list.co.uk/dance Previews | DANCE
CLASSIC ADAPTATION MATTHEW BOURNE’S THE CAR MAN Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 9–Sat 13 Jun CONTEMPORARY YDANCE – CROSS OVER Tramway, Glasgow, Sat 6 Jun
The title, era and location may have changed but three things in Matthew Bourne’s version of Bizet’s Carmen remain the same: sex, violenc e and heat. First performed in 2000, Bourne’s gritty and sensual work ‘re-imagines’ Bizet’s 1875 opera, with a few tweaks. The original was set in a 19th-century cigarette factory, while Bourne’s The Car Man takes place at a garage / diner in 1960s small-town America. Both, however, capture humanity and its various desires. Dominic North, who joined Bourne’s New Adventures company in 2004, is one of only two performers who have danced in the show before. He’s been helping the cast prepare for life in the fictional town of Harmony, USA. ‘The Car Man is different to other New Adventures productions,’ says North. ‘It’s not a fairytale family show, it’s more real and grounded: these are normal people.’
In Bourne’s version, the arrival of a handsome stranger sends the Italian- American community of Harmony into heat-drenched debauchery, including more than a few punch-ups. To capture the right atmosphere and attitude, Bourne gave his dancers a list of films to watch during rehearsals, such as Rebel Without a Cause, Fight Club and both the 1946 and 1981 versions of The Postman Always Rings Twice.
‘The town is very hot, sticky and sweaty, and the violence is quite real,’ says North. ‘We have to practise hard and make sure we’re very much in tune with each other, because it’s full-on brawling.’ (Kelly Apter)
For budding young dancers in Scotland, YDance’s summer training camp, Project Y, has long been a great way to up your game. But what about the rest of the year? Loath to see talent head back home once it’s over, YDance’s artistic director, Anna Kenrick, launched the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland four years ago.
Since then, the group has gone from strength to strength, and will be the headline company at Cross Over, a new showcase of contemporary dance, performed by final year dance students. ‘Originally we only took applications to join the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland from dancers who had gone through Project Y,’ explains Kenrick. ‘But last year I opened it up to the whole of Scotland. We had 60 young dancers at the auditions this year, and I should have chosen 12 of them; but I took 13 because I couldn’t resist.’
That lucky 13 will be joined at Tramway by students from the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, and Anniesland, Reid Kerr and Telford Colleges, as part of Dance International Glasgow (DIG). ‘My aim was to bring together the next generation of dancers,’ says Kenrick, who programmed Cross Over. ‘There’s a gap in the market in terms of young emerging dancers and choreographers having a space to perform their work, especially in venues like Tramway. It’s an exciting programme of dance, and the only thing of its kind on the DIG programme.’ (Kelly Apter)
FESTIVAL COTTIER DANCE PROJECT Various venues, Glasgow, Fri 19–Fri 26 Jun
Few dance fans would dispute the importance of music in a performance, yet so often it’s relegated to an orchestra pit or pair of speakers. So it’s refreshing to see both genres receive equal billing at the Cottier Dance Project. As festival curator Freya Jeffs explains, introducing dance
to the Cottier Chamber Project (see preview, page 91) has benefited the musicians, too. ‘Being able to dance to live music of any kind adds an extra layer of energy to a performance, but it also gives audience s a heightened appreciation of the musician’s skill,’ she says. ‘It’s great that this festival actively encourages dancers and musicians to go into a studio together and get creative, and that both parties are recognised as equal. So often, one art overshadows the other in a performance.’
Not so here, where audiences can enjoy collaborative work from High Heart Dance Company and Daniel’s Beard, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s traditional music and ballet departments, and Stephen Pelton Dance Theatre with the Gavin Bryars Ensemble. As well as the cinema screening of a 1960s TV ballet, and programme of short dance films, the festival is also giving emerging choreographers a chance to shine. Jeffs has programmed a showcase evening of excerpts and works in progress, and creations by dancers from Scottish Ballet.
‘There is so much choreographic talent in Scotland and it’s important to showcase their work,’ says Jeffs. ‘The “Watch This Space” evening is a perfect platform for this, and Independent:BALLET will give dancers from Scottish Ballet an opportunity to create their own work as artists in their own right, as well as giving audiences the chance to see these fantastic dancers up close in an unusual venue.’ (Kelly Apter)
4 Jun–3 Sep 2015 THE LIST 95