All, Here & Now – The Studio, Edinburgh

Unearthed Dance Company perform four dances, produced by Oliver James Anwyl for Dance Horizons, directed and choreographed by Hannah Mason.  The company of ten dancers comprised nine females and a solitary male.

Book Worms was a delightful piece inspired by Roald Dahl’s Matilda.  The dancers appear in childlike costumes of shorts and t-shirts each carrying a book in front of their face, the books being cleverly lit to illuminate the faces.  They sit cross legged on the floor and individually address the audience with lines from inspirational and fantastic literature, their faces full of wonder.  Of course, they’re dancers, but a little voice work in preparation would not have gone amiss because some could barely be heard.   The dancing though, was spot on.  Imaginatively choreographed and performed with impeccable timing, the dancers conveyed the sense of curiosity and awe when immersed in a good book.  Performed to music by Tones and I, Queen and Murray Gold, this piece was undoubtedly the most joyous of the programme.

Disconnected Self explores the need for connection in a world that can leave one feeling alone in a crowded place.  Starting with a solo dancer (uncredited) displaying considerable flexibility which included a deep back bend coming forward to show a facial expression reminiscent of Edvard Munch’s The Scream before crouching almost into a foetal position, this was a very effective move which was frequently repeated as other dancers joined in, each one seemingly experiencing their own lonely pain.   Danced to by music from Billie Eilish, Disconnected Self was a powerful depiction of inner hell.

Dancing Dead is inspired by the 1518 Dancing Plague, an historical event I hadn’t heard of before.  A Google search revealed that between 40 and 500 people died in Strasbourg after being struck by an incontrollable urge to dance and not stop dancing.  The cause is speculated to be the presence of a poisonous fungus called ergot which infested rye flour from which bread was made; mass hysteria may also have played a part.  Interestingly, ergot poisoning is also indicated as a possible culprit for causing witches at much the same time in history.   But back to the dance.  Dancing Dead shows the dancers, dressed in pyjama like costumes, gyrating and jiggling in a manner not unlike the ‘60s dance The Shake, and displaying a glassy eyed blank expression more reminiscent of the rave era.  The music, or rather sounds, were provided by Michael Wall, Joris Vanvinckenroye and Ahmed Spins.

After the interval came the longest piece in the programme and the one from which the show’s title comes from.  All, Here and Now explores equality and segregation and begins with one of the dancers making a diagonal line of sand across the performance area.  Initially the line is not crossed but as more dancers fill the area the sand line is breached then rebelliously destroyed and the dancers come together in unity.  The music was by Ezio Bosso and Michael Wall.

I confess I am not a dance expert, drama being the area in which I have most knowledge and experience.  I can only speak as I see as an ordinary theatre goer, and what I saw in this production didn’t completely square with the rather highbrow and possibly pretentious explanations described in the programme.  Or maybe I’m just not clever enough to get it.    But was I entertained?  Yes, I enjoyed the show.  The dancers displayed undoubted talent, suppleness, strength and stamina.   The no doubt many hours of rehearsal were certainly evident in the polished performances we saw which, at an hour and a half in length including interval, was perfectly pitched to keep the audience engaged throughout.

Reviewer: H.S.Baker

Reviewed: 3^rd November 2023

North West End UK Rating: