Rambert: Ghost Dances at the Theatre Royal Glasgow Review

Rambert – Ghost Dances
Theatre Royal, Glasgow

9-11 February 2017

www.atgtickets.com/theatre-royal-glasgow

Reviewed by Deborah Mackenzie

An evening of dance, but not like anything I have seen before. The three very different dances were executed to precision, it seemed to be a mixture of ballet and contemporary dance.

The opening dance, Tomorrow, is Lucy Guerin’s production from the dark and dangerous world of Macbeth. The dance gives physical life to the psychological conflict that lead a man to murder. The stage was divided between two worlds, on one side the dancers are dressed all in black, on the other dressed in a light coloured floaty dress. I had not read the program and did not know what the story was meant to be. I would never had guessed it to be Macbeth, and as it is played backwards, I don’t think I would have understood it. However, imagination is a wonderful thing! I had my own interpretation – to me it showed the two sides of humanity; the powerful and the ‘underdogs’. But the dancing was riveting regardless if you understood the plot or not.

The second, Transfigured Night, is a romantic tale of a couple at crisis point. The narration is taken from the poem of the same name by Richard Dehmel, where a woman confesses to her lover that she is pregnant by another man. The story is told by two duets, one with the woman who has made a mistake and the other her alternative self. It is danced beautifully, but for me it lacked emotion as they performed their pieces, which made it feel much longer than it should have.

The last dance, Ghost Dance, created for Rambert back in 1981, and its first revival, which gives its name to the tour, was well worth waiting for. It is a celebration of death, inspired by South America’s traditional Day of the Dead. Three skeletal figures waited on an empty stage, then as they danced a group of villagers entered from the right, and the villagers each met death. The way that they danced reminded me of dolls at times, but I really loved the fact each were given a joyous celebration of life before death claimed them. The haunting sounds of panpipes and the airy Latin American score, give the illusion of a different culture, but that they shared the same emotions regardless of where they are from.

I really know nothing about dance, but I can appreciate the beauty of movement, the magnificent poses and emotions that are poured out onto the stage. These dances were no exception, but the first two dance narrations were difficult to follow, even when I knew the basic story. Don’t let this stop you from going and experiencing this art form, because if like me, your imagination takes over and the beauty overflows.

Rating: 4/5

Rambert is currently on tour around the UK with Ghost Dances, for more information and tour dates visit www.rambert.org.uk/performances/ghost-dances.

For shows at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow visit www.atgtickets.com/theatre-royal-glasgow.

Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, Glasgow, G2 3QA | 0844 871 7647