Reviews & features: Dance, Issue 611
Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray
21 Aug 2008
Thoroughly modern Oscar
Although no one would bat an eyelid today, Oscar Wilde’s gothic novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray caused shock and outrage when it was published in 1890. The tale of an impressionable young man who becomes obsessed with his own image, had a little too…
Scottish Dance Theatre
21 Aug 2008
Two very different displays of talent
It’s not bombastic patriotism to suggest that some of the most accomplished and satisfying contemporary dance on the Fringe is homegrown. These two works performed by Scottish Dance Theatre are an excellent showcase for the jaw-dropping versatility of…
Hitlist: Dance
21 Aug 2008
Deca Dance 2008 A stunning retrospective of works by choreographer, Ohad Naharin and his incredible Batsheva Dance Company. Take your non-dance loving friends and convert them. Edinburgh Playhouse, 473 2000, 28–30 Aug, 8pm, £8–£28. Matthew…
One More Than One
21 Aug 2008
Love comes in different shapes and sizes
The thing about computer dating is that you never quite know what you’re going to get. Or, more to the point, who. Having met online, two characters meet in person to discover that along with all the things they do have in common – there are a few…
Family
21 Aug 2008
Martial arts and B-boy battles
Head spins. Body spins. Spinning hand stands. Spinning kicks. Spinning on one hand. This energetic show from Korea makes outrageous martial arts and breakdance moves look so effortless that you begin to believe you could do it all yourself.
5 Questions: Dance
21 Aug 2008
David WW Johnstone, artistic director of Edinburgh-based experimental arts unit talks about his new show, Aurora Borealis, and why you should be heading to Dance Base to see it What 5 things/people inspire you most in your work? Japanese…
Behind The Mirror
21 Aug 2008
Bizarre love triangle
At first, Ad Infinitum’s infectious romp plays out like a physical theatre version of The Odd Couple, the buffoonish protagonist embarking on a slapstick turf war with his demonic reflection, who has escaped from his rightful side of the mirror. The…
Dancing on your Grave
21 Aug 2008
Songs in the key of death
Dancing on your Grave indulges in gothic vaudeville: an hour of songs about death, sung by ghostly clowns pursuing a most pessimistic vision. After an hour, however, the monomania starts to wear thin. Apart from the odd reflection on lives ill-lived or…
Deca Dance 2008
21 Aug 2008
Whenever you read about Batsheva Dance Company, a few key words come up time and again; adjectives like ‘exuberant’, ‘joyful’ and ‘energetic’. This is thanks, in large part, to their choreographer Ohad Naharin. Drawing together short sections from ten…
