FESTIVAL DANCE | Previews
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Circus meets film noir with Cirque Le Roux
It’s 1937, and a rich young woman is enjoying her wedding reception. Slipping away from her guests, she joins three men in a smoking lounge in a secluded part of her estate. Who are they and why is this new bride here, in this smoky, monochrome world? As a set-up for a film noir, it’s perfect. As a circus show, it’s
less obvious – which is what makes Cirque Le Roux stand out from the crowd. A group of four artists, who have performed with several circus companies around the world, as well as an award- winning stint on Broadway, they felt that film noir ideally suited their purposes.
‘It was the perfect outlet for us to delve into complex human
relationships and the ways people go about hiding from the truth,’ says performer Philip Rosenberg. ‘We also tried to tap into circus and theatrical disciplines that were popular in the early 20th century that have since been nearly forgotten. Our aim was to create a seamless blend of high-level circus, film and theatre, infused with comedy and style.’ Rosenberg and the team wanted to create ‘the aesthetic of a dusty black and white postcard’, and took inspiration from the charismatic actors of Hollywood’s golden age. Underpinning that is their own hard-won skill, gathered from years of circus school training, and touring with some of the world’s finest companies.
‘This show is essentially a melting pot of working with all of
those companies in our past,’ says Rosenberg. ‘In circus you find a different artistic viewpoint in each company, and we have been fortunate enough to have experienced many of them. The goal was to unite these styles into one show that could touch people, wherever they come from.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Underbelly’s Circus Hub, 0844 545 8252, 8–29 Aug (not 12, 17, 24), 8.35pm, £14.50–£15.50 (£13.50–£14.50). Preview 7 Aug, £12.
DANZA DEL CARIBE: ITARA Sensuality and Afro-Caribbean rhythms from Cuban modern dance troupe
Dancer-choreographer Mina Waks hails from an arts-oriented Australian family. Eight years ago, while touring Cuba, she met her future husband, Eduardo Salas, who just happened to be a key member of Danza del Caribe. Waks is now the company’s sole non-Cuban. ‘Cuba is modernising and, in dance, moving
towards a more European contemporary style,’ she says. ‘We keep abreast of changing times, but what makes this company unique – and what we hope audiences will love – is the Afro-Caribbean mix. This isn’t salsa, it’s raw and street, with an ingrained sexuality oozing from the dancers’ pores.’ The company is based in Santiago de Cuba – the country’s second-largest city and, according to Waks, distinct from Havana. ‘It’s simpler, less developed,’ she says. ‘It’s also much more in tune with its African roots and Caribbean neighbours, Haiti and Jamaica.’ That potent blend, says Waks, forms a show capable of transporting viewers to ‘a place where the borders between the elements, gods and humans become blurred.’ (Donald Hutera) ■ Assembly Roxy, 623 3030, 8–31 Aug (not 12, 17, 24), 5pm, £12–£14 (£11–£13). Previews 5–7 Aug, £10.
58 THE LIST FESTIVAL 6–13 Aug 2015
DISCOTEQUE MACHINE Italian company gets everyone up on their feet TRISTISSIMO Part two of compelling Trilogy of Pain
If watching dance shows at the Fringe brings out an urge to get up and move, then add Discoteque Machine to your ticket list. The show has a soundtrack of 50 tunes , including hip hop, electronic, classical and funk – and just one rule: never stop dancing.
Part performance, part immersive experience, Discoteque Machine hails from Milan, where co- creators Alice Mangione and Gianmarco Pozzoli invented characters called ‘Morphs’, who invite us to dance. ‘We can’t bear to see people who don’t have the courage to enjoy themselves,’ says Mangione, ‘and that’s the reason we created Discoteque Machine. The Morphs’ mission is to bring joy and freedom to people cursed by shyness, to let them dance and laugh for an entire hour.’
The Morphs are talented dancers who can
immediately reproduce any gestures or movements audience members carry out, leading to much hilarity. And for anyone questioning whether joining in is for them, resistance is futile. ‘The audience can’t fight the music and just can’t help joining in,’ says Mangione. ‘We look forward to getting everybody up dancing.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Zoo Southside, 662 6892, 9–31 Aug, 9.45pm, £12 (£10). Previews 7 & 8 Aug, £9.
They tweaked the funny bone of Fringe audiences last year with their sardonic and sensual take on physical pain, Maria Addolorata. Now Italian dance duo Chiara Taviani and Carlo Massari have sorrow in their sights as they return with Tristissimo.
This new piece – meaning ‘very sad’ – forms the second part of the company’s ‘Trilogy of Pain’, and explores the nature of melancholy. ‘Our intention was to delve deeper through the ideas and history of a universal demon – pain – this time taking as a starting point the pains of a doomed love,’ says Massari. ‘Tristissimo was conceived listening to the prelude of Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde. We processed personal feelings of sadness and loss, but also the lessened impact of deaths experienced through the media; almost mundane, repetitive, sometimes ridiculous.’ One of these repeated motifs is that of the blonde
in western tragedy, made manifest in the show by the wearing of exaggerated long wigs. ‘Through this unifying element, we deconstruct the nature of tragedy,’ says Taviani, ‘in order to create two characters who feel contemporary, but are still detached from reality.’ (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Zoo Southside, 662 6892, 9–15 Aug, 12.20pm, £12 (£10). Previews 7 & 8 Aug, £10.