OMSK The Bongo Club. 20—23 Aug. 8.15pm. Site-specific work from these London-based performance artists. featuring four separate. but integrated shows. performed over four nights. focusing individually on personal horror. failure. sheer noise and confession.
C3 Pandemonium sees Lelavision. Quaker Meeting House. until 25 Aug. 6.30pm. Once upon a time there was a ship- wreck and a crew of sailors woke up to find themselves on a desened island. Simple? Yep. Traditional? Not this time. In Lelavision's Pandemonium. the sailors speak bagpipe. the ship is an organ. the rocks sing and the shells have legs. The three purple clad performers roll on. climb into. pluck and stroke a variety of incredible musical sculptures and in return the ‘Stamenphone‘. ‘Orbacles' and the ‘Longwave' create a magical soundscape. Lelavision also tumble. grimace. groan. gig- gle and clown in this fusion of dance. sculp- ture. music and physical theatre creating a show that is absolutely unique. (Viv Franzmann)
Parabox Anterican High School Theatre Festival. Church Hill Theatre. I 7 Aug. 4.20pm; 18 Aug. 10.20am; 20 Aug. 2.20pm; 2/ Aug. 6.20pm. A exploration of the technological age through dance. fusing dance. theatre and video.
0 PASTForward White Oak Dance Project. Playhouse. until 16 Aug. 7.30pm. Mikhail Baryshnikov's New York company celebrate the groundbreaking work of 1960s and 70s post-modem choreographers. Five stars in The Scotsman.
Pigs O. C Belle Angele, until 26 Aug. 12.45pm. Hull Truck make the leap from theatre to dance and fail to live up to their previous high standards. Four besuited female performers pound the stage to everything from hard house to Shirley Bassey. inhabiting the world of the male football hooligan. But the lack of narrative (where are you John Godber?) takes us no closer to understanding the inner psyche of these bugbears of English society. instead we're just mildly entertained by some fairly dynamic street style choreography. A wasted opportunity to tackle a fascinating subject matter. (Kelly Apter)
0 The Pillow Book om Shakti. Garage C hapiteau. until 27 Aug. 9pm. The inimitable Japanese dancer Shakti is back with this celebration of women's sexuality. interpreted from the ancient Japanese text. Written by a woman at a time when they
were not supposed to express their feelings. sexual or otherwise. this is a passionate piece. made even more so by Shakti‘s high- ly-charged perfomiance. From the teasing beginning to the energetic finale. The Pillow Book is an incredibly erotic experience. Halfway through the show. Shakti bears all. allowing herself to be daubed all over in brightly coloured paint. a procedure which is perfonned with precision by Mieko Nishimura. When the body painting is fin- ished. Shakti continues with her dance. building up to an almost demonic climax. A spell-binding and breath-taking perfor- mance. (Kirsty Knaggs)
Piano 3 Cia Lin/tax Aereas/Cultura Inglesa. Continental Shifts at St Bride 's Centre. until 25 Aug. [2.30pm. Contemporary Brazilian dance theatre. adapted from the dramatic poem. () Marin/teiro (The Sailor) by Femando Pessoa.
PVC (People vs Cassandra) o Stiletto Productions. The Bongo Club. until 18 Aug. 2.30pm. Let‘s not split hairs here. but in a show billed as dance and physical theatre. you would expect to see some. instead. we get a group of pvc-clad women. walking awkwardly in stiletto heels. doing the odd tango move. badly. In an uninspiring retelling of the Greek myth of Cassandra. we are subjected to a tirade of shouting. political soundbites. chanting. singing and music. And although the performers are talented musically. to call it dance is totally misleading. (Helen Monaghan)
The Russian Cossack State Dance Ensemble George Square Theatre. 18—26 Aug. l.l()pm. The Military Tattoo organisers pass these stunning Russian performers over to George Square. for a lunchtime helping of sword and Cossack dancing.
snlnla Kaoruco. Gateway Theatre. until 27 Aug. 3pm. Acclaimed Japanese choreographer Kaoruco taps into the ‘cosmic root‘ as she mixes strong. traditional fight moves with graceful. minimalist action in this powerful exploration of the life of a Samurai.
Some Day . . . 0.. Ametza Theatre. Hill Street Theatre. until 27 Aug. [0.20pm. Envisage Cinderella gyrating over a bemused Prince Charming. Rupunzel shedding her locks and partaking in a spot of belly-dancing and a fairy godmother reincarnated as Cilla Black and you have entered the outlandish world ofAmetza Theatre. Not only are the fairytale characters satirised. but also what they represent at the beginning of a new millennium. Combining ballet. acrobatics and contemporary dance. raw emotion comically punctures the fairytale facade. But at a paltry 30 minutes long. the audience deserve more for their ticket price. (Anna Millar)
The Spice In Salsa O... Cutumba - Cuha. Gateway Theatre. tutti] 27 Aug. 9.45pm. Cutumba have it all — syncopated rhythms. shimmying shoulders. percussive feet and a fantastic array of colourful cos- tumes. Showing Cuban music and dance from its Afro-Haitian roots to present day. the focus is largely on group dynamics. with the ten dancers and nine musicians creating one large harmonioUs whole. A wild. pro- cessional dance. involving the slicing of tongues and juggling of knives is contrasted by more sedate moments of Haitian songs, before the dancers move on to a frenetic maypole dance. As the finale kicks in. the dancers snake round the audience. plucking people to join them on stage. Salsa has never been so much fun. (Anna Millar)
Spirit of Freedom Demarco Rocket Productions. Rocket (0,7 Royal College of Surgeons. until I 8 Aug. 7pm. Students from Reading College fuse music. dance. mime and drama to launch an assault on all your
Strictly Scottish St Andrew's & St George 's Church. until [8 Aug. times vary. The best in traditional Scottish country dancing.
