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movies. There are no tutus, no extraneous flounces, and, with a live soundtrack provided by industrial post-rockers 65daysofstatic at face- blasting volume, I wouldn’t look at its girlfriend funny. Light filters shiftily in-between the
bars of Alan MacDonald’s gorgeous, austere set as the five, workwear-clad bodies on stage flick from the chain gang-hobbled conformity of yard drills, through power struggles with no real hierarchy, to the glittering knife-edge of violence. Abreu has created real beauty out of
the boredom and frustration of incarceration (a sequence where the dancers ripple at each others’ pacing feet, quite literally shadowing their partners, is breathtaking), and the pounding score, its drums shattering the air like machine-gun fire or cushioning a tender suicide, means you feel it through your body. (Kirstin Innes) ■ Zoo Roxy, 662 6892, until 14 Aug, 6.25pm, £12.
heavy breathing into a microphone and flamenco hoofing atop a crate. The hour-long show runs the gamut of human experience, with the threat of death represented throughout by brandished sickles and scythes. The elegant, sometimes frenetic dance is augmented by stark lighting effects and a recurring motif of blood-red wool. It’s all very stylish and entertaining, but some scenes, such as the one where a man in a nappy rolls around in the cage of his mother’s womb while slide projections show wriggling sperm and dead leaves, are perhaps a little on the literal side. (Allan Radcliffe) ■ Assembly Rooms, 623 3030, until 29 Aug (not 17), 5.25pm, £12–£13.50 (£11–£12.50).
MARTIN CREED: BALLET WORK NO 1020 Oh, do try harder, disgruntled of Sadler’s Wells ●●●●● Three stars. That’s what Martin Creed’s getting, although I suspect he was aiming for one, and some outrage. Three stars because there are a couple of interesting dance moments, a few good laughs, and some of the musical numbers are quite good, although the one called ‘Nothing’ (lyric: “nothing”, repeated) grates a bit. Oh, and there’s a film screen, showing some of the Turner Prize winner’s earlier works. Sometimes people vomit on it. Sometimes they pull down their pants and shit, and then Martin sings a song
called ‘Fuck Off’ (lyric: “fuck off”, repeated). The Traverse audience applaud politely. At times, there’s something fascinating about limiting such clearly skilled dancers to a series of simple exercises built on the five basic ballet positions, and trained musicians to the basic scales, and in a gallery, as an installation, this series of anti-aesthetic anti-statements might (ironically) galvanise. However, in a theatre, this just isn’t entertaining, thought-provoking, or shocking enough. (Kirstin Innes) ■ Traverse Theatre, 228 1404, until 15 Aug, times vary, £17–£19 (£6–£13).
INSIDE Dance: not just for girls, okay? ●●●●● Hefty, stark and at times brutally visceral, Inside, the new work by boy wonder Jean Abreu, is macho dance, its choreography built around lines of masculinity and inspired by prison
Festival Dance BRAZIL! BRAZIL! Capeoira kicks, samba hips and footie tricks ●●●●●
Brazil! Brazil! is like the fantasy beach party everyone wants invited to. Chilled-out Brazilian beats to rival Astrud Gilberto, buff bare-chested guys wheeling out jaw-dropping capoeira kicks and backflips, voluptuous feather-topped girls in bling bikinis shaking samba hips – and the cocktail cherry on top? Freestyle football champion ‘Arturo’ doing silky tricks that make the ball seem attached to his body by some magnetic force. This is Fringe favourites the Capoeira Kings updated with a World Cup year twist. That World Cup fever has cooled to hypothermia matters not, as this charismatic group weave well-kent tales of Pele and Arturo’s uncanny skills into their usual carnival-style display of drums, song, samba and capoeira, the martial arts form that Brazilian slaves disguised as dance. Like any good beach party there’s an element of chaos in the way the song, dance and chat strands come together. But up-close in the Udderbelly, whirling kicks and snake- hips inches from our faces, they don’t miss a Brazilian beat. (Ellie Carr) ■ Udderbelly’s Pasture, 0844 545 8252, until 30 Aug (not 16) 6.55pm, £12.50–£15 (£11.50–£13.50). ANATOMY OF FANTASY Impressive if unfocused journey through the subconscious ●●●●●
FLAWLESS – CHASE THE DREAM Streetdance – and a whole lot more ●●●●●
Britain’s Got Talent finalists, Flawless strive for perfection on a daily basis. And, in their slick, fast- paced streetdance routines, it’s fair to say they’ve reached their goal. Not an arm or leg is out of place, the timing is razor sharp and the smile on your (and their) face tells you something good is going down.
That said, it’s hard to be flawless (with a lowercase ‘f’) when you’re performing inside an inflatable cow with little room for manoeuvre. Once this show hits the road, playing venues across the UK, it will inevitably stretch and grow into something quite special. So too Flawless themselves. This is the company’s first full-length show, and despite their unquestionable talent (‘one of
the best acts I’ve ever seen,’ according to Simon Cowell) you can’t help but feel that there’s a better show inside of them, which is exactly as it should be at this stage in their evolution. For now, there are some surprises to be found in
Chase the Dream. Alongside the heavy hip hop numbers and several homages to Michael Jackson (which are first rate, incidentally, Michael would be proud) are touches of contemporary dance and some thought-provoking scenes about how we live our lives. Flawless proved – and continue to prove – that Britain does indeed have talent, and we’re lucky to have them. (Kelly Apter) ■ Udderbelly’s Pasture, 0844 545 8252, until 30 Aug (not 16), 3.45pm, £13.50–£16.50 (£12.50–£15).
Anatomy of Fantasy is an appropriately elusive title for a multi-sensory show that, while enjoyable, at times lacks focus. Award-winning Do Theatre’s intention – to explore those moments when our subconscious gives way to physical expression – is really just an excuse for a series of visceral set pieces, incorporating dance, physical theatre and an angular, industrial soundtrack whose rhythms are created live onstage by a performer 56 THE LIST 12–19 Aug 2010