Richard Alston Dance Company at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh Review
Richard Alston Dance Company
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
23 September 2016
Reviewed by Deborah Mackenzie
Richard Alston Dance Company is currently on their Autumn tour; we were fortunate to see their outstanding show at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh. The evening offered four spectacular dance routines that left you gasping with amazement as the dancers performed each routine flawlessly, captivating the audience.
The dance ‘An Italian in Madrid’ is a narrative about Scarlatti’s stay in Andalusia with his pupil, the young Princess Maria Barbara, who married a Spanish prince. The dance is a love story between the Princess and Prince with Scarlatti looking on. Unless you are familiar with Scarlatti’s history and inspiration for his sonatas, it is difficult to follow the story from the dance, but you are aware of a beautiful love story unfolding. The ten dancers filled the stage in perfect harmony with each other as their striking poses were softened by costumes that flowed about them. I was captivated by Vidya Patel, as the Princess, she dominated the stage with her graceful yet strong movements that included some forms of Indian classical dance.
Mazur performed by Riddick and Bodych explored Chopin’s mazurkas. A story of two friends sharing what they love and what they have lost. For Chopin and his friends look back to their beloved homeland Poland that they love and miss, with longing to return. The pianist, Ridgeway’s interpretation of the music as he collaborated with the dancers, especially when one would rest at the piano, created a wealth of moods and emotions as it told the story. The two dancers offered their solos to one another with glances before and during their performances, and together they seemed to melt into each other, giving their unity in the story they tell. They danced with their hearts and each heartbeat went soaring into the audience as their movements transformed you with emotion of the missing of yesteryears and homelands.
From the moment Lawrance’s Stronghold began you could feel the power and control of Julia Wolfe’s composition for 8 double basses. It is intense, vibrant and sharp as the music rolls into one and then to nothing. It appeared to lack beat or rhythm yet the dancers formed as one with each precise part together and solo.
Stronghold:
A fortress,
A protected place,
An area dominated by a particular group,
A place of survival or refuge.
The steps and movements of each dance drew you into safety, yet you also knew the dangers of being alone, strength in numbers formed the stronghold of a chain that couldn’t be broken. Yet, even alone you felt safe because of the Stronghold. This dance put you there, either part of the chain or when you were alone; you knew emotion and feelings of nothing else but safety. This dance sent you on a rollercoaster of emotions, the music likened to a heartbeat, quickening, pounding and then it is quiet. Just thinking of this dance brings goose bumps on my arms I was so affected by the power of it. (This was dedicated by Lawrance to a dear friend Sue Bloom, who started his journey in dance.)
The final piece, Tangent, was choreographed by Lawrance who has a fascination of the closeness and passion of the Argentinian Tango; he explored this by using a piano arrangement of Nisinman, The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Each dancing couple told their own story, taking different moods from the different seasons. The music was cleverly chosen as you could ‘hear’ and ‘sense’ the seasons, but the dancers brought this to life as they interpreted it in movement. The costumes both in colour and style were striking, distinguishing the season each couple represented. This electrifying, fast paced and beautifully performed modern tango left you wanting more as you saw each story unfold.
The whole evening was astounding, the dancers clearly love what they were doing and work well alone or as a group. This shines through each performance which makes watching them delightful. The pianist superbly played each note with precision and timing; showing himself a master of the Grand Piano. I recommend going to see them, as they have mixed together many different types of dance which blends and flows into a beautiful story, complimented by the musical pieces chosen.
Rating: 5/5 
The Richard Alston Dance Company is currently on tour around the UK, for more information visit www.richardalstondance.com.
For other shows at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh visit www.edtheatres.com.
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9FT | 0131 529 6000
