DANCE | Previews DANCE | Previews D A N C E
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NARRATIVE BALLET SCOTTISH BALLET: HIGHLAND FLING Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Wed 4–Sat 7 Apr; Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Tue 10–Sat 14 Apr
A party-goer lying worse for wear on a dirty bathroom floor isn’t the look Scottish Ballet usually goes for. But it’s fair to say that principal dancer Christopher Harrison wears it well. Playing the lead character of James in Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling for the second time, Harrison is once again finding something to love in this seemingly flawed character. ‘He’s full of bravado, and a very complicated character, but there’s a part of him that I love,’ says Harrison of the guy who ditches his fiancée for a pesky sylph. ‘There’s a reason James is the way he is, and I believe that deep down, he’s not a bad guy; he’s just had a rough time of it.’
All dancers like to think the characters they play are three- dimensional, but Bourne in particular works hard to ensure audiences can believe in everyone performing his shows. To that end, the first day of rehearsals involves a paper and pen, rather than dance shoes and a mirror. ‘Matthew wanted us to find our own backstory,’ explains Harrison, ‘and to think about what our history might be, why our characters are the way they are and how they relate to other people. That way, with every movement you do, there’s an understanding of why you’re doing it, so that you really feel like you’re not acting, you’re living it.’
Based on the 19th-century ballet, La Sylphide, Highland Fling follows a young soon-to-be-wed couple and their group of friends, as they celebrate the upcoming nuptials. Until, that is, James’ head is turned by a creature from another world. ‘I don’t want to give too much away, but in the second act James is more exposed and bare,’ says Harrison. ‘He meets this thing that he’s besotted with, and lets himself be vulnerable for the first time. Because of that, something terrible happens, and it’s heartbreaking.’ (Kelly Apter)
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OPERA / DANCE EUGENE ONEGIN Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Fri 27 Apr–Sat 5 May; Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Wed 23–Thu 31 May
For 13 years, she was one of Scottish Ballet’s brightest stars, but in January 2016 Eve Mutso said a fond farewell to the company and headed off to pastures new. ‘I didn’t have any specific plans when I left Scottish Ballet, I just knew that I wanted to work creatively, choreograph and dance,’ recalls Mutso. ‘From ballet school to my time with Estonian National Ballet and then Scottish Ballet, it was a pretty non-stop journey, so I wanted more time to think, observe and reflect. But when you close one door, others open and I’ve ended up involved with many inspiring people and projects.’ The latest of which is a part in Scottish Opera’s new production, Eugene Onegin, adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s classic 19th-century novel. Directed by Oliver Mears of the Royal Opera House, the show also benefits from choreography by Ashley Page, Mutso’s former boss at Scottish Ballet, where he was artistic director from 2002 to 2012. As well as movement scenes in act one, Page has choreographed a special solo for Mutso in the ballroom scene at the start of act three, during which she captures Onegin’s attention. Mutso arrived at Scottish Ballet a few months after Page, who brought new artistic ambition to the company and a plethora of plum roles for Mutso. So saying ‘yes’ to dancing in Eugene Onegin was an easy decision. ‘A chance to work with Ashley again? There’s no way I could have turned that down! He has been a great influence and a huge inspiration over the years. It feels wonderfully familiar to work together again.’ (Kelly Apter)
100 THE LIST 1 Apr–31 May 2018
CONTEMPORARY THE BURNT ROOM City Halls, Glasgow, Sat 5 & Sun 6 May
All shows rely on the performance space for context, atmosphere and a sense of place, but The Burnt Room more than most. Created by Israeli choreographers Noa Zuk and Ohad Fishof, the production was made specifically for a room rather than a theatre, which left the duo with a few problems to solve. ‘We wanted the audience seated all around the room with their backs to
the wall,’ explains Fishof. ‘But with that came technical restrictions: how could people seated on opposite sides of a room experience the same choreography? And there was no backstage, no hidden area for sound and lighting operators or equipment, so everything had to be visible and exposed, which is probably how we ended up in the piece ourselves.’ Alongside two dancers, Zuk and Fishof appear in The Burnt Room, creating
a live soundtrack as the show progresses. Originally choreographed for Tel Aviv’s Center for Contemporary Art, and soon to be performed as part of the Glasgow Tectonics festival, the show has been delivered in a variety of rooms: and it’s never the same twice. ‘Each room has slightly different proportions and character and therefore a slightly different atmosphere,’ says Fishof. ‘But as long as you have people sitting around facing each other, it feels more similar then different. And of course the audience closeness is central to the experience; all the compositional details of the piece are amplified by the seating arrangement.’ (Kelly Apter)