Festival Dance CABARET CHORDELIA: MAKING A SONG AND DANCE Cabaret with a heart and mind
Mise en Scene at the Theatre Festival Mont-Laurier in Canada last year, and Bochicchio suggests it’s not all doom. ‘A lot of humour finds its sneaky way through the important themes of the play. Like real life.’ (Kirstin Innes) ■ The Zoo, 662 6892, 6–30 August, 8.30pm, £7.50. MY NAME IS MARGARET MORRIS Forgotten hero dances back to life
Company Chordelia is known for its willingness to push the boundaries of modern dance and strike an emotional chord – something which looks set to continue when they bring their latest performance, Cabaret Chordelia, to the Fringe.
Described as an ambitious,
intelligent and human portrayal of modern dance, Cabaret Chordelia is unlike other cabaret performances as the company’s artistic director, Kally Lloyd-Jones, explains: ‘Cabaret Chordelia is inspired by 1930s Berlin cabaret, which seeks to reflect and observe as well as entertain.’ The sassy show consists of songs
and classical dance, with thought- provoking inflections of modern movement, from torch song to toe- tapping, designed to take audiences on an emotional journey. ‘The cabaret is visually really beautiful,’ says Lloyd- Jones. ‘It’s about love and human nature, sensual and questioning, and both traditional and contemporary.’ (Julia Correia) ■ Pleasance at Ghillie Dhu, 556 6550, 7–22 Aug (not 11, 16), 4.15pm, £10–£12 (£8–£10). Previews until 6 Aug, 4.15pm, £5.
CENTO COSE Award-winning look at day-to-day life
Italian physical theatre collective Compagnia della Quarta’s multimedia Fringe debut is based on the idea that there are ‘cento cose’ (‘one hundred things’ in Italian) that contemporary life requires us to do each working day. ‘We started with “we do, therefore we are – or are we?”,’ says director Stefania Bochicchio. ‘We seem to find our identities through the repetition of the same acts. We live our lives like a videogame. What would happen if we didn’t?’
Cento Cose’s three desk-bound performers are forced into repetitive movement by an Orwellian authority figure on-screen and an Aphex Twin- heavy soundtrack. It may sound nightmarish, but evidently touches a chord: it won the company the Prix
48 THE LIST 5–12 Aug 2010
forgotten dance heroine back to life, even if only for the Fringe. Directed by Scottish actress Barbara Rafferty and performed by Hopps himself, My Name is Margaret Morris looks at the woman who spent years creating the Margaret Morris Movement, opening dance schools, touring ballet companies and being the lifelong partner of painter J.D Fergusson.
‘Stuart takes us on a journey through her life, and it’s absolutely charming,’ says Rafferty. ‘Margaret was like a renaissance woman, she did everything and knew everybody. But sometimes people like that are forgotten, which is a shame, so I’ve enjoyed helping to resurrect this amazing woman.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Dance Base, 225 5525, 12–22 Aug (not 16), times vary, £5. Preview 11 Aug, 6pm, £3.
STILL War on the dance floor
The brutality and devastating impact of war was the inspiration behind Smallpetitklein’s Fringe show. A double-bill featuring contemporary dance work Stiller by award-winning choreographer Thomas Small, and short film Unmoving, Still doesn’t pull any punches.
‘It’s a powerful work that convulses with a brutish and disruptive force that electrifies audiences,’ says Small.
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‘Stiller is a dance that detonates with breakneck speed, power and shattering emotion.’ Dundee-based Smallpetitklein is
known for its incredibly physical performances which are heavily rooted in dance theatre. By blending intense movement with subtle, emotive storytelling, Small hopes the audience will be both excited and moved by what he terms ‘an exhilarating and stirring show full of furious energy and gorgeous dancing’. (Julia Correia) ■ Zoo Southside, 662 6892, 8–14 Aug, 12.40pm, £10 (£8). Previews 6 & 7 Aug, 12.40pm, £5.
Online Booking Fringe www.edfringe.com International Festival www.eif.co.uk Book Festival www.edbookfest.co.uk Art Festival www.edinburghartfestival.org
You would think, having invented a new way of moving, married a famous artist and been the driving force behind Scottish dance for years, that people would remember you. Sadly, the name Margaret Morris is likely to prompt a ‘who?’ from most people these days.
Hopefully, choreographer Stuart Hopps’ new play will bring the
MARTIN CREED – BALLET WORK NO 1020 Visual artist gets to the pointe
Through with the usual art materials – paper, paint, bronze (and in this instance vomit, excrement and light bulbs) – Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed has turned his hand to the human body. Lauded for his Work No 850 (2008), in which athletes sprinted through Tate Britain, Creed’s live practice has since branched out into the world of ballet, choreographing Ballet Work No 1020 with five classically trained dancers. Using a tight framework of steps and musical scales, Creed examines the altering effects of time, speed and direction. ‘The ballet is based on the Five Positions,’ explains dancer Eleanor Forrest, ‘and the choreography is built upon forward, backwards and sideways
movements, similar to those made by the Knight on the chessboard.’
Splitting the stage, with dancers occupying one half and Creed’s band the other, the work will alter with each performance. Although provided with sketchy outlines and an alphabetical key to numbered pieces, the dancers are otherwise tied to the music and Creed’s hypothetical baton.
‘There is no set story,’ says Forrest. ‘It’s more about the movements and horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines – and those who are so inclined can search for the mathematics. But everyone who sees it wants to talk about it, it’s a never-ending conversation piece.’ (Rosalie Doubal) ■ Traverse Theatre, 228 1404, 8–15 Aug (not 9), times vary, £17–£19 (£6–£13).