Dance Reviews 2007
Split Soul Dance Theatre - Journalist and Hope
Journalist and Hope is carefully choreographed not only in the movement of the characters but in the words they speak. It portrays the personae which we develop and which can trap us in endlessly repeated performances.
Journalist (Julia Barnet) is cynical and jaded, all sharpness and angles, caught in a cycle of smoking and drinking. She would like to make a connection with others but doesn't know how; her requests for cigarettes sound like demands and put people off. Hope (Rachel Lincoln) is soft and caring, waiting to be with her lover. She ritualistically sets the scene for their reunion but you feel he/she will never come. Where Journalist is demanding and all-knowing, Hope is giving and naïve. They are both vulnerable in their way, and recognition of this nearly brings them together before the demands of their individual scripts pull them apart.
This is a touching and intriguing piece of physical theatre, well-acted, well-directed, and well worth the short walk to the Infant School.
Barbara Wilson
Sensational Salsa - Salsa Ball
Sensational Salsa scaled new heights of ambition this year by hosting a summer ball in the opulent surroundings of the Palace Hotel ballroom.
Although numbers could have been greater, a respectable crowd of dancers ranging from beginners to experienced salsa devotees, enjoyed a fabulous evening dancing to live music from the infectious Manchester band, Jaso Fula, led by German-born Ghanaian Dr Henry Brew and featuring sultry vocals from Vinetta Holness. Happily the massive ballroom is a flexible space with optional partition walls so the event essentially took place in one half of the room creating a delightfully cosy atmosphere with the red and silver balloons and sympathetic lighting all adding to the mellow vibe.
The ball had been advertised as a 'dress your best' affair and this too lent something extra to the occasion with many a beautiful dress to ogle. Sensational Salsa's Justine surpassed herself with a wonderful Fifties' red silk ball-gown with black netting petticoat and elegantly high, diamante stilettos. As the evening progressed and the temperature rose, she changed into a black and silver cocktail dress - no wonder the action tended to stop when she and Linval took to the dance floor; we were all just so happy to watch this graceful pair!
As well as a beginners' dance workshop at the start of the evening featuring merengue, turns and basic steps, there was a particular treat half way through when dance teacher Mike Gibbs introduced us to the rueda, a delightful, communal affair whereby couples dance interchangeably in a circle, swapping partners at the command of a central caller. Like a kind of Latin American barn dance, this proved, as Gibbs put it, great fun when it worked and also great fun when it didn't! I'm not sure how it happened, but having initially taken the role of a man, I found I ended up as a woman - and much happier for it!
In all this was a lovely way to spend an unseasonably wet and miserable summer's night. The venue and dress code helped turn it into a spectacle as well as a party and the whole occasion is likely to have inspired more people to take up this popular dance form. Thankfully Sensational Salsa runs classes every Tuesday night at Buxton's Railway Hotel, 7.30pm for beginners and 8.30pm for improvers. Call 0796 6004810 for further information. You can also try the rueda at the Packhorse, Crowdecote on the first Wednesday of every month at 8pm.
Stephanie Billen
Siyaya Arts - ThaTha
A little taste of Africa in Buxton.
This energetic young troupe of six men and three women from Zimbabwe bring a welcome taste of Africa to Buxton. They use dance, song, and costume to give us a glimpse into the culture, traditions and conditions of their continent. Their enthusiasm is infectious and the athletic delivery gets the audience clapping and tapping along to the rhythms.
The one hour non-stop show starts with a piece in traditional dress then moves on to storytelling through music and movement to finish with a dance off between two of the performers. The first piece felt a bit synthetic, like the stereotype of African dance, but this soon dropped away when they moved into the more contemporary pieces.
Sitting in the hall of Buxton Infant School watching this show I found myself wishing that the children who use this hall on weekdays were here to experience this taste of Africa. With or without your children, go along and expand your horizons for a little while. These hard working performers deserve an audience and we all deserve a taste of something a bit different.
Jean Ball