floating on my arms and wrapping around my thighs.’ she states.
Shakti's attitude is playfully up-beat. Last year she danced on loads of sand. ‘A lot of people had to shovel and clean the stage every day,' she recalls. adding mischievously, ‘This year, should I ask for volunteers to wash the paint off?’ (Donald Hutera)
The best festival dance
_
The Spice in Salsa Cuba’s finest traditional dance company, Cutumba blend dance, music and song as they journey back to the roots of Afro-Cuban dance. Gateway Theatre, 53-27 Aug, 9.45pm. Footprints on Water Three emotionally provocative works from Aditi Mangaldas, a specialist in the powerful, 500- year-old Indian dance style of Kathak. George Square Theatre, 3—13 Aug, 6.45pm.
Shared Space Four hugely talented dancers showcase new choreographic work. See preview on next page. Randolph Studio @ The French Institute, 6—11 Aug, 3.30pm.
The Pillow Book An erotic exploration of the body's pleasures from the irrepressible Shakti. See preview, left. Garage Chapiteau, 5—27 Aug, 9pm. Math Century Girls The Kosh return to the Fringe with this time-spanning cabaret. See preview, left. Gilded Balloon at Teviot Row, 3—27 Aug, 1.30pm.
Pandemonium Part music. part dance, pad art exhibition - imaginative Americans. Lelavision scatter musical instruments round a desert island, then play them with their bodies. Quaker Meeting House, 6—25 Aug, 6.30pm. FreePaiIIAeriai Dance Theatre Six Boston-based performers swing through the air on ropes to create aerial shapes in this quartet of dance pieces. Garage Chapiteau, 5— 18 Aug. 5.45pm.