list.co.uk/festival Festival Dance
and Scottish culture,’ she says. ‘And I dreamed of returning to Scotland and bridging the American and Scottish dance communities. Booking is one step towards reaching that goal.’ The festival’s programme is split over
four genres – beautiful, lyrical, rock it and athletic – to encompass the diverse talents of the dancers and choreographers. Kaplan hopes both dance lovers and the uninitiated will enjoy this glimpse into the American dance scene. ‘It’s incredible to see the human body sculpted in time and interpreting music,’ she says. ‘Dance is a universal art form that is the heartbeat of art.’ (Julia Correia) ■ Venue 150 @ EICC, 0844 847 1639, 8–22 Aug (not 16), times vary, £10 (£8).
DANCE DOCTOR, DANCE! Delving deep into dance
Peter Lovatt actually is a doctor of dance: he heads up the Dance Psychology Laboratory at the University of Hertfordshire. Given a biography that includes stints as a ballet dancer, cruise ship entertainer and expert-for-hire on The Graham Norton Show, Dance Doctor, Dance! was never going to be a straightforward piece of choreography. ‘The show is based around five
areas we research in the lab,’ explains Lovatt. ‘Dance and thinking, dance and emotions, feelings in dance, dance and hormones, and dance and health.’ Along the way, the audience helps Lovatt examine the way dance affects our thought processes, and will be taught simple dance routines from the comfort of their seats.
‘Those in the audience who want to strut their funky stuff with me can do so,’ says Lovatt, ‘and I’ll show them how our genetic and hormonal make- up can influence how we dance at discos, weddings and at nightclubs.’ (Kirstin Innes) ■ Bedlam Theatre, 225 9893, 8–28 Aug, 6.50pm, £9 (£7). Previews 6 & 7 Aug, 6.50pm, £8 (£6).
120 BIRDS Homage to ballet’s golden age
‘This is not a history lesson,’ explains the pre-publicity surrounding 120 Birds, one of Dance Base’s specially- commissioned works for the Fringe this year. In a way, that’s true – it’s a fictional story of the travels and travails of a 1920s Australian touring dance company, formed in homage to Anna Pavlova after the great ballerina’s visit to that country. However, choreographer Liz Lea has
not only researched the narrative aspects of the story meticulously, but she’s worked dance styles specific to the period, like the Charleston, into her
narrative, as well as archive footage of Australian dance from the 1920s. ‘I play Madam Lou, artistic director
and sometime diva,’ Lea says, gleefully. ‘I tell the story through the show, but may use silent film titles instead – I’ve found I’m puffing too much when I’ve just danced. Switching between acting and dancing is proving tricky!’ (Kirstin Innes) ■ Dance Base, 225 5525, 12–22 Aug (not 16), times vary, £5. Preview 11 Aug, 1pm, £3.
RHYTHMS WITH SOUL Flamenco with a modern twist
Flamenco may be steeped in tradition, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be contemporary. Choreographer Miguel Vargas first stepped on stage as a young boy, having learnt from the old masters growing up in Spain and Venezuela. Now, aged 34, he delivers his own particular style of flamenco. ‘I’ve been very traditional my whole life,’ says Vargas, ‘more so than other people my age, because I always worked with choreographers from another generation. I looked up to them, they inspired me. But you learn it, absorb it, and then express it your own way. My interpretation has always been more contemporary because I don’t feel like people felt 100 years ago.’ With a cast of 20 dancers and musicians, Vargas’ company will deliver Rhythms with Soul, a potted history of flamenco filled with international influences. ‘Wherever I travelled in the world, I would always listen to the music and see dance,’ says Vargas. ‘And all that accumulated unconsciously inside me, until now it has matured and flows out in a natural way.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ New Town Theatre, Freemason’s Hall, 220 0143, 7–29 Aug (not 17) 3.50pm, £11–£13. Previews 5 & 6 Aug, 3.50pm, £7.50.
5–12 Aug 2010 THE LIST 47
BRAZIL! BRAZIL! Fancy footwork and football from the favelas
Starting life as Capoeria Knights at the 2008 Fringe, returning as The Boys From Brazil in 2009 and now simply called Brazil! Brazil!, this show has undergone various personnel changes and artistic tweaks. Jaw-dropping flips and leaps have always been on the menu, however, as has fantastic live music, song and samba dancing, performed by a talented cast drawn from some of the poorest quarters of Salvador Bahia in north east Brazil.
But now the show also boasts a homage to the beautiful game. ‘Being the year of the World Cup, I’ve shifted the focus of the show to telling the story of Brazilian culture through its prominence on the football pitch,’ explains director Toby Gough. ‘Brazilian football is known for its creativity, its footwork and the way it shows off to the crowd, so I went to Rio and found the National Freestyle Football Champion of Brazil, who does amazing tricks on stage.’
Since opening in Edinburgh three years ago, the show has toured around Europe, Australia and New Zealand, providing a vital source of income for the performers and their families, while for Gough the show has been a real labour of love. ‘I do it because I think these guys have got something special,’ he says. ‘They’re an incredibly positive, energetic, passionate group of people who are very creative and endlessly spontaneous. And it’s a great festival show, very lively and dynamic for all ages and nationalities.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Udderbelly’s Pasture, 0844 545 8252, 7–30 Aug (not 16) 6.55pm, £12.50–£15 (£11.50–£13.50). Previews 5 & 6 Aug, 6.55pm, £8.
BOOKING DANCE FESTIVAL Canapés of American dance
The festival within a festival returns to the Fringe for the second time, bringing dynamic performances from our friends across the pond. The Booking Dance Festival showcases 12 US dance companies over two programmes, with each one given ten minutes to impress an audience. Booking’s executive producer, Jodi
Kaplan, first spotted a gap in the Fringe for this type of event a few years ago, while studying in
Edinburgh. ‘I noticed that dance was a peripheral art form within the Fringe