www.list.co.uk/dance
THE CHOLMONDELEYS AND THE FEATHERSTONEHAUGHS
Dance of death
It's hardly damning the cast of Dancing On Your Grave to call them a handful of dead-beats. Created by the veteran choreographer Lea Anderson for members of her two cult dance companies. The Cholmondeleys (pronounced ‘chum-leez‘) and The Featherstonehaughs (‘fan—shaws'). this deliberately small-scale. cabaret-style production is about a five-piece music hall troupe on a seemingly endless t0ur. The catch is that the Quintet happens to be deceased.
Grave promises to be ghoulish good fun with plenty of inventive flair. a lot of which is down to Anderson. A contemporary of Matthew Bourne (who was a founding member of The Featherstonehaughs). she's been steeped in visual art and alternative music her entire career. The show's premise. she says. is about ‘what happens when a music hall act. complete with songs and dancing and tableaux. bases itself entirely on death.‘ And what is she learning from the work? ‘That when I do death. it gets lively.’ (Donald Hutera)
I Assembly Rooms. 623 3030, 4—25 Aug (not 7, 74, 27), 3pm. £7 7—E73 ($70—$72). Previews 7—3 Aug, E8 (E7).
TRANSGRESSION
Bikers and breakers take
it to the limit
Prepare for the ultimate in urban sports. as rival factions clash for control of the concrete jungle using skateboards. BMXs. breakdancing and free running instead of fists. Transgression grew Out of the passion and skill of Edinburgh‘s “urban free-sports' community. first helping them to raise funds for their own indoor skate park, now presented as a dazzling diSplay of skill from the park's users.
“Essentially what we're trying to get across is that they are very disciplined practitioners in their own right.‘ explains the show‘s producer. Dougie Graham. ‘A couple of hours training a day is a reasonable level for an athlete. but these guys go way beyond that.‘
Transgression also addresses the very real struggle to find enough space to practise these various disciplines. often clashing with the authorities in the process. Beyond the issues raised. Graham promises ‘non-stop
movement. all very fast-paced and dynamic for the entire hour.‘ Should be truly exhilarating. (Henry Northmore)
I C Soco Urban Garden. 0845 2607234. 7—25 Aug, 9.30pm. $8.504: 70.50 ($350—$950).
INTERRUPT Relationship drama on the dancefloor
'~ ' '-
The bustle of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is not necessarily the ideal place to premiere a new piece by a new company. But David Beer. of still wet- behind-the-ears claSSical, contemporary dance company. ColliSions. is letting the experience shape his production.
The company‘s debut. Interrupt. is composed of three short duets based around the idea of an arguing c0uple interrupting one another. And in a case of life mirroring art. Collisions found their own plans interrupted by the perfOrmance space they were allocated at Zoo Southside.
‘The size of the space has added to the idea of interruptron.‘ says Beer. ‘A small space interrupting the build-up of speed and size of movement that we can make. It was a great and interesting challenge and we're now hoping to stage Interrupt in various spaces — a park. a station. the reception of a building — where we can interrupt the flow of normal life going on around it.‘ (Kirstin lnnes)
I Zoo Soutnside. 662 6892. 4—9 Aug. 5.30pm, £37 (£15).
BALE DE RUA Brazilian rhythm of life
Being short of cash can lead to some surprisingly good results. Back in 2004. when Brazilian company. Bale de Rua found themselves without a costume budget. they improvised with paint instead. Covering their skin with bright colours. the effect was stunning — which is why they've incorporated sections of that show into their self- titled Fringe debut.
As artistic director. Fernando Narduchi explains. however. the paint also has another meaning. ‘Brazilian people are very colourful.‘ he says. ‘Their houses are many different colours. we have green forests. blue skies — and the people are very mixed.
DANCE BASE PRESENTS . . .
One stop shop for dance fans
Pop open the Dance Base brochure and what do you see? A picture of artistic director, Morag Deyes beckoning you into one of the most striking arts-centred buildings in Edinburgh. And why go? To see what will be one
of the more eclectic, stimulating and enjoyable programmes on the Fringe.
True to form, Deyes has handpicked a raft of work by artists hailing from the UK and Europe, some of which raises the bar when it comes to form. Take Parallel/Parallels, a performance with an intriguing Sliding Doors concept that allows you to view two shows simultaneously, or Enclosure 44 - Humans, which Deyes deems ‘a genius idea’, and which isn’t even happening at Dance Base. To see it head to Edinburgh 200, where a handful of performers, including Australian dynamo Janis Claxton, occupy an animal enclosure. ‘She’s so wild,’ quips Deyes, ‘there was nothing we could do to contain her except put her in the zoo!’
Deyes has also scheduled some fine pieces from Ireland and Scandinavia. Grouped under the title Irish Cream, the former includes Fearghus O’Conchuir’s Match, a muscular duet with the wiry Matthew Morris. There’s also Forgotten, a piece about the elderly that combines Irish storytelling with Japanese kabuki. 0n the Scandic front there are fresh-faced duets from Norway and Iceland that Deyes labels ‘authentic, honest, open-hearted and just so touching.’
Dance fans should also lookout for Double Points: K, in which Rosie Kay and Morgan Cloud tear into the work of Emio Greco, and an ironic, futuristic trio by Austria’s Willi Dorner. Whatever you see at Dance Base, Deyes promises, ’It will make you laugh, cry, think and be astonished at what the human body can do.’ (Donald Hutera)
I Dance Base, 225 5525, 7—76 Aug (not 77 ), times vary, £77 (£7). Preview 6
Aug, 86.
too. So in the show you can see the body painting as the mix of colours and races that we have in Brazil.‘
Blending hip hop. salsa. capoeira and traditional dances. the company aims to highlight the good and bad times of Brazil's history. ‘Our show is a celebration of life. ioy and love.‘ says Narduchi. ‘And a celebration of our culture — we want to show the power of the Brazilian people.‘ (Kelly Apter)
I Assembly Hal/s, 623 3030. 2—25 Aug (not 4, 77), 6.50pm, $75—$77 ($74—$75). Previews 37 Jul & 7 Aug,
E 70.
OBONG Celebration of Nigerian music and dance
It's easy to lump African dance together into one big melting pot of bright costumes and tribal drums. In reality. not only does each c0untry have a distinct style. so too does each region Within it. Hailing from Cross River State in Nigeria. the Obong company of 16 male and female dancers is making its Fringe debut.
‘They're all well-respected dancers over there.‘ explains the show's Edinburgh-based producer, Marlene
Humans
Zwickler. ‘But this company has been created specifically for the Fringe. The king of the region is known as the Obong. and the real life Obong is over the moon that they've used his name.’ Featuring 11 traditional Cross River dances. covering momentous events such as war. courtship and childbirth. the show is performed in some of the most colourful costumes you'll see this August. ‘The Eppe costume in particular is amazing,‘ says Zwickler. ‘You can‘t just stick it on and dance — you have to go through a ritual first because it's very Culturally significant.’ (Kelly Apter) I Udderbe/ly's Pasture, 0844 5458252, 3—25 Aug, times vary, 2 7 7-£‘ 73 (C 70—53 7 7). Previews 37 Jul—2 Aug, E6.
151 Jtil~7 Aug 2008 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 37