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120 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017 120 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017
CONTEMPORARY DANCE RAMBERT DANCE COMPANY Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Wed 23–Fri 25 Nov
It may be the oldest dance company in Britain, but nobody could accuse Rambert of being stuck in the past. Moving forward, re-inventing itself and bringing in fresh talent has always been its modus operandi. Yet underpinning all that new creativity is a tradition and heritage everyone associated with the company is fiercely proud of – no one more so than Christopher Bruce.
At the age of 71, Bruce has been connected with Rambert in one way or another for 57 years, from training at the school to dancing in the company to choreographing and serving as artistic director. But of all the wonderful pieces Bruce has created over the years, none has captured the public’s imagination quite so much as Ghost Dances.
Choreographed in 1981, as Bruce’s reflection on the appalling treatment of ordinary people during the 1973 Chilean coup, the work also references Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival. Set to haunting South American music, the piece returns to the stage 13 years after it was last seen, as part of the current UK tour.
Dance fans adore Ghost Dances, but to what does Bruce himself attribute its enduring appeal? ‘If I knew that, I’d make it happen every time,’ he laughs. ‘When you make a piece, you’re using a combination of your instinct, imagination and craft – but a lot of research always goes into anything I make. With Ghost Dances the inspiration was Joan Jara and her book An Unfinished Song, about the torture and murder of her husband Victor during the coup, that was the germ of this piece.’
Chilean singer and director, Victor Jara’s tragic death was in 1973, but as Bruce says, Ghost Dances retains its resonance: ‘Even though I set the piece in the Andes, any number of countries have been subjugated by political oppression. And it could be just as relevant today to the situation in the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, the theme is universal – it’s about the innocent people who are caught up in it.’ (Kelly Apter)
DANCE FESTIVALS DANCEFEST / GO DANCE Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Tue 17 Jan; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 31 Jan–Sat 4 Feb
The Festival Theatre and Theatre Royal stages in Edinburgh and Glasgow regularly play host to some of the finest dancers in the world. But once a year it’s time for a takeover, when youth groups, dance schools and community companies get their chance to shine.
Go Dance at the Theatre Royal has been running for ten years. Over five nights, almost 50 groups from across Scotland prove it’s not just the professionals who can entertain, amuse and move an audience through dance. The shows are always over-subscribed by would-be participants, proving that Scotland has a healthy community dance sector. Meanwhile, at the Festival Theatre, DanceFest has also been gathering momentum. From
2012 to 2015, DanceQuest encouraged and supported over 400 children to take part in dance for the first time, and gave local young people access to live performances. The legacy of DanceQuest lives on in DanceFest, the now annual showcase of youth dance companies from all across Scotland. As well as dancers from Edinburgh schools, the show will also feature groups from Scottish B allet’s Youth Collective, Lothian Youth Dance Company, young breakers from The State, Indian dance from Dance Ihayami, integrated companies Horizons and Indepen-dance, and many more. If previous shows are anything to go by, both DanceFest and Go Dance will warm the heart,
stimulate the mind and inspire hope in the future of Scottish dance. (Kelly Apter)
BALLET SCOTTISH BALLET’S HANSEL & GRETEL Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Sat 10–Sat 31 Dec; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Thu 5–Sat 14 Jan
When Christopher Hampson’s colourful new production of Hansel & Gretel first hit the stage in December 2013, it had many memorable qualities. The bright, sweetie-covered house, over-sized furniture that made the children look small, gorgeous lolly-pop lights, and that tear-jerkingly happy ending. But perhaps most importantly, the central performances were fun and believable,
something dancer Constant Vigier strived for when creating the role of Hansel. ‘My goal was to make the character as natural as possible,’ he says. ‘And I tried not to think too much about how I was dancing, so it was less about being technical and more about acting. Although, actually, the less acting I did, the better it got. I didn’t try to be childish, just as genuine as possible.’
Playing alongside Scottish Ballet principal Sophie Martin certainly helped, and together they created the perfect younger brother / older sister dynamic on stage. This was something Vigier brought from his own life. ‘What really helped me is that I’m the youngest child in my family,’ he says. ‘And when we all go back home, it’s like it was when we were younger: I’m th e easiest one to tease. And that’s a similar relationship to the one between Sophie and I when we play Hansel and Gretel.’ (Kelly Apter)