It’s not actually a triptych, as there’s four dances in this outrageously beautiful production, but it is certainly a redux because Lewis Major brought this show to Edinburgh last year. And there is a whole lot of life left yet in this staggering show. Last year was a sell-out, but there is space to spare in the wonderful Zoo Southside’s main hall. Maybe it’s because Oasis are eating up Fringe tickets at Murrayfield. That’s the chat in town.
Whatever the reason, it’s electric.
Part one is done and dusted in mere seconds. It’s like an amuse bouche for what lies ahead, the real heft of the show. It’s short but it’s dramatic. Emerging from complete darkness into a foggy half-lit haze three dancers weave, snakelike in the gloaming (gloom for you non-Scots reading this) that is the aesthetic of this show, presented by House of Oz who are having a blinder this year.
Part two is the highlight of a flawless production. At first it appears that a very complex gobo is casting more shadow than light onto the stage, but it becomes clear, soon enough, that this is a projection in white light – everything is monochrome in Major’s world. As the piece develops to an electro soundtrack the projections and dancers merge into one. It’s mesmeric, organic, haunting and totally beautiful.
Part three is set to a Middle-Eastern-themed music track. It feels religious and after a very short break in the lights, the lead female dancer stands astride her male counterpart in a feat of gymnastic magic. It’s breathtaking.
Part four merges the music of Clair de Lune with one of the lesser known movements of Trois Gymnopedies to yet more half-lit delight. A solo piece that is achingly beautiful as the dancer spills handfuls of powder onto the stage and then maps her movement onto a monochrome canvas as she traces her way across stage.
The lighting in this production is majestic. And even if you know nothing about dance, it’s worth the admission price alone. This is Fringe art at the very highest level of achievement.
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