Taming the Dragon Japan I;'.t'/u'rience. The Garage. I9—27Aug. 6.30pm. The sultry Shakti teams up with flautis't Ron Korb to produce an hour of uplifting. exotic dance. 2001 A Dance Odyssey American High School Theatre festival. Churclt Hill Theatre. I 7 Aug. 8.20pm; 18 & 20. Aug 12.20pm; 21 Aug. 4.20pm. Students from the Milwaukee High School of the Arts mix ballet. modem. African and jazz dance styles.
Uncertain Memories Japan Experience. The Garage. until 27 Aug, 3pm. A wonderful illustration of how dance goes beyond the peripheral. Young dancer Mana lost her eyesight but continues to explore her emotions through movement. with the aid of dancer friend. Takako. Slow but passionate. Urban Fleur American Dance Art. C Venue. 19—26 Aug. [0.30am Solo pieces and duets exploring female relationships.
The Visions of Aksenty ivanovich C. Li! Moon Theatre Co.. Continental Shifts at St Bride 's Centre. until [8 Aug. 7.30pm. An oriental lovely catches the eye of the timid. lonely lvanovich. Typically she tums out to be a bottom slapping dominatrix who breaks his heart and messes with his mind to the point that his workmates
arts
A fantastic blend of modern dance, circus skills and martial
Within Outer Spaces
become dogs and he needs a cuddle frorn his mother. Through music. mime and mask. we go into the world of the despairing protagonist and although there are some beautiful moments in Lit Moon's production. it is difficult to be moved by it. The pace is too gentle and although the talent of the performers in this physical piece is obvious. they are not given the o portunity to show it. (Viv Fran/.mann) Within Outer Spaces .000 Capacitor: C Venue. until 26 Aug. 8.30pm. A fantastic blend of modern dance. circus skills and martial arts from this San Franciscan performance group. who spin on ropes. dance with their heads on fire. juggle with luminous balls and generally surprise and delight at every turn. Depicting the formation of the earth. the per- formers go from scaly- backed amphibians to computer ohsessives (incidentally portrayed by two dancers mov- ing inside the same vest). presented in a series of circus style acts. Prepare to be amazed. entertained and ever so slightly singed. The Woman who Fell from the Sky Medicine Wheel Dance Project. The Garage. until 27 Aug. 4.15pm. Dance drama utilising the emotive Japanese dance form of Butoh. inspired by an lroquois legend. Worm-Hole Niki McCretton. (‘ Venue. until 26 Aug. 2.20pm. Having rejected the stability of her family life. a young woman etnbarks on an intense mental journey into a world devoid of any real human connection. The links to Kafka are evident with the profound feeling of sterility that resonates throughout mttch of the piece. Equally. Beckett is almost definitely an influence with the performance satirising the bizarre perversities of expression. The dance movements work nicely to express the woman‘s internal emotions and personal disposition. as her environment fluctuates between liberation and incarceration. While Niki .‘slcCretton‘s performance is undoubtedly captivating. the piece itself occasionally seems unsure as to whether or not it was a satire or simply an intense piece ofdrama. (Anna Millar) Yumlko izuta In Relief Japan I;‘.t‘perience. The Garage. until 27 Aug. 12.15pm. Izuta returns to the Fringe after last year's successful show. continuing her theme of the physical and emotional being: the body and the soul. Four stars in The Scotsman.
Echoes of Egypt The Garage. 19~27 Aug. 10.15pm. The latest in an impressively large programme of intemational dance opens at the Fringe this weekend. with Egypt joining Japan. lndia. Cuba and the US on the movement map. Performed by Edinburgh-based trio Kate Deacon. Jaine Lurnsden and Lorne McCall. Echoes ongvpt will trace the country's dance form back to its earliest roots. over ten centuries ago before journeying tip to present day. Passed down through generations of women (for it is they who do most of the dancing). the Egyptian Raqs Sharqi style has undergone various transformations. From Sha'abi. the rural folk dance of the people. through Sharqi. popular during the 10th century Golden Age of lslam and on to Baladi. a fusion of new and old which emerged in Cairo in the early 1900s. But although the work is drenched in history. the show isn't all old school. as Lumsden explains: ‘The dance form is traditional but the choreography is all entirely original.“ So if you thought Egyptian dance was nothing but tmdttlating bellies and be-jewelled navels. think again. (Kelly Apter)
36 Till LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 16-22 Aug 2001