list.co.uk/festival Reviews | FESTIVAL DANCE
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C L A R E K E O G H
CONTEMPORARY? Amusing, thoughtful dance parody ●●●●● WUNDERBAR Abstract puzzles make for gripping dance ●●●●●
This enjoyable and skilled take-off of many of the clichés and pretensions inhabiting the making of contemporary dance has been a big hit in its native Lithuania, garnering acclaim, awards and touring invitations abroad. In an extra layer of irony, it contains quite a lot of fine dancing from its cast. Agnė Ramanauskaitė, Paulius Tamolė and Mantas
Stabačinskas play earnest (or, in the latter’s case, cynical) dance artists stewing in the cauldron of creative conflict. The opening is priceless. The trio is slowly writhing in low-key light until one of them breaks the spell with a deadly comment: ‘This is boring!’ (There’s at least one work on the Fringe where I thought the same thing while I endured three dancers moving in a similar fashion).
What ensues is a mix of self-critical dialogue and full-blown dance that covers territory ranging from ridiculously vague concepts to nonsensical props and costumes. If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at an awkwardly affected, po-faced duet, or wondered why some dancers exchange a glut of quasi- meaningful looks during a performance while others feel compelled to talk, then Contemporary? could be just right for you. (Donald Hutera) ■ ZOO, 662 6892, until 20 Aug (not 14), 5pm, £12 (£10).
Fringe dance sometimes seems to work itself naturally into themes, and this year an early bid is cooperation and balance. In this duet from Rob Heaslip and Laura Murphy there’s a rigorous, abstract sequence of puzzles to unpick on ideas of interdependence, but the commitment and panache of the performers makes for a gripping ride.
It starts with Murphy perched on Heaslip in a
pose that seems domestic, sensual even. Quickly, however, the atmosphere shifts to more uncertain territory. There is a menace to the way they mirror meticulously, precision control occasionally being interrupted by a shudder or, more startlingly, a clap. This power struggle continues but never rises
above simmering point – in fact there’s a curious asexuality and genderless freedom to the dance and the roles the pair adopt. Their movement often has more in common with geometry, mechanics or animals than emotion, though there is something unsettlingly uncooperative in their yanking, lugging and pushing. Sometimes the physicality comes untucked from its ideas, but there is a pulse to this piece which definitely makes this duo one to watch. (Lucy Ribchester) ■ ZOO Southside, 662 6892, until 13 Aug, 6.30pm, £10 (£8).
THE ROOSTER AND PARTIAL MEMORY All-male power games plus a moving autobiographical postscript ●●●●●
It’s the cock with the rope who wields the most power in The Rooster, a collaboration between Ata Khattab, of Palestine’s El-Funoun Dance Troupe, and Malek Al Andary, of the Lebanese cultural organisations SHAMS and Marhabtain. Deceptively rough but exceptionally savvy, this charged piece of dance-theatre converts the Arab folk dance form dabke into a vehicle for juicy physical expression. The five charismatic men in the cast respectively play sexy tyrant, glowering ruler, daring challenger, shrewd sadist and triumphant dreamer. Thought- inducing ambiguities grow out of clarity of intentions behind each of their performances. It’s a must-see. Although supported and shadowed by a second dancer, it is Khattab who takes centre stage in Partial Memory. A big fellow with a strong presence, in this short autobiographical work he embodies the raging wail of a child who grows up to be a fighter. It isn’t as fully-shaped as The Rooster, nor does it need the overly sentimental instrumental that swells up towards the end. Nevertheless it’s a moving, postscript-like companion piece. (Donald Hutera) ■ Dance Base, 225 5525, until 14 Aug, 2.30pm, £12 (£10).
DRIFTWOOD Circus Casus' outstanding follow up to Knee Deep ●●●●●
Whenever a new company storms the Fringe with a hit show, its follow up is always a bit of a litmus test. In Casus’ case – after a three-year gap following Knee Deep – the five-strong circus troupe has come back better than ever.
Driftwood feels less thematic than Knee Deep but the
choreography is more intricate and imaginative, and the group has increased in confidence without losing any of the curiosity and dreamlike experimentation which sets their tone differently to the sleek, ironic one of fellow Aussies Circa. Still, they continue to test the aesthetic, gravitational and muscular limits of the body and the results are mesmerising.
There is such kindness, cooperation, flexibility and creativity in the group, whether they are forming a churning half wheel on stage for performers to leap over, a teasing duet between husbands Jesse Scott and Lachlan McAulay or, in the case of Kali Retallack and Abbey Church, making beautiful four-legged stars on doubles trapeze.
Props are used sparsely and never tricksily. Scott swings,
pendulum-like, on his head, on a trapeze, like he is marking out the decreasing time of a moment that can never last. Retallack contorts into extraordinary poses on a hoop, and perhaps one of the most fascinating segments sees Natano Fa’anana and Retallack team up in a Samoan dance, his nuanced graceful movements echoed by her muscular contemporary form.
The finale is outrageously impressive, while remaining soaked in muted, ethereal beauty. This is circus that makes your lungs seize, that makes you want to jump to your feet: circus that makes you glad you are there in the moment watching it and not anywhere else. Bravo Casus. (Lucy Ribchester) ■ Assembly George Square Gardens, 623 3030, until 28 Aug (not 15, 22), 3.30pm, £13–£15 (£12–£14).
11–18 Aug 2016 THE LIST FESTIVAL 63