list.co.uk/festival Reviews | FESTIVAL DANCE
Y E L R E P M E T A D L T A M
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ECHOLALIA Exploring Asperger’s through clowning ●●●●● OUT OF HIS SKIN The dark side of life ●●●●●
Clown shows don’t always have to be about going for the big laughs, as Jen McArthur demonstrates in this thoughtful tender solo piece about living with Asperger’s syndrome.
McArthur has researched her subject thoroughly – working with autistic children on a holiday camp – and even in the opening moments manages to capture both the anxious daily challenges and the heightened sensory pleasures experienced by people with the condition. After Echo’s strictly ordered morning routine, centred around the number eight, it’s ‘swing time’, and she is free to career gaily about on a swivel chair. Through clowning, McArthur manages to
conjure up a strange and unfamiliar realm without patronising either her subject or her audience. When Echo tries to learn social niceties – ‘lift the corners of your mouth, knit your brows’ – she holds a mirror up to the arbitrary nature of such conventions, showing how hard it is to mechanise them if they don’t come naturally. Though the narrative feels ragged at times, McArthur’s genuine passion for sharing an understanding of Asperger’s shines through. (Lucy Ribchester) ■ C aquila, 0845 260 1234, until 26 Aug, 3.40pm, £7.50–£9.50 (£3.50–£7.50).
Each time 2Faced Dance Company returns to the Fringe, it has stepped up a gear. From a slightly immature start, it has blossomed into a professional company with strong dance technique and ambitious ideas.
But in some ways, Out of His Skin is a bit too
ambitious. In the normal run of things, a piece like this would form one part of a double or triple bill, running at 25–30 minutes maximum. Here, it’s stretched out for an hour, and it’s just too long. This would be less of a problem were the work
not so unrelentingly dark – literally. Striking at first, with sharp squares marking out the stage, the lighting design becomes locked into its own world of grey intensity, which means we catch none of the emotions displayed on the dancers’ faces in this highly charged work about what it means to be a man. But even in the half-light, the skilled partnering and dramatic falls from a high tower look impressive, and the energy driving the piece along is palpable
This all-male company has much to offer, with powerful performers, dynamic choreography, and interesting musical choices – but they need to shed a little light on the matter. (Kelly Apter) ■ Zoo Southside, 662 6892, until 26 Aug (not 14, 21), 3.15pm, £12–£14 (£10–£12).
CRYING OUT LOUD PRESENTS FLOWN Roguish circus send-up ●●●●●
It takes a certain amount of precision to choreograph disaster, as Pirates of the Carabina demonstrate in this crafty deconstruction and affectionately silly send-up of the circus world. Dolled-up clown Gwen Hales keeps trying to steal the show, hoop-artist Shaena Brandel hasn’t finished ironing her costume, and lights are liable to tumble down at any second. But of course things aren’t what they seem and in fact Hales is very far from the amateur she impersonates, Brandel’s ironing board is full of grace as it dangles off her foot, and those lights know their cues.
So subtle is the shift between deadpan comedy and wild capering, it’s sometimes difficult to spot where the transitions come, and the balance isn’t always well judged. However, in the show’s softer segments, Laura Moy’s swinging Chinese pole is simply exquisite, and the art of counterweighting has a moment of glory when the counterweight shares a mid-air kiss with Brandel on her flying hoop. As far as this pack of pirates is concerned, it’s all about the teamwork. (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Underbelly Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, until 26 Aug (not 20), 4.20pm, £12.50–£13.50 (£11.50–£12.50).
THE LOCK IN Hip hop and folk fusion raises the roof ●●●●●
Oh to be locked up in a pub with this lot. Some shows
demonstrate great skill and technique, some offer strong musicianship, and some create the kind of atmosphere and energy that leaves you high on life. The Lock In does all three. Going out on a limb, you might wager that for the majority of audience members, it’s their first introduction to a dance style they’d hitherto filed under ‘weird, uncool and stuck in the past’. Well, it turns out that English folk dance is none of those things. In fact, it’s just the opposite, as this intoxicating production confirms.
The brainchild of Damien Barber, founder of award-winning folk band, the Demon Barbers, The Lock In takes place in an English pub after hours. Looking for some late-night fun, three hip hop dancers arrive and show off their wares. Slick, synchronised, exciting and backed by a live beatboxer, they think they’ve got it all – especially compared to the three clog- dancing women, and morris-dancing men who arrive soon after.
But they’re wrong. We all are. Performed with an almost combative strength, incredible skill, speed and intricacy, morris dancing is every bit as entertaining as hip hop – sometimes more so, especially when the knives and pool cues come out.
Dance technique and talent aside – and there’s a lot of it on display here – The Lock In wins you over on two other levels. Firstly, the superb Demon Barbers, whose modern folk manages to be the perfect accompaniment to both hip hop and folk dance (their bearded drummer also makes a very fine ‘landlady’). Secondly, the sense of inclusion. We may not be able to join in with the fast-paced choreography, but the entire audience is made to feel like its sitting in the pub with them. (Kelly Apter) ■ Zoo Southside, 662 6892, until 16 Aug, 7.10pm, £12 (£10).
15–22 Aug 2013 THE LIST FESTIVAL 57