Turn up expecting a live gig from Belgian indie-rock duo I Love Sarah, and the dance-theatre elements on-stage will seem like a wacky bonus.
Arrive in the hope of seeing a return to form, or at least a substantial new piece of choreographed movement from David Hughes Dance and you could well feel frustrated.
There are very few moments when all, or indeed, any of the five talented male dancers in the Chinaski Sessions really cut loose and give more than a glimpse of their particular strengths or individual styles.
Indeed it probably takes Rob Heaslip longer to lace up (and, soon after, discard) his hard-sole shoes than it does for him to display a nippy flourish of traditional Irish footwork. Matt Foster gets more of a break, but his rampage round the set – a messy bed-sit-cum-impromptu recording studio – is less about dance and more about the persona of Chinaski, the cult character (and alter-ego) created by Charles Bukowski.
If you came along lured by the prospect of an encounter with Chinaski, then maybe this attempt by Australian dance-maker Kylie Walters to evoke a certain kind of booze-induced, random, often aggressive behaviour will pass muster.
For sure, everyone tries hard to deliver a sense of spontaneity even when the spurts of movement are in well-rehearsed synch.
But the rambling conversations, like the episodes of repetitive steps – everyone running in circles, or bouncing pogo-style to insistent drumming – are as tiresome as the tedious drunk who bores you with his creative insights. Time, perhaps, for Hughes to do as Michael Clark has done: put the dance centre-stage, not the live band.
On tour and at Craignish Village Hall, Ardfern, tomorrow.
HHH
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