Hogmanay is upon us, when midnight drams will send many into 2010 with a merrily off-kilter view of their surroundings. The same spirit is meant to prevail in this dance diverse showcase, created by Dance Base in 2004 and now revived and embraced by Edinburgh’s own end-of-year events programme.
While commendable ambition has brought in high-end contributions by choreographers Mark Morris and Ashley Page – and some covetable designs of dancing dogs by John Byrne – the feisty, rollicking energy of the first Off Kilter is outside, on the Festival Theatre’s steps, having a fag and waiting for the end when that ever-genial joker, Allan Irvine, tells the audience “get tae dance!” and invites them to birl away on stage. By the way, the house band, led by Tom Bancroft, is a gleefully foot-tapping gift to the ceilidh-minded.
Bancroft has also conjured up, in conjunction with Sri Jayanchandra, the rollicking, folksy soundscore for Priya Shrikumar’s Ihayami. Who would have thought the crossover would have proved so apt, with rhythms coinciding wittily and the classical Indian footwork taking on a jaunty, jigging feel.
Ashley Page’s Paisley Patter is a wee gem that should come into Scottish Ballet’s own repertoire. Ivor Cutler’s songs have a merry daftness – Page responds with a sympathetic light-hearted touch – but there’s wistful darkness and Page weaves this into sleekly-tailored contemporary hi-jinks for Davina Givens, Lyndsey Thomas and Errol White. The backdrop of Oscar Marzaroli’s evocative photographs lends atmosphere, a plus, given how bare the space looks for most of the show.
Morris set his Cease Your Funnin on three of his own dancers: Claudia McPherson, Kanjii Segawa and William Smith III. While Mhairi Lawson sang Beethoven’s Scottish songs, McPherson wafted airily between the lads like an elusive Sylph (or maybe a female Rabbie Burns). Delectable dancing.
Elsewhere, Allan Irvine powered out a sense of quirky, subversive fun that was, overall, in unexpected short supply. All the ingredients are there, maybe the running order is off-kilter?
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