Fusion dance show Tabularasa set for 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Young Birmingham dance-maker thinks outside the box combining Angolan kizomba and contemporary dance to produce sensual show

This article is from 2014.

Imaan Hakeem

A sensual, athletic mix of African and contemporary dance, this 40-minute performance from Keneish Dance springs from choreographer Keisha Grant’s interest in how people function and connect to others. ‘Relationships, work and pleasure motivated it. But it’s very abstract,’ she cautions. ‘I wanted to tackle the concepts spiritually.’

And what did she learn from making it? ‘How much we think inside the box even if we’d like to think we don’t.’ Grant founded her ‘small but passionate’ company in 2009. Although she’s the sole choreographer, four dancers contribute to the creation process. ‘Most of the time they energise me to create, but there’s always give and take.’

One of the strongest features of Tabularasa is Grant’s use of kizomba, an Angolan partner dance with a distinctly erotic charge. She’s danced it herself ‘in bars and clubs, where it tends not to go further than something feminine, or sexual. I was intrigued with the ways it could be seen onstage, hoping to use it as a metaphor for how connections can create something new. People inspire all my work, and I enjoy sharing it with new people.’ Maybe that’s why Grant dubs Keneish Dance ‘probably the most down-to-earth contemporary company you’ll ever meet.’

Zoo Southside, 662 6892, 1–9 Aug, 3.30pm, £10 (£8